wine-pedia

How to pair wine with food? The old adage that white wine pairs well with fish while red wine works with meat, serves as a good basis to start from, according to wine expert Brandon Walsh, president of Reston, Va.-based Hosted Wine Tasting (see video below).

Wines should always be served at their optimal serving temperatures, as well.

Another consideration, he suggests is the concept of matching weights of the wine with the food.

Lighter-bodied white wines include reisling and pinot grigio. Medium-bodied wines include sauvignon blanc while chardonnay is a fuller, heavier-bodied wine, he says.

Lighter-bodied wines go well with salads, as well as light fish, such as sushi. Medium-bodied wines works well with light and flakey fish as well as poultry. Heavier-bodied whites, such as chardonnay, pair very well with salmon or swordfish.

Red wines also range from light to heavier, fuller-bodied wines. A lighter-bodied red wine is a pinot noir or beaujolais. A medium-bodied red is a merlot, syrah (shiraz). Heavier, fuller-bodied wines include cabernet sauvignon. Pinot noir pairs well with salmon as well as some poultry. Syrah and merlot pairs well beef or pork. A cabernet sauvignon pairs well with beef, lamb and game.

See our review of The Best Wine Clubs offered directly from wineries here.

Champagne

• Chill thoroughly Properly chilled champagne will fizz and/or froth over less
• Towel dry the bottle if there's condensation to ensure a good grip and prevent slippage
• Cut the foil using a knife, only tearing with fingers after you've scored the foil.
• Tilt and aim Tilt the bottle to 45 degrees and aim it away from yourself, others, and anything breakable (like windows)
• Hold the cork down with one hand while twisting open the wire cage with the other
• Twist the bottle with one hand while continuing to hold the cork down with the other
• Listen for the sound of air escaping to signal that the bottle is open. There may also be a small cloud of gas.

Serving wine at the right temperature can make all the difference when it comes to how they taste. Wine that is served too warm or too cold can alter the flavor and hence ruin the experience.

First, find out what is the correct wine serving temperature for the variety of wine you are planning to open. Once you are armed with that information, be careful that you don't damage the wine which can easily happen by exposing it to very warm temperatures (sometimes done by those who are trying to compensate for a bottle of wine that is too cold). The best method to chilling a bottle of white wine is to do so slowly in a refrigerator, however if you are short on time, you might want to check out a few of these tips:

1. How to chill wine in six minutes: Simply place the wine bottle into an ice bucket and fill with ice, water and a handful of salt. The salt is important as it will help break down the ice, which will make the water colder, faster.

2. Keep an empty wine bottle or a decanter in the freezer. When needing a quick chill, transfer the wine that needs chilled into the frozen vessel. The wine will be ready to drink in about ten minutes.

3. Although there are plenty of naysayers who believe that putting a bottle of wine in the freezer will damage its integrity, those who are daring (and in need of quick results) might choose to do so. But don't leave it in any longer than 15 minutes. It will chill even faster if you wrap a wet paper towel or hand towel around it before placing it in the freezer.

4. Purchase an "ice jacket" (a gel-filled sleeve) that you keep in the freezer. Wrap it around the wine bottle for approximately ten minutes. A benefit to using this method is that you won't have to worry about forgetting how long you left it on ice or in the freezer.

5. Wet a hand towel, wrap it around the wine bottle and put it in the refrigerator to chill. This method will take a little longer, but you won't have to worry about damaging its integrity.

This post was contributed via Seed.com, AOL's new platform for freelance writers.

Looking for a less costly alternative to Champagne? Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine, is a great option. It is light, usually sweet and fruity but not as complicated as Champagne. Prosecco is the main ingredient in several popular cocktails, including the Bellini, in which it is mixed with peach juice.

It typically retails for $10 to $20 a bottle. Production of prosecco has increased thirty-fold over the past four decades and there are plans for greater distribution particularly to emerging wine markets like China.

Prosecco is produced using the Charmat method, in which a second fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. Prosecco does not ferment in the bottle, unlike some varieties of champagne. Hence, it should not be stored for long periods of time, and should be consumed within two years after it is produced. Nearly two-thirds of all proseccos come from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, the Veneto region which is near Venice.

Prosecco can be found in three forms: brut, extra dry, and dry. Brut typically comes from high-quality prosecco grapes. Brut prosecco contains less residual sugar; no more than 15 grams per litre. Extra Dry prosecco is actually less dry than Brut. It contains 12 to 20 grams per litre of residual sugar. Dry process contains the most residual sugar, typically 20 to 35 grams per litre.

While prosecco is widely believed to be a less expensive alternative, not all proseccos are created equal. Bottles that are labeled with "DOC" (Denominazione Origine Controllata) or "DOCG" (Denominazione Origine Controllata Garantita) is a guarantee of quality, meaning that the grape used and the wine making process originated in a specific region.

Other alternatives to Champagne include Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine, that comes in different degrees of sweetness, similar to prosecco. It can be distinguished by its cork, which is emblazoned with a four-pointed star. Like prosecco, cava is sold ready for consumption and does not improve after being stored.

Sparkling wines from the United States, also referred to as "New World Sparklers" include those made with both the méthode champenoise (second fermentation takes place in the bottle) and the Charmat method (second fermentation takes place in a large tank). Sparking wines not always a less costly alternative to Champagne, however, and some are pricey.

To be sure, champagne is the beverage of choice during the holidays, but do you know at what temperature it should be served? How should it be stored? What is the difference between vintage and non-vintage Champagne? Veuve Clicquot, the esteemed French winemaker, answers these questions and more.

What is the difference between a vintage and a non-vintage Champagne?
By law in Champagne, France, you cannot display a year on the label of a bottle unless all the grapes which make up the Champagne in the bottle have been sources from one single harvest, in one single year. This is known as a vintage. Wine connoisseurs seek vintage champagnes; non-vintage blends are not as attractive and should never go for more than 10% over the regular current price, according to Veuve Clicquot.

Why buy a magnum?
Magnums, which are twice the size of a regular bottle (750 ml), are optimal for aging wine: during the aging process, the wine is "breathing" even through the cork.

Best vintages
According to Veuve Clicquot, the best vintages in Champagne since the turn of the 20th century, include the following years (from most recent to oldest); 1998, 1996, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1985, 1979, 1976, 1969, 1969, 1955, 1949, 1947, 1943, 1934, 1929, 1921, 1918, and 1904.

Pouring temperature
The pouring temperature of Champagne will vary depending on the kind you will be serving. Young non-vintage champagne, with no year on the label, should be poured around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit). Mature wines, on the other hand, such as vintage Champagne, should be poured between 12 to 14 degrees Celsius (54 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit).

Pairing Champagne with food
What can Champagne be served along with? Champagne goes well with pasta salads, sea food, oysters, shrimps, light fishes and antipasti. It also goes well with a cheese course as well as with many desserts.

How long can you keep Champagne?
Veuve Clicquot says non-vintage champagne should be enjoyed upon release, but may be stored for up to two or three years. Vintage Champagne can age longer; from 10 to 25 years depending on the style of each vintage.

How to store Champagne
Veuve Clicquot recommends Champagne be stored in the same manner as any regular fine wine. It should be kept at a cool and continuous temperature, which is ideally 10 to 12 degrees Celsius (50 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit) or at most between 7 to 15 degrees Celsius (45 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit). In addition, Veuve Clicquot recommends a high humidity (over 75%), good ventilation and darkness to create the best conditions.

What is the best way to open a bottle of Champagne?
Remove the foil and the wire cage. Next, slowly twist the cork back and forth about a quarter of an inch, while allowing the pressure inside the bottle to force it up. Do not pull the cork out of the bottle; it should be gently released.

Check out the video below from the Food Network, for a few more tips on chilling, opening and pouring champagne.