Wine comes in so many different variations it may be a bit overwhelming to those of us who do not drink wine daily. While we may know the names Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Merlot, do we really know what we are drinking? Most of us drink wine based off the recommendations of others and not our taste buds. I thought it would be interesting to get my wine questions answered by a true wine expert. So I headed to Illinois and connected with Mr. Nicolas Pruitt to bring ya’ll some knowledge on wine. Some good stuff I learned, and I wanted to share it with ya’ll so you may be knowledgeable on your next hedonist outing.
Because of the variations of wine, we all may have heard a person say:
“I don’t like white wine”
“I don’t like red wine”
It is not necessarily the color of the wine, it’s the flavor in the wine that may be turning us off ,Nick explains. He goes on to share with me that foods can enhance or destroy our taste for wines. For example, citrus can make a good wine taste flat. I did not know that myself and will remember that when I eat and drink wine.
He also gave me some good tips on food and wine pairing:
- Wedding cake and champagne is not a good mix. So you don’t have to serve this combo at a wedding.
- Anything sweeter than the wine you drink will ruin it. Remember this when you order off the dessert menus
- White with fish as a recommendation. It depends on the flavors in both the fish and the wine.
- Red with steak as a recommendation. Also depends on the flavors of the steak and wine
- Light tonic goes well with spicy foods
- You can combine Wine and Whiskey!!! I had no idea! Will be trying this!
It is about learning the balance of food and wine. Certain flavors go together, and certain ones do not! For those of us foodies this will be a fun challenge for us. I will likely try out many different combos just for the hell of it. For those who are not as adventurous with food, it is cool, you’ll just take a little longer to figure out what combos work best for you.
One question I know a lot of people may have is about buying wine for other people. So how do you approach buying the perfect wine for your dinner date or guests. Here is the answer:
- You need to ask questions to build a flavor profile.
- What do they like flavor wise?
- What are you going to eat? EX: Italian food-Italian wine
Think of the full meal and how it can complement your wine choice.
As unfortunate as it is, liquor stores in minority communities are not the best option to buy wine. You might have to go out of your way to a wine warehouse or a place that does actual wine tasting. This way you can explore all your wine options rather than only what is presented to you.
Wine is not as expensive as we tend to think. We think of wine in terms of restaurant prices. Nick’s mission is to give people confidence in buy wine. And on that note holler at him for a wine consultation session. At $50 bucks per person, you cannot beat it! He does in person and virtual lessons which include a wine course and 30 minutes of Q&A. Nick can be contacted at ontheflywine@gmail.com
If you want to watch the fill in-person interview, click on the IG link below and don’t forget to subscribe for all the hedonist updates. 🤪
The Hedonist's Chronicles 