15 Feb Top ten wine myths that won’t die

Even if wine has become more and more demystified and accessible over the past several years — there are still a few lingering myths out there. This article debunks some of the common ones…

1. The correct serving temperature for red wine is “room temperature.”

This was actually not a wine myth when it got started back in the 19th century when a room was heated to only 17°C or less. Today, in warmer climates or in rooms with heating, room temperature is more commonly around 21°C or more. So serving red wine at “room temperature” today is quite a bit over what is should be.

Heat changes the aromas and makes the alcohol more pronounced in flavour so even red wine should be slightly chilled in most homes without a cellar. Just put the bottle in your refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving to be closer to cellar temperature.

2. You can tell if a wine is “corked” by smelling the cork.

A corked wine is spoiled by the cork but it doesn’t really smell like cork. A good cork will smell woody with only a slight wine tinge and is virtually indistinguishable from a cork that actually spoiled a bottle.

Wine is corked by the presence of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), and/or 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), a compound from a mould found in the presence of wood and halogens (e.g. cork and chlorinated water), and which is why the corked wines smells mouldy or damp. This is transmitted to the wine by infected corks but which also can have been transferred through the cork rather than from it. But the wine itself doesn’t smell a lot like cork, more like wet newspaper or damp basement, and you certainly can’t tell anything from smelling the cork.

The only information a cork can provide is to confirm the brand of the producer, vintage year and make sure it is sound and not dried out indicating poor storage.

3. Red wines should be uncorked hours before serving or decanted to show their best.

The vast majority of red wines do not need to be opened to “breathe” or decanted to show their best. In fact, it’s estimated only 15-20 percent of all wine produced today should be given air before serving. The wines that benefit from aeration tend to come from specific places and are made in relatively small quantities. The vast majority of red wines can be simply opened and immediately poured to be fully enjoyed.

4. Taking a month off drinking will detox your liver.

Many people use the first few months of the year to take a break from consuming alcohol thinking they can detox their system and get back to normal. But a story recently in The Independent claims otherwise.

In fact, a doctor is quoted saying, “Detoxing for just a month in January is medically futile. It can lead to a false sense of security and feeds the idea that you can abuse your liver as much as you like and then sort everything else with a quick fix.”

So it is much better to take a day or two off alcohol each week than a month off each year to maintain better health…..

Huffington Post: Read the full article here