Wines
Wine
White, red, cuvée, sparkling and champagne, aromatised and archival wines. Slovenian, Croatian, Italian, French, Portuguese, Chilean and others. Of the old and of the new world. A plethora of options – and what options these are!
Where the possibilities are almost endless
Just as people are different, so are the wines and the occasions for which we choose them. Whether you swear by still or sparkling wine or tend to limit your choice to pinot gris, blue frankish, sauvignon, merlot or malvasia – in the wide range of products on offer in the House of Good Wine you will surely find the right precious drop for every occasion. Get to know the characteristics of individual varieties and categories and, depending on your wishes, guests and food you will serve with the wine, choose a bottle that will top off your gourmet dinner party.
A good-quality wine puts the final touch to a relaxed socialising with friends and family as well as to a romantic date for two. Wine goes well with any occasion, or, in the words of Jože Koželj, the head of the House of Good Wine:
“Wine is tradition and love, it is culture and art. In wine, there is truth, in wine, there is a story, and wine is communication.”
Correct chilling of wine
Without the knowledge of how to chill wine correctly, you can spend as much money on it as you want, yet its notes, aromas and even colour will not be properly expressed.
White wines are served at a temperature of 8 to 12 °C, with lighter varieties, such as welschriesling and malvasia, being served at 8 to 10 °C, while richer or more structured white wines, such as chardonnay, sauvignon or barrique white wines, should be served at 10 to 12 °C.
Red wines are served at a temperature of 14 to 16 °C, but to be even more precise, lighter red wines, such as cviček, should have a temperature of 10 °C. Medium-bodied varieties, such as blue frankish, should be served at between 12 and 14 °C, and full-bodied, rich red wines, such as merlot, barrique cabernet sauvignon or syrah, should be served at a temperature of 15 to even 18 °C.
Sweet wines should be chilled to 6 to 8 °C, while the general rule for sparkling wines is to serve simple ones chilled to 6 °C, and heavier sparkling wines and champagnes to 10 °C.
Correct serving of red wine
You have probably heard before that red wine should be served at room temperature. But if you have also tried this in practice, you have probably already received a comment or two that the wine is actually a little too warm.
This is no surprise – that red wine should be served at room temperature is a myth from the past, when the temperature in the cellars of old houses was considered room temperature.
You can follow this general guideline: take the white wine out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving, and place the red wine in the fridge 20 minutes before serving. If the wine is served in the summer, it can be a little colder, as it will warm up quickly in the outside heat.
Common questions
How to pair wine with food?
When serving wine with food, follow these 6 simple rules and you will always ensure the perfect combination for every taste.
● rule 1: Wine should be more acidic than food.
● rule 2: Wine should be sweeter than food.
● rule 3: Bitter wine pairs well with fatty dishes.
● rule 4: Wine should pair well with the sauce, not the meat.
● rule 5: White wine is best served with light dishes.
● rule 6: Red wine is best served with heavy dishes.
What glasses to use for wine?
For fresh white wines, a tulip-shaped glass is used, which enables a quick release of aromas and the perception of fruitiness and freshness.
For mature white wines, the glasses should still be tulip-shaped, but more open and larger. Such wines contain heavier aromas that require more volume to be released from the wine when the glass is swirled.
Red wine is poured into wider glasses with larger openings so that the wine can breathe, as experts say. This way, the aromas develop faster and the flavour of wine becomes even richer. Red wine glasses have a wider middle part, a larger and longer stem, and a wider opening that produces a richer aroma.