BEGINNERS WINE GUIDE

         STELLA'S COMPACT & CONCISE 
                 BEGINNERS WINE GUIDE      

Beginners Wine Guide...

We take the mystery (and snobbery) out of wine for you--  and encourage you to try different wines and brands 'til you find some favorites. There is a certain mystique surrounding wine that can make it seem complicated and bound by "rules".

Hogwash! Here we present a general wine guide to get you started... and remember, those "rules" are meant to be broken... If you want to chill your burgundy, go ahead...
 

FUN WITH WINE !

Before we provide our compact and useful guide, we encourage you to explore the fun and interesting  world of wine tasting with these fun kits:
 

STELLA'S HOT PICKS

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO WINE

SPARKLING WINES/ CHAMPAGNE: 
Serve chilled & keep the wine bottle on ice            

• Good with any course, but favored for breakfasts, brunch, light entrees like chicken or veal
• Natural (very dry)
• Brut (dry)
• Extra Dry (hint of sweetness)
• Dry (medium sweet)
• Sec (noticeably sweet)
• Demi-Sec (very sweet)
   

WHITE WINES: Serve well chilled

• Serve with fish, shellfish, poultry, ham, veal & cold salads
• Light & dry white wines:
      Chablis; Soave; Pinot Blanc; Rhine; Muscadet
• Medium dry white wines:
      Colombard; Chardonnay; Chenin Blanc; Alsace
      Riesling; Pouilly-Fuisse
• Aromatic white wines/with a hint of sweetness:
      Riesling; Pinot Grigio; Fume Blanc; Muscot;
      Savignon Blanc; Zinfandel blanc; Pinot Noir
      Blanc
• Sweet white wines:
      Liebfraumilch; Lambrusco
   

ROSE WINES: Serve chilled

• Serve with barbeque, cold buffet, ham, quiche, cold cuts
• Rose wines (Fruity blends from slightly sweet to sweet):   
      Blush; White Zinfandel; White Grenache; Vin Gris
   

RED WINES: Serve room temperature or very slightly chilled

• Dry, fresh  and fruity reds (serve with chicken, cold meats, stew, grilled meats, pasta salad)
      Gamay; Red Zinfandel; Burgundy; Beaujolais;
      Valpolicella
   
• Dry, more full-bodied & assertive reds (serve room temp with beef, lamb or game)
      Barbera; Merlot; Cabernet Savignon; Pinot Noir;
      Chianti; Red Bordeaux
   

RETURN FROM BEGINNERS WINE GUIDE TO ROMANTIC MENUS