Choosing a wine can be a tricky decision. You want your selection to please as many people as possible including your host. If you know ahead what is on the menu, the choice becomes easier. The general guidelines are as follows:

- Light-bodied wines complement light food.

- Full-bodied wines are needed when pairing with hearty food.

However, in the situation where you do not know the menu, it is ok as there are a few other key items to consider.

Host Preference

It is very important to consider the host. If you know the host well, you may want to select a bottle that suits his or her individual preferences. If you’re less familiar with your host’s favorites, select a popular wine variety such as Chardonnay or Merlot.

You can further customize the choice by selecting a wine that matches the recipient´s personality or intended usage. Are they more likely to open the bottle soon or age it in their cellar? Will they savor it during an everyday dinner or bring it out to impress friends? Do they have a fondness towards a particular wine or growing region?

Price Considerations

Of course all decisions must be balanced with respect to its price. In the situation of having a budget of $25 and above, your selections choices are wide open. A favorite of mine and a crowd pleaser is a Cabernet, a well rounded and highly excepted classic.

Ok, now let’s take a look at the $15 to $25 budget range. My suggestion here is that you just stick with a traditional Chardonnay or Merlot. They are both widely appreciated and just a bit less costly than Cabernets.

Even at $15 and under there are some really enjoyable choices. For $10 you can get Veramonte Cabnernet Sauvignon from the Casablanca Valley, located in Chile. Another great selection is the Australian Shiraz or the Sauvignon Blancs, both of which may pleasantly surprise the recipient.

Contributor: Stuart Glasure [A wine enthusiast and publishing member of the wine source: http://www.WineDefinitions.com.]

Tasting Room Etiquette

In a winery’s tasting room, white wines are generally tasted first, followed by reds, and then dessert wines. Within these categories, lighter-bodied wines preceed fuller-bodied ones. Water and crackers may be offered to cleanse the palate between each wine. Correct wine etiquette does not dictate that you must finish every glass. Winery tasting rooms provide jars to dispose of excess wine. Do not feel that you need to sample every wine offered- taste what appeals to you.

If you ask for a second tasting of a particular wine, it is in good taste to buy a bottle. Many wineries charge tasting fees which are generally applied to any purchase. It is not mandatory that you buy wine; purchase only what you desire. That being said, if you have made an appointment at a small winery, it is in good taste to make a purchase. Proper wine etiquette dictates that you not bring children to a tasting room.

General Restaurant Wine Etiquette

Wine service at a nice restaurant can be an unneccessarily difficult ordeal. The following tips will allow you to follow the customs of wine service with ease and confidence.

When choosing a wine from a restaurant’s wine list, the main goal is to accomplish a suitable pairing with the entrees of your party. If the food orders are too different to generalize with one wine, consider purchasing splits or ordering by the glass. Waiters and sommeliers are there to answer your questions, but availing yourself to their services and advice will be much more beneficial if your questions are relatively specific.

For example, don’t ask the sommelier, “”What goes well with a rack of lamb?”" Rather, ask, “”I’d like to balance the spiciness of the lamb with a full-bodied, Syrah-based Rhone. Do you have any favorites?”" Your effort will be appreciated and service and interaction will be more seamless. I guarentee you will be more pleased with the outcome.

After ordering, the waiter/sommelier will retrieve your selection, and then present it, label forward, to the host of the party. This is merely to verify it is the correct wine. The cork is removed and placed on the table. Unless it is clearly tainted, (the waiter/sommelier should notice if it is) do not touch or smell it, as it means nothing.

A small amount will then be poured for the host. Swirl the wine in the glass, smell, then taste. This is to make sure the wine is not spoiled and is not an opportunity to send back a sound wine that you are not crazy about. After approval, the wine will be poured clockwise to the right, ladies first. The host’s glass will be topped last.

Corkage Etiquette

It is increasingly customary in many parts of the country for restaurants to extend corkage policies for patrons whom wish to bring their own wine. However, this is not the case everywhere, (especially on the East Coast), and proper wine etiquette dictates that several things should be kept in mind.

Always call the restaurant in advance to verify that corkage is allowed. Also ask what the fee is to avoid any surprises. In my experience, very few restaurants charge over $20 as a corkage fee. Some restaurants will waive this fee if an additional bottle is purchased from the wine list, but do not assume that this is always the case.

Wine brought to a restaurant should be relatively unique or rare, and definitely should not appear on the restaurant’s wine list. After the waiter/sommelier opens and pours the contents, proper wine etiquette dictates that you offer them a taste. Following these guidelines will ensure that both you and the restaurant staff are happy.

The Duty of the Host at Dinner Parties

The duty of the host toward his/her guests is one of the most ancient and enduring forms of etiquette in human civilization. When serving wine, making sure that your guests are comfortable with the process should be your paramount concern.

Before serving, always allow wine time to breathe at room temperature. Never pour wine for guests immediately after opening. It is the host’s responsibility to discreetly ensure that the wine is sound and unspoiled. This should be done away from company, and a small amount should be sampled.

Always serve wine to your guests in clean, spotless glasses. This may seem obvious, but it is a very mistake. Additionally, if more than one wine is served, make sure that they are poured in a logical progression.

Especially with older wines, be aware that there may be a significant amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Keep this in mind when deciding the portion given to each guest. Avoid the embarrassing instance of the last person receiving an unacceptable amount of solids in their glass. If this is a concern with a particular bottle, refrain from pouring the last half glass.

It may be necessary or beneficial to decant a wine to either remove sediment or to expose it to oxygen. Be cautious with this practice, as older wines may quickly fade if left in a decanter for too long.

Wine enjoyment should be an enjoyable and unintimidating process. With these tips in mind, you are prepared for the majority of social situations that involve wine.

Benjamin Bicais lives in the Napa Valley and is the webmaster of http://www.california-wine-tours-and-accessories.com

What low-carbohydrate dieters are most concerned about with wine, however, is its carbohydrate count, loosely a function of the wine’s residual sugar content. Although residual sugar levels are often made available by vintners and are a good indication as to the possible dryness or sweetness of a wine (the higher the number, the sweeter the wine), we can’t, unfortunately, extrapolate the carbohydrate count of the wine from this figure without a full lab analysis.

Some wine-related Web sites say that there are no carbohydrates in dry wine, a glaring example of people who have no idea of the mechanics of fermentation. The process of converting sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation is limited by the attenuation of the yeast or the manipulation of the fermentation by the vintner. In order for a wine to have no carbohydrates in it, it would have to be pure alcohol, in other words, distilled. Of course at that point, the liquid would no longer be wine, but brandy or cognac. All—and I repeat—all wines, including dry wines, have some residual sugar left behind after the fermentation process ends. Residual sugar equals carbohydrates. If it were possible to use fermentation to convert a sugary liquid into a drink that was free of carbohydrates, the process of distillation would be a meaningless procedure. Only after distillation, when the resultant liquid is transformed into ethyl alcohol (ethanol), will a once-fermented liquid truly become carbohydrate-free.

You might notice while shopping for wine that some fruit-blended wines actually carry a nutritional analysis statement on them. For any wine with an alcohol content of less than 7% by volume, the Food and Drug Administration actually has jurisdiction over the nutritional labeling of the product. However, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has jurisdiction over the mandated government warnings that are also found on the labels of these wines and of all alcohol-based products. This is one of the few times that the FDA gets involved in the realm of spirited beverages with the TTB. You’ll also find nutritional information on ciders under 7%.

What kind of a margin of error does the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau allow in the measurement of carbohydrates in wine? From the TTB ruling: Statements of carbohydrates and fat contents [on wine labels or advertising materials] are acceptable provided the actual carbohydrate or fat contents, as determined by ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the former alcohol trade regulatory agency) lab analysis, are within a reasonable range below, but in no case more than 20% above, the labeled amount.

If you’re on a low-carbohydrate diet and enjoy the occasional pressings from “the noble grape,” the following list of wines with their carbohydrate counts should help you keep your daily carb intake in check:

Barton & Guestier

Cabernet Sauvignon (’02) 5 oz 1.70 g

Chardonnay (’02) 5 oz 1.10 g

French Tom Cabernet Sauvignon (’02) 5 oz 1.30 g

French Tom Chardonnay (’02) 5 oz 1.10 g

Ecco Domani

Cabernet Sauvignon (‘01) 5 oz 4.00 g

Chianti (‘01) 5 oz 3.60 g

Merlot (‘01) 5 oz 4.05 g

Pinot Bianco (‘96) 5 oz 3.50 g

Pinot Grigio (‘02) 5 oz 3.15 g

For more information on the carbohydrate count of more than 1000 worldwide brands of beer, 400 wines, 60 liqueurs, and distilled products, go to www.lcbartender.com.

Š Bob Skilnik, 2004

Bob Skilnik is a Chicagoland freelance writer who has written for the Chicago Tribune, the Collector Magazine, the American Breweriana Association’s Journal and the National Association Breweriana Advertising’s Breweriana Collector on the subjects of beer, brewery history and breweriana. He is a 1991 graduate of the Chicago-based Siebel Institute of Technology, the oldest brewing school in the United States, with a degree in Brewing Technology.

His interests in beer and brewing were cultivated while serving as a German translator in West Germany for the United States Army. Skilnik is the Associate Editor for the ABA Journal and The Tap newspaper, and a member of the Society of Midland Authors and the Culinary Historians of Chicago. He has appeared in the Chicagoland area on Media One’s television program, The Buzz, WTTW’s Chicago Tonight with Bob Sirott and Phil Ponce, Chicago’s Public Radio station, WBEZ , Springfield, IL’s WUIS Radio and the WOR Morning Show with Ed Walsh in New York. Skilnik’s national television appearances have been on the Cold Pizza morning show on ESPN2 and Fox News Live.

Skilnik’s latest effort is The Low-Carb Bartender, published by Adams Media. This reference book of hundreds of beers, wines, liquors, and liqueurs with their carbohydrate counts and a collection of over two hundred low carb mixed-drink recipes will be available in bookstores in November, 2004.

Which do you think your husband would choose if put to the test:

a.) Watch the beautiful tearjerker movie, The Notebook
b.) Do anything that doesnÂ’t involve watching The Notebook

My answer is easy. My husband would opt for a root canal rather than sitting through a movie like The Notebook or Terms of Endearment. Now don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t mean he’s not romantic. The man loves deeper than I could describe. He’s simply not a fan of traditional ‘romance movies’.

Our date nights usually involve Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Owen Wilson, or Jim Carrey. Those men don’t know this, but they’re a huge part of what makes our marriage such a joy. The fact that our date nights consist of a fun movie instead of a forced moment means that my husband is happy and relaxed – two very good things for romance.

Are you looking for a lighthearted fun romantic movie that both you and your husband will enjoy? Here are some of our favorites.

The Princess Bride (1987)
“Is this a kissing book?” The Princess Bride is the story of a woman who is being forced to marry a cold, evil prince, while her true love tries to stop the wedding.

I don’t know how many times I tried to get my husband to watch this movie until finally I just put the movie in, clicked ‘play’, and hid the remote. It’s now one of his favorite movies. He likes it because of the comedy and the fighting. I love it because it’s just a joy to watch.

Groundhog Day (1993)
After reluctantly going to cover Punksatawney Phil for Groundhog Day, a weatherman gets stuck living the same day repeatedly.

This is one of my husbandÂ’s all-time favorite movies. Plus, if your husband is a fan of Caddyshack, heÂ’ll appreciate Bill Murray battling a rodent once again.

The Wedding Singer (1998)
Robbie, the wedding singer and Julia, the waitress are both engaged to be married but to the wrong people.

Any man who remembers the 80s will thoroughly enjoy this. And, every woman will be teary-eyed when Robbie sings “Grow Old with You” at the end.

Love Actually (2003)
This movie portrays eight stories of love. It shows romantic love, as well as love of a father for his son, love between siblings, and love of friendship. ItÂ’s a beautiful story that shows that Love Actually is All Around. ItÂ’s funny on so many levels, but also deeply touching.

Romance doesnÂ’t need to be serious. It can be fun! Just enjoy each other. Now go grab a funny movie, snuggle up with your hubby and enjoy.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Nicole Dean invites you to www.RomanceYourHusband.com, a website dedicated to helping married couples stay friends and to help them remember why they married each other in the first place. Our disclaimer is: If heÂ’s a jerk, this wonÂ’t work. But, if heÂ’s sweet, rub his feet.