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The Wine Etiquette Guide
Your Defense Against Wine Snobbery
by
Chuck Blethen – Vigneron in Residence
Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard
Marshall NC
Copyright 2011 Chuck Blethen,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0496-7
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the years of winemaking and wine drinking with friends, family and business associates.
Special thanks to my wife, Jeannie, for her help and hours spent tasting, learning, and building our wine room. She couldn't resist reading my second edition with a red pen in hand, and when she was done, the top of the book bristled with little red tabs! This third printing contains her careful proofreading corrections.
To my son, Brian, I offer my gratitude for his companionship in wine making, mead making, beer making and all the work that goes into those processes. His sense of humor has kept me laughing at myself, and our many mistakes, as we traveled the path of becoming good brewers and winemakers.
My Australian friend, Peter Went, was kind enough to read my book and write the foreword to the Wine Etiquette Guide. I give him my gratitude as well.
I was assured that there had been no trees unnecessarily sacrificed in the proofreading process although there may have been some electrons temporarily inconvenienced.
Foreword
The consumption of wine in the 21st Century may seem greatly removed from the accidental discovery of fermented grape juice during the Neolithic period. Scholars have shown that wine has always been revered as more than a simple beverage. If there is a hierarchy of drinks, then surely wine is at the top!
Ancient civilizations reserved a special place for wine no doubt due to its initial rarity, effect and safety. Wine drinking was indicative of civilization and refinement. From the earliest days, the consumption of wine was associated with rituals and etiquettes which enhanced the enjoyment of this most complex and variable liquid.
The pleasures of wine are visual, olfactory and gustatory. Chuck Blethen’s guide explains the modern conventions for the enjoyment of the multitude of wine styles available to today’s consumers. In truth, these behaviours are the result of an evolution through thousands of years of experience.
All aspects of wine etiquette have been explained. From the selection of a suitable wine and removal of the stopper through to serving temperature, glass shape and size have been discussed with clarity. Here is a concise yet comprehensive guide to the appreciation of wine.
Wine is consumed in many contexts. The appropriate etiquette may vary according to the situation. Chuck has considered the possibilities. Readers will feel comfortable in any wine setting, from a formal dinner function to a casual wine tasting at a winery.
Chuck has presented his work in an entertaining and encouraging manner. The reader will not only learn much about wine and its interaction with food, but will be stimulated to try more varieties and styles from the wonderful world of wine.
Peter M. Went - BSc(Hons), BAppSc(Wine), DipEd
Lecturer and Winemaker
Hunter Institute of TAFE
New South Wales
Australia
What is Wine Etiquette & Why is it Important?
"There is no accomplishment so easy to acquire as politeness, and none so profitable."
- George Bernard Shaw
Etiquette is defined as those rules that govern social behavior, and they include socially acceptable rules of behavior to be used by all members of a given society on every social interaction, from saying “excuse me” when you cough to handling unruly children in the supermarket.
Good manners and use of proper etiquette are a manifestation of your personality. These are not legal rules and they don't have to be followed - but it is these rules that help to keep order in society.
Telling someone thank you for picking up something you’ve dropped, or letting someone get in front of you in your driving lane, can make a person perk up and smile for the rest of the afternoon. Everyone is affected by your etiquette skills whether they are good or bad.
Etiquette comes from the French word "etiquette" and literally means "ticket." The rules and regulations set down by the court in France were written on tickets and posted in castle courtyards for all to observe and obey.
Wine Etiquette
“In victory you deserve champagne, in defeat you need it”
- Napoleon
Assuming that you have mastered good table manners and learned all about food etiquette (if not, see Appendix A), you are prepared to move on the next level of social sophistication – wine etiquette.
Wine is often the beverage of choice at a dinner party, yet frequently the hosts, as well as the guests, do not have a basic knowledge of wine etiquette & protocol. Some etiquette rules are throwbacks to that stuffy, bygone era when you could not enter the best restaurant in town without a coat and tie. However, there is an explicit relevance to the etiquette of wine.
To be clear, there are oenophiles, those foremost connoisseurs of fine wine, and there are wine lovers, or those who just appreciate wine. The former tend to be more severe in their treatment of wine. The basic tenets of wine etiquette and consumption that follow are for those of us who enjoy a glass or two now and then, perhaps even collect and own a small wine rack or cellar and want to enhance our knowledge, appreciation and, above all else, enjoyment of wine.
Have you ever sat across the table from someone who has atrocious table manners? Like someone who was eating mashed potatoes with their fingers? That is how a well-mannered person with good wine etiquette skills views a person who ignores proper wine etiquette. My intention in writing this book is to provide the reader with sufficient information about wine etiquette to be able to be seen as a well-educated person around wine – not as a person eating mashed potatoes with their fingers.
What
