Wine drinking is one of the favourite pastimes of many Australians. It is indeed a common sight to see an Australian family sitting together in the evening, with the kids playing in front of the fireplace while Mum and Dad enjoy a nice glass of wine. Most often it is red wine with some crackers and cheese. The regular wine drinker would swear by the fact that this, by far, is the most relaxing and enjoyable evening, and the subtle alcohol in the wine helps them relax more. In fact wine drinking, at all times of the day is fast gaining popularity the world over.
Wine is not a drink like beer that you pour into a glass and gulp or drink straight from the can. It is a very dignified drink that calls for manners and dignity while drinking. It also calls for some easy to follow procedures that should be remembered should you or a family member be very fond of drinking wine.
The first amongst these procedures is having the wine at the right temperature. The old adage of having chilled white wines and red wines at room temperature does not work anymore. Room temperatures can mean anything and having white wines chilled is wrong as well. The ideal temperature for having a white wine should be an approximate 11.7 degrees Fahrenheit while for a red wine is around 17 degrees Fahrenheit. It is said that old and matured white wines should be allowed a period of time before they are taken and should be taken out of the chiller at least 15 minutes prior to service. Specialised wine chillers are also available in the market, which cool the wine to precise temperatures.
Another thing to remember is that wine is not beer. It is not meant to be slugged and gulped. It is a dignified drink that is meant to be sipped slowly and enjoyed. You should spend time savouring the aroma that the wine exudes and the colour and texture of the wine itself. Enjoy the wine with every sip and use all your taste buds to taste and enjoy the Australian wine. One glass of Australian wine can last a very long time if it is leisurely sipped and slowly enjoyed.
Last but not the least; wine must be drunk in a special wine glass. It cannot be just poured into any glass or tumbler or be had from a pitcher, the way beer is enjoyed. Wine must be had in a specialised wine glass like the burgundy glass or the Bordeaux glass or such, that allows for the wine to be twirled around and champagne, yet another form of wine must be enjoyed in a champagne tulip, a glass that allows you to savour the colour of the champagne, relish the aroma, keep the bubbles in place and yet allow you to have an enjoyable drink!

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Cooking with wine and the type of wine being used for the cooking process is a question that is highly debatable, because the dish prepared clearly shows the wine that was used to make it. If the wine was a good quality one it’ll show and if it was a cheap low quality one, it’ll show!. Some people use drinking wines to cook while others use only cooking wines. Of course it must be remembered that a drinking wine can be used to cook, while keeping in mind that you are overspending where not required, but a cooking wine cannot be used to drink., Infact a cooking wine is salty and generally an inferior quality wine as compared to the drinking and is ok only for cooking and for nothing else.
Cooking with wine is as old as wine drinking itself. Infact it is assumed that originally fermented grape juices were used to prepare stews and casseroles and various other dishes. This fermented grape juice was accidently drunk by a member of a royal family, while he was in his kitchen and he liked it to the extent that a refined and better quality of the same juice was also created for drinking purposes from then on. That drinking juice later came to be known as drinking wine while the one that was used for cooking retained its name as a cooking wine.
As it was mentioned earlier, while purchasing a cooking wine keep in mind that whatever you buy will be reflected in the taste of the dish that is the end result. You can buy wine online. So a cheap quality cooking wine will give a bad tasting dish, and a connoisseur or a sommelier will easily be able to identify the type of wine that had gone into your dish! This does not mean that the higher priced a wine the better it is and the lower priced wine the cheaper It is. It only means that whenever you are purchasing wine for cooking, purchase the same from a reputed store or purchase wine online or go for the recommendations of someone who has bought and used a wine for cooking. Infact person to person recommendations are the best way to ensure that the wine you are purchasing is the best for cooking.
Another thing to remember is that older wines and vintages are usually not recommended for dishes that have a long cooking process. These wines somehow don’t hold up to the actual cooking process and long simmers. When using wines for cooking, especially at a time you are not buying a cooking wine and are using a drinking wine, shop around for bargains on young and powerful wines that have their own taste and mild aromas. These wines hold up well in the cooking process and easily intensify the taste of the dish by several folds! Also remember that a good quality leftover drinking wine can also be used in a recipient that calls for an option of a drinking red wine, white wine, champagne or rose!

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