Dec 12 2007
Ordering wine
The choice of a wine will be dictated by what you order. As a general rule, try to avoid the house wine. Do ask waiters for their 
recommendations. It will endear them to you and they know the wine list. Obviously this advice is only good if the waiter seems to be knowledgeable about wines. You will be asked to taste the wine before it is served. This is simply to check if it is corked or “oxidized. If it is corked, it will have a pungent smell like old cardboards. You taste the wine by swilling a couple of time and smelling it.
There are many books on wines so if you are not an expert, spend a good deal of time on the subject and try out as many wines as possible. There are red, white, rosé and sparkling wines. Some wines are associated with certain types of meal. Red wine is often served with red meats and pasta and white wine with fish. Rosé can be served with meat and fish and a sparkling wine is served with dessert.
Most red wines do benefit from aging while white and sparkling wines can be consumed right away. The only exception is champagne which improves greatly with age. France produces some great wines but the US makes equally fine wines. Other countries such as Australia and Argentina are starting to produce good wines.
Wine preference comes down to personal taste. It’s only after sampling many types of wines that a person can develop choices in wines.
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