Resolve To: A Week Of WestToast Resolutions - Day 2

Getting in shape, eating better, managing your money are common New Year Resolutions but sometimes the smarter goals to set are ones you know you’ll have no trouble accomplishing.

We all have our favorite flavor and I personally think that the average wine drinker cares more about the taste of the wine individually, than they do about how it mixes with food. Therefore no matter what you’re eating, if given a choice, you probably order the color you like best (bravo if you don’t!).

I don’t like to recreate the wheel so courtesy of Wikipedia here’s a little info about how your wine gets it’s color:
“The color of the wine mainly depends on the color of the drupe of the grape variety. Since pigments are localized in the exocarp (skin) of the grape drupe, not in the juice, the color of the wine depends on the method of vinification and the time the must is in contact with those skins, process called maceration. Teinturier grape is an exception in that it has also a pigmented pulp. The blending of two or more varieties of grapes can explain for the color of certain wines, like the use of Australian Rubired.
Red drupe grapes can produce white wine if they are quickly pressed and the juice not allowed to be in contact with the skins. The color is mainly due to plant pigments notably phenolic compounds (anthocyanidins, tannins ...). The color depends on the presence of acids in the wine. It is altered with the wine aging by reaction between the different active molecules present in the wine, these reactions generally giving rise to a browning of the wine, leading from red to a more tawny color. The use of a wooden barrel (generally oak barrels) in aging also affects the color of the wine.
Part of the color of a wine can be due to co-pigmentation of anthocyanidins with non pigmented other flavonoids or natural phenols (cofactors or “copigments”).
Rosé wine is made by the practice of saignée or by blending a white wine with a red wine.”

This year I challenge you to spread your wings and make ALL your taste buds happy.

#2: RESOLVE TO TRY A WINE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

Whether it’s with your next meal or during an upcoming social evening. As inclined as you might be to make your traditional order, change it up. If you’re at a nice restaurant ask the Sommelier [suhm-uhl-yey] for a suggestion. They get paid to know they’re stuff and if you tell them you usually drink xxx they’ll probably know a perfect wine to help you slowly transition over to the dark or the light side.

If you’re buying to drink at home I would suggest paying more than you normally would for a bottle. While there are plenty of inexpensive delicious wines, many are worth the extra expense, especially if you are working on acquiring a taste for it. Check out some wine bars/restaurants online see what’s on the the menu there -- then go pick up one of those bottles at the store to take home to try.