Decanting with Delkin
Some Handy Tips From
Noted Wine Educator

          By Fred Delkin

     Christine Ansbacher, a wine educator based in New York city, has penned a volume titled "The Wine Diva" which we rate as a handy reference guide providing answers to common questions concerning use of the fermented fruit.  Can the cooking method reveal which wine to choose for dinner?  She says "yes," explaining that foods cooked in water, broth or oil call for 
an unoaked white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, whereas food turned brown 
via broiling, grilling, baking or roasting are perfect with oaked wines, red or white.

Best wines for spicy, salty and smoky foods?  Christine says avoid oaky Chardonnays and 
strong reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Amarone.  Opt for fruity flavored whites such as 
Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc or reds such as Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Beaujolais.

Fastest way to chill wine?  Add 1/3 cup salt to mixture of ice cubes and water in a bucket.  Great tip for hosts who have unrefrigerated bottles.  Get "red wine headaches?" Take an 
anti-histamine tablet 30 minutes before consumption.  We agree wholeheartedly with 
Ansbacher's admonition to seek out imported Malbec from Argentina, Tempranillo from 
Spain, Pinot Gris from Alsace and Pinotage from South Africa as superb wines priced below 
$15.

The 208-page work is available in a pocket guide form from major book retailers and contains no "vino babble" claims Christine...just helpful hints.

Slurps & Sips ... Absinthe is back!  This liquer was banned from this country for the past 
century after getting credit as "the Green Fairy" or "the Devil in a Bottle" in Paris as the chosen drink for artists and bohemians.  Now it is legal once again as a green tinted clear spirit  made from the flowers and leaves of wormwood....don't look for the Charles Shaw label anywhere 
but Trader Joe's, which is the exclusive outlet for what Californians call "Two buck Chuck," 
but Oregonians pay a dollar more for these California bottlings that are quite drinkable and an answer for large event catering.  Shaw was an investment banker who acquired a Napa valley winery that went broke trying to sell the owner's fascination for Gamay Beaujolais.  Fred Franzia's Bronco Wine Co. bought the label and it now adorns Cabernet Sauvugnon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc...Bronco makes a profit on the label, since they are a 
licensed distributor as well as a producer.

© 2008 Oregon Magazine