Riedel modern decanter

The only way to be certain of avoiding a hangover is not to drink at all, but this isn't a serious answer when it comes to the joys of good wines taken with good food - and preferably, in the company of good friends. And, of course, all in moderation.

There's a lot more to wine than alcohol; there's the undeniably fascinating sequence of tasting and savoring each wine - even on your own, at home. Treated correctly a bottle can last for a week.

Sample a wine first with your eyes; is it clear or cloudy? Note the color, it can tell you a lot about the grapes and the age of the wine. Then put it to your nose; is it pleasant? If not, discard it. The nose reveals more about the provenance than anything else; of what does it remind you? Herbs, fruit, leather, chocolate? And finally in the mouth, which really combines the senses of taste and smell. Only after you have done all these will you be able to assess the wine.

Of course other things enter the picture: Is it simple and easy to drink or is it complex, with many different characteristics and flavors? Will it need time to develop in the mouth? Is it ready for drinking now or would it be wise to keep it for a while? Is it good value for money? Most importantly, do you like it?

Is the wine ready for immediate consumption, with soft tannins and good, balanced acidity? If it's a red with a lot of tannin, it may well need years in the cellar to soften and show at its best. Generally, a wine that feels closed or tight at the back of your palate should improve with time. Even some very young wines that are mouth-puckering oak-y and unbalanced may just need time to meld.

One of the eternal questions asked about wine is, when is it ready to drink? Although trained palates and winemakers will have a pretty good idea based on years of experience, in the end it depends on the individual drinker. There are times when a young wine with fruit to the fore fills the bill - hot evenings by the beach. And others when nothing less than luscious Bordeaux will do, when the wine has developed the richness that is characteristic of age.

How do you treat it once you've decided? First if it's a good quality aged wine, treat it with the respect maturity deserves. If it's a very old, good wine you should stand the bottle upright for up to two days to let the sediment settle before decanting. Remove the cork gently and delicately wipe around the top of the bottle. Then hold the bottle over a lamp or even a candle so that you can see the sediment as it rises up the bottle with the wine as you pour it slowly into the decanter. Watch very carefully and stop before the sediment falls into the decanter. You can drag the last tiny amount out by passing it through a fine muslin filter - and let's face it, if the wine is very costly you will want to squeeze out every drop you can!

A word to the wise on decanters, not all are equal. A wide necked decanter will allow more air in and is best used for wine that is to be drunk that day. Narrow necked decanters are better if you intend to keep some of the wine overnight - this is also true for Port wine.

And if it is all too good to leave any in the bottle, there are a few tried and tested remedies to fight off a hangover.

Drink water in large quantities - before, during and after drinking alcohol. This is probably one of the healthiest measures. Some veterans swear by the aspirin and water method: before going to bed take two aspirins or Alka-Seltzer and drink one or two liters of water.

And if you forget to do any of those - there's always a few "hair of the dog" drinks such as Bloody Mary or Black Velvet to make you feel better.

Maggie Beale can be contacted at wineexpert1@hotmail.com

(HK Edition 07/04/2009 page3)