Do as I say, not as I do

Are there any practices with wine that you would never recommend to someone else, but that you do?

I will start. For me, it’s sticking a bottle of wine in the freezer in case I need to chill it down quickly before drinking (if the wine or bubbly is at room temperature and young), and only leave it in for 20min max. I first saw one of our old-time staffers do this, as he whispered, “Shhh! Never do this”.

You???

We’re most guilty of recommending decanting wines but rarely do ourselves. Always in too much of a hurry

I’m a “Pop and pour” guy. Often with excellent but young wines.

I’m usually a poor excuse for a real “wine geek.”

That’s a good one. I also like to open White Burgs and put them in the fridge for a few days before drinking (I let them warm up). Meanwhile drinking young Red Burgs is a guilty passion of mine.

I’ve HEARD that a few seconds in a microwave can bring a too cold red to the right temp. Not that I’ve ever done it…

Don’t drink and drive…

Nothing wrong with that. I do it all the time and I’ve recommended it to people. Nothing to fear with even an hour in the freezer with a bottle starting at room. Now, once you start going over an hour then you have to worry and I’ve certainly frozen bottles by accident, but they’re usually either samples I’m trying to ice down quickly before I head out, or Abood’s Champagne that he’s brought over and neither loss causes me too much grief.

I for one, enjoy Michel’s choice in bubbly.
Think I’d die if I froze a bottle of wine!

Strike one.

Buy producer, not vintage. I always say it but only usually stick by it. Maybe exceptions prove the rule?

Why should you “never” put a bottle of wine in the freezer (i.e. a cold place) to get it cold? How else would you get it colder? I guess if you forgot about it, too bad, but thet’s about it. Putting a cold glass in the microwave for a few seconds? Equally innocuous.

Okay, here’s one that I have done recently … We have a few wines open for a group. Group goes home. Sue and I are dealing with the remaining wines. Sometimes we say, have a bottle that seemed decent but, a tad light and another that was too structured thought the fruit profile was good. Voila, we become kitchen blenders.

It would take many hours to start growing ice in a wine bottle.

On the other hand – we visited relatives a few years ago, and they tried to soften some hard as a rock ice cream in the microwave. They mixed up minutes and seconds (or something) and produced white soup…

Been doing this for years…even with my whites if they are straight from the fridge

I’ve done it too. Last time at a party where I asked someone to put the whites in the fridge and they thought I said ‘wines’ so in went the reds too. Opened abottle, reinserted the cork, did it 5 seconds at a shot, checking after each by pouring a bit in a glass (remember the bottle will be cold because microwaves heat water).

There’s nothing wrong with this, but people are horrified if they see you do it. Fear of tech I think, coupled with fear of cooking the wine.

Never do I recommend high Alc, low acid, overly extracted, extra ripe, 100% new oak wines. Secretly, I hide in a dark room and drink them from the bottle…cannonball style.

BTW-Veronica, I saw the couple in the restaurant again last week, forgot his name (Norbi?), but he likes wines like Alban, Konsgarrd, etc… Nice people and very generous.

Gregg, I have a hard time envisioning you doing that! lol.

They were a very kind couple, glad they found their way to you. Hope to follow their cue and make it to LQ next. Cheers!

Points don’t matter! Drink what you like!

Let an old bottle of wine stand upright several days before opening!

Too many wines get opened at our place on short notice because it is often a spontaneous selection. Friends are over and we want something interesting or just a dinner wine selected a few hours before . . .