How To Create Your Very Own Magnificent Red Wine Experience

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I remember my first great red wine experience.  The amazing thing: it really wasn’t just the wine that made the experience a great one, but all of the elements. Do this right and you can really make things impressive. 

But you need to do these 6 things:

1. Find and enjoy the right wine – of course.

2. Ensure the ambience is special.

3. Have a really good meal.

4. Successfully pair the right food and wine.

5. Make it intimate.

6.  Document the wine.

So the secret to creating the great experience with red wine is in successfully addressing each of the above elements and integrate them into the entire experience. 

I’ll now tell you exactly how to do that.

Firstly let’s address how to find and enjoy the right red wine.

There are really two major parts contained in this first element: finding a good wine and how to sample and enjoy the wine.  To begin, let’s discuss finding a wine that both you and your significant other will likely enjoy (or just you that’s fine too).  I would suggest the guide to selecting great tasting wines for less than $10.  So once you’ve found the right wine you need to know how to really enjoy the wine. 

Let’s now discuss the second imperative element: ensuring the ambience is special.  To accomplish this you’ll need a dimly lit room to allow for a soothing surrounding.  Get your self some nice quality candles.  I would recommend unscented so that you can enjoy the smells of the food and wine without interference.  I recommend either beeswax or soy candles as they have far less soot and release negative ions which purify the air. 

You’ll also really want some nice easy listening music in the background.  Of course everyone's tastes in music differ, but it’s very important to get something good and not something too generic, for example, don't play the kind of music you’d expect to hear in an elevator.  I’d recommend some nice classy jazz piano music from a fellow Canadian I like:  Diana Krall. 

The third element is having a really good meal.  You can certainly search the net and get tonnes of recipes but it’s sometimes hard to judge the bad recipes from the good ones.  You can also dig out any cookbooks you have and give it a try.  However you can instantly access high quality recipes from a master chef which are laid out in a step-by-step fashion by How To Cook Like A Pro.  This book comes in the form of an E-Book and is accompanied by free cooking videos and guides on how to pair wine and food and how to enjoy wine.  So this really helps us with element # 1 and element # 4 (both of these elements were mentioned above).  I would definitely recommend checking it out.  I think you’ll be really impressed with the quality of this guy.  Just think about how many special experiences you’ll be able to create!

This leads into the fourth element: pairing the right wine and food.  Obviously the above mentioned bonuses (included with the above book) will help you with this one.  At this point, you’ll either need to decide what food dish you’re preparing before you get your wine or vice versa.  However you do need to make a decision in this regard. 

Last but not least, it’s essential to include an element of intimacy.  This can mean different things.  That is, if you don’t have a date then now is the time to really sit back and relax after your meal and continue enjoying your wine and savouring the moment.  If you have a date, then get intimate with him or her. This really doesn’t need explaining.

Most important of all: make sure you document your wines.  I keep a little coiled book in which I rate the wine using my own scaling system (Use your own simple with a rating of 1 to 4 or whatever). I also write down the name of the wine and producer, the country and region (if available), percentage of alcohol and most importantly my impressions of the wine.  Don’t worry so much about using the right terminology.  Start by using your own descriptors and as you learn more about red wine you’ll learn the correct terminology.  This will ensure you have a sincere winespeak and are not using pretentious words without understanding them.  You’ll also naturally remember the correct terminology and the whole process will be meaningful for you (in my opinion). 

In closing, following all of the elements I've discussed, will make any special occasion even better.  In future, you’ll associate certain foods and wines to the music, the person you spent time with, etc. and vice versa (in other words, you'll remember all the special things and be reminded of them from time to time). It’s also a nice way to form memories that inspire you to create more great red wine experiences in your life.   You can continually use your creativity to enhance things even more; for example, finding the perfect wine glasses, silverware, dishes, etc.  Putting your own personal touch on things and using your own creativity makes your experiences very special and feels wonderful.  

Cheers!

For more information on selecting great tasting wines for less than $10, and How To Cook Like A Pro, and about red wine in general, join the FREE Red Wine Academy Newsletter