Aperitif

Welcome to vine to wine this is your host Linda Moran. According to my dictionary an aperitif is a small drink of alcohol taken to stimulate the appetite before a meal. Today we will examine the characteristics of a wine that make it a good aperitif. Since an aperitif is intended to stimulate the appetite before a meal I would think we would want to be sure to serve one before a particularly good meal. Normally a good aperitif is dry with good crisp acidity, causing the mouth to salivate just slightly. To determine the type of aperitif, start by looking at the meal. Is there a theme or a certain type of cuisine? A good quality dry sherry, chilled and served in a small cordial glass is unusual to most guests. It is really quite good served with olives, salted almonds and dry figs as appetizers. Then there is also the ever so reliable and charming glass of dry champagne or sparkling wine. I do love it but it must be served judiciously as too many bubbles may cause your guests to feel full. A slightly chilled dry rose' is a colorful way to say welcome and could be served with the first course appetizer of shellfish or pate'. You may also want to consider wines lower in alcohol to start with such as some German wines. Look for wine with alcohol of only 7 to 9 percent and good acidity. White port mixed with club soda over ice is a refreshing aperitif but again be careful don't let the bubbles fill them up. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.