Santa’s Little Helper: Wine gear

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Wine enhances the flavor of the food, makes the table look nice and can liven up a meal. But many people find it confusing. There are too many choices, it requires a special tool to open, and there’s the whole culture around wine supposedly dictating what goes with which food and what’s cool to drink.

Here’s a quick primer on how to incorporate wine into your holidays without hassles and embarrassment, and what basic items you need to present your drink perfectly.

The No. 1 rule is drink what you think tastes good, and have a couple of other offerings available that others might like. Your palate is about as individual as your fingerprints. What you like, someone else might avoid and vice versa, but that doesn’t mean the wine is bad. So serve a couple of wines and keep your bases covered.

Secondly, serve it in decent glasses. The shape of the glass really can affect the taste of a wine. It has to do with how the bowl of the glass channels the aroma -- which is a big component of taste -- to your nose. This is what wine lovers refer to when they are talking about the bouquet of a wine. Use a clear glass so you can see the wine. It’s worth the second or two to raise the stem toward light and just take a moment to appreciate the color.

Riedel, an Austrian company that is the Mercedes Benz of stemware, sells its Ouverture set of four high- quality glasses that can be easily found for under $40 if you do a little looking. They are designed for everyday use and are available in red and white wine glasses and champagne flutes. It’s worth it to get a set for red and a set for white. Each is shaped to enhance the style of wine they are designed for. If that’s too pricey for you -- or you are a klutz like me and tend to break glasses -- check out the local Cost Plus World Market or Pier 1 Imports. They have less elegant but decent workmanlike glasses for $4 to $5 each that are often on sale for less.

Next, get a good corkscrew. Greg Popovich, a Palos Verdes Estates entrepreneur who owns the Castle Rock wine label, likes the $12.50 Pulltap Waiter Corkscrew. It is easy to use and inexpensive. I like the wing, or double-lever, corkscrew that’s easy to find in most supermarkets and kitchen good stores. This Farberware model sells for $5.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Now all you need is wine. I purchased a bottle of Popovich’s Castle Rock Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for $10.99 from Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. We had it Sunday night with a pre-Thanksgiving meal of turkey and stuffing, and it was delicious. It had nice cherry flavors and was smooth. I suspect it would go well with lamb and salmon also. We will be serving it Thursday night, along with a slightly sweet German Mosel River Riesling that sells for $9.99 at Wine Country in Signal Hill.

-- Jerry Hirsch

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