Wine has now become a household thing in cities of Nepal. Still, people are unaware of a lot of details regarding wines. There are many myths in which people believe when we talk about wine here. It may still take some years for people to understand wine. Here we present some very common wine myths and the facts. Enjoy Wine�

Wine Myth 1: Red Wine with Red Meat, White Wine with White Meat and Fish

Not all red wine go well with red meat and similarly not all white wine go with white meat or fish. Some match and some do not. Wine pairing always depends on one�s palate. There are certainly some basics to follow, like wines from same region go well with dishes from same region, delicate whites go well with fish dishes, spicy shiraz pairs well with meat dishes with spicy flavors, dessert wines with flavorful desserts and so on. There are endless possibilities of food and wine pairing, and above all the basics, the best pair is what you love.

Wine Myth 2: The older the wine, the better it is

This is the biggest myth, and in the country like ours, where wine consumption is a very new thing, this myth prevails like anything. Not all wines require aging. In fact, many wines are intended to be drunk young and they do not require aging. Generally, red wines are the only wines that require aging or get better with age. There are also some white wines that benefit from aging. There are also those wines that taste worse after being aged and those that will not change much at all.

Wine Myth 3: Red wines should never be served chilled and White Wine always chilled

Generally Red wines are served in room temperature, but not all. There are some red wines which are best served chilled. Although this temperature thing is not completely wrong, it�s interpretation almost always is. Many see this as letting a red wine sit out on the counter so it can come to the current room temperature, and opening white wine right out of the fridge. The real idea behind room temperature for red wine was getting it to around 60�F, the typical temperature of a �room� when this saying was popularized. Many professionals agree, the best way to enjoy wine if you don�t have the luxury of a temperature controlled storage device, is to put your red wines in the fridge for about 5-15 minutes before consuming, white wines about 20-30 minutes. If you store your wine in the fridge, take the whites out for at least 15 minutes before serving, reds at least 30. Again, it isn�t an exact science, but typically you�re looking for around 6060�F on a red, a little below than that for a white, and a bit colder for sparkling wines.

Wine Myth 4: Legs of the wines are quality determinants

When you swirl your glass of wine, some wine stick to the walls of the glass and drip slowly, these are the legs or sometimes referred as tears of the wine, and many people take these legs as quality determinants of wines. Legs of a wine is simply a small amount of alcohol and water that adheres to the surface of the glass and as the alcohol evaporates water is left dripping it�s way back in. Water is a primary component in wine, and alcohol evaporates much quicker, so when left on the glass, the alcohol evaporates and the surface tension of the water increases forming drops that gravity takes control of. So it never proves whether the wine is of good quality or bad.

Wine Myth 5: Only Red Wines are supposed to be stored in a cellar

Do we say Red Wine Cellar? No, right� We call it Wine Cellar, so why should we store red wines only in a cellar? Any wine can be stored in a cellar, and I would say, store wines in a cellar, until you are planning to open and have it. Let all the wines enjoy.

Wine Myth 6: The more money you pay, the better wine you get

A lot of non expensive wines are of excellent taste and quality. They are light on pocket and are worth the try. To be of better quality, price is not the determinant. Try and taste different range of wines, who knows you may get your best in a very affordable price.

Wine Myth 7: Cork capped wines are better than screw capped

It has been an ongoing debate since years. The ceremonial act of opening a bottle with a cork and hearing the �pop� is obviously lost with a screw cap, but many winemakers are choosing screw caps to maintain the integrity of their wine. Cork closures can produce Trichloroanisole, which can turn a once-great vintage into little more than vinegar. The reality is that screw-caps have actually been proven to perform better than corks in protecting wine from harmful oxidation.

Wine Myth 8: The deeper the punt in a bottle, the better the wine

That punt in the bottom of a bottle is nothing but a design and sediment storage. So, how much ever deeper the punt is, it does not relate the quality of a wine. If deeper punt would give a wine, its quality, I would have created a bottle in such a way that the depth of the punt have reached the neck of the bottle.