Don't let sour grapes ruin a date!: Wine tips

Valentine's Day has once again reared its red and pink head, so many students are scrambling to impress love interests or mates. You too may want to take that special someone out to a nice dinner and are afraid your etiquette is not up to date.

Just imagine the following situation: the waiter comes and asks, "Would you like anything to drink?" You know you want some wine with your meal but which one?

You quickly glance at the wine list only to get dizzy at the sight of all of the options: red, white, blush, port wine, chardonnay, cabernet, pinot grigio or pinot noir. What if you choose the wrong one? It could lead to end of your social career.

Well, maybe not, but do not fear. You too, after reading this article will have gone through the Joe Millionaire transformation and know all there is to know about choosing the right wine.

First, you must decide whether you want to order by the glass or by the bottle. A bottle will usually serve about the five glasses, which may sound like a lot, but two and a half glasses per person won't get you embarrassingly drunk on your date.

Next, you must decide on a red, white or blush wine for your meal.

Keep in mind that red wine tends to compliment heavier foods such as pasta, red meats and entrees with heavy sauces while white wine compliments lighter entrees such as chicken or seafood.

Blush wine is in between the two and usually the best for the first time or casual drinker who does not really like a potent taste of wine.

To complicate things, an expert can follow the latest trend of being a rebel and select a red wine to go with the right entrée of fish.

But do so only if you're absolutely certain of your wine-choosing abilities. Otherwise, err on the safe side and stick with the white.

Your third task is to choose among the selections in your wine type of choice. The timid among you could ask to be served a "white house wine," but if you want to impress your date with your knowledge, make your own decision as to what you want and enjoy the process.

The following is a basic rule. Wines can range in flavor from sweet to dry and oaky, a heavier, woody flavor, to tawny, a lighter taste. Explain this to your guest if he or she does not know. This small grain of knowledge is guaranteed to make a great impression.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

This quick scale serves well, because you want a wine strong enough to cut through the taste of whatever food you are having without overpowering it. For example, if you are having a fish with a heavy sauce you will want to go with a stronger white wine.

Also note, that more expensive does not necessarily mean better wine. A more expensive wine might have a heavier taste that you might not necessarily like.

Don't worry about the year on the bottle, unless you are a wine connoisseur, (in which case you should have stopped reading this article a while ago).

Years are important to some because experienced wine drinkers generally keep track of what year what vintage would have produced a good crop of grapes.

And just so you are not caught off guard when the wine comes to the table the following is short summary of the wine procedure at restaurants: The server will bring to you the wine you have chosen and show you the label to make sure it is what you ordered.

They will open the bottle in front of you and pour a small glass of wine so you may taste it and also give you the cork so that you may examine it.

In storing wine, it should be tilted slightly upside down so that the cork is wet and expands to its fullest capacity. Thus when you examine the cork, it should be wet, a sign that it was been properly stored.

But don't bother sniffing it. Any experienced wine drinker will immediately peg you for a novice.

When tasting the wine, swirl it around gently in your glass to allow the liquid to breathe. Then inhale slightly to experience the full aroma. Finally, take a small sip, swishing it in your mouth to enjoy the taste.

The transformation is complete. You now have the basics of choosing wine. Now you are all set to head out for a night on the town, and impress your Valentine.