1 glass is never enough of a good wine. It takes a second glass to really get to know it. And a third to double-check for consistency.
2 people sharing a great bottle of wine is perfect and hopefully memorable. 2 people sharing 2 bottles can cause a little haziness whereas 2 people sharing 3 may cause short term memory loss. Disturbing if the wine was particularly good.
3 course meals are very civilised, particularly with a matching wine for each course. A delicate entree with perhaps a dry Riesling, a minerally Sauvignon Blanc or a fine Chardonnay, followed by a main course and a Syrah, Pinot Noir or Cabernet-based wine. And for the finale, a late harvest Riesling or noble Semillon or even a great Sauternes to match a mouth-watering stone-fruit dessert and linger with over the blue cheese. Sigh.
4 a good number of years to keep good quality Riesling, though some will mature way beyond this.
5 days was the longest I went without wine. I was in hospital.
6 pm – the sun is over the yard arm so you can enjoy a glass of wine. Mind you, if desperate, the sun is always over the yard arm somewhere in the world so don’t worry too much.
7 days in a week is 7 wonderful opportunities to try different wines. Don’t stick to the same producer or same style – take a break, make a move, spread your wings, expand your horizons… (you get the picture)
8 % alcohol – lovely number for those minerally German Rieslings.
9 the number of bottles needed for eight people at a dinner party enjoying three different wines – one with each course.
10 If you’ve selected ten different bottles to buy, it’d be a waste to leave those two holes in the box empty – it’s all about optimisation. Choose another two.
11 Bottles of wine – an ideal purchase. You can try one that evening, have another one the next day if you enjoyed the first and put the rest in the cellar/under the stairs/in the pantry.
12 A full house. Well, a full box of wine. And then should you find yourself with a full house, you can at least give them all a drink.
