"We'll have maybe 120 to 150 attend," he said, "and uncork that many different bottles of wine."
It's the type of event that wine experts and collectors alike encourage newcomers to attend before spending money on wines they may or may not like.
"A lot of people want to buy wines from a certain year because they've heard that it's an excellent vintage," Tsai said. "But it's more important to know what characteristics you enjoy. There are no great wines, only great bottles."
Avoid wine's four biggest enemies: excessive temperature fluctuations, light, heat and vibration.
Tips for tipplers:
◆ Refrigerators are horrible for long-term wine storage. The temperature fluctuates inside a refrigerator (and it's usually too cold), they often vibrate, and the low humidity can make corks dry out. Only put a wine in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before drinking.
◆ Lower-priced wines are styled to provide easy drinking early and usually don't have the concentration or structure to age. As a rule, don't expect reds that cost less than NT$800 to improve for long in the cellar.
◆ The old adage of "red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat" is out. These days, you're more likely to hear people advising to eat what you like and drink what you like. Follow the rules of pairing: Match the weight and texture of the choices, balance intensity, and try to either match flavors or counter them. Red wine with meat is nice because meat stands up to the tannins in red wine. White wine has one thing going for it that reds usually don't: acidity. This zingy, mouthwatering element will counterbalance rich foods and cut through heavy elements.
◆ Your nose knows. Remember that some 75 percent of what we "taste" is actually what we smell. Your taste buds don't understand much besides sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
◆ A particularly fragile or old wine should only be decanted 30 minutes or so before drinking. A younger, more vigorous, full-bodied wine (including whites) can be decanted an hour or more before serving.
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