A fine wine is more than just a drink. Rather, it is a total experience of sensation, magic arising from a harmony of taste, bouquet, brilliance and texture. Such a wine demands an almost meditative concentration and a mood conducive to discovering all its aspects.
Never rush when tasting a wine. First stop to assess the color and brilliance of the beverage, how it plays in the glass, how the shades shift on the surface from the edge of the glass to the center, then track the course of the "legs," the trails of wine that slide down from the rim and speak of the vintage's age and strength.
Olga Barkova our wine expert
After admiring the external appearance of the wine and having thus allowed it to breathe, by bringing the contents of the glass into motion you proceed to enjoying the bouquet which is usually a gathering of aromas because the better the wine, the more complex is its bouquet. Fine wines have not just an aroma, but a bouquet. Individual notes can be mellow or rough, tart or gentle depending on the harmonious combination of ingredients.
Now take a small sip. Feel the resiliency and density of the wine, take the time to notice the finest shades of its taste, whether salty or bitter and tart, sweet or sour. Note the strength of the wine. When you swallow the wine comes into contact with receptors responsible for different taste criteria. So, if you pay attention you may be able to discover various tastes in a single wine.
Now comes the aftertaste. It is the aftertaste that causes us to take pause and ponder our sensations before judging a wine. The aftertaste means the moment of truth for any wine. In order to understand the role of this stage of the process we could recall a certain witty aphorism about how elegance is what remains when a woman leaves. The analogy is fitting since the longer the aftertaste lasts, the better the wine.
Multi-facetedness, play of shades and a combination of harmony and balance... these are the things experts look for in a good wine. If you dedicate yourself you will discover a wine's wealth and the poetic language of our wine list will immediately become clear and accessible.
So that the specialized terminology doesn't confuse you, we suggest that you become acquainted with a few definitions from our brief WINE GLOSSARY.
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When selecting a wine for your meal try to make sure the wine matches the dish. How, you ask? The taste of the wine should never dominate the taste of the dish, and the taste of the dish should not allow the diner to "forget" the impression made by the wine. Beverages with a complex and delicate taste and aroma require simple dishes. By the same token, exquisite, extravagant dishes need more muted, unassuming wines.
During your meal you should never order a lot of different wines. If different labels are on hand, serve the lighter beverages first, then move on to the stronger wines. White wines are served before reds, dry wines come before sweet wines, young wines always precede vintage wines. It's always best if the wine in a new bottle seems more exquisite than the last.
The classic order of imbibing at European tables goes as follows: first the aperitif is served. Long drinks, Vermouth and cocktails are most popular here, as well as champagne. Wines accompany the meal itself. At the end digestives are served, such as Cognac, liqueurs, Whisky, balsam, Port, dessert wines and Great wines.
For reservations please call +7 (812) 325-99-06 Nevsky prospect, 22 (entrance from 14, Bolshaya Konyushennaya street) St.Petersburg, Russia Open from 12 A.M. till the last customer
A fine wine is more than just a drink. Rather, it is a total experience of sensation, magic arising from a harmony of taste, bouquet, brilliance and texture. Such a wine demands an almost meditative concentration and a mood conducive to discovering all its aspects.
Multi-facetedness, play of shades and a combination of harmony and balance... these are the things experts look for in a good wine. If you dedicate yourself you will discover a wine's wealth and the poetic language of our wine list will immediately become clear and accessible.
During your meal you should never order a lot of different wines. If different labels are on hand, serve the lighter beverages first, then move on to the stronger wines. White wines are served before reds, dry wines come before sweet wines, young wines always precede vintage wines. It's always best if the wine in a new bottle seems more exquisite than the last.