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SigMT Spring 2018

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I apparently work best under pressure. When I was in high school I had a professor tell me that I was the greatest procrastinator he'd ever met. Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not...but it does seem to be an accomplishment. I've been racking my brain for the past several days trying to think of something appropriate to write that would have meaning this time of year. This time of year, my mind is typically occupied with what wines are a good fit for the upcoming warmer weather. It's been a bit hard to wrap my mind around that as I truly believe winter's grasp is failing to let go. This has to be the longest winter I can remember since at least 1968. It was so tough that the local newspaper issued certificates to subscribers just for surviving. Enough about that! Not too long ago, I concentrated on serving crisp whites and rosés that pair nicely with warmer weather. This time I'm concentrating on serving temperatures instead. Much like Americans' disdain and misunderstanding of the metric system (we are, after all, fiercely independent), we sometimes fail to understand the differences between how we keep our homes versus how homes are kept in the UK and Europe. And since the modern wine industry was basically developed in those areas, it's their terms we use for serving temperatures. While Americans tend to keep their homes in the 72 to 75 degree range for comfort, those across the big pond tend to be about 10 degrees below that. So, when you hear the serving temperature for red wine should be room temperature, you should be thinking low to mid 60's. And if you hear cellar temperature, you should be thinking more along the lines of low 50's. So this leads us to the 20 minute rule. Because we tend to store our red wines at room temperature and our whites and rose's in the refrigerator, try this. Take your whites and rosés out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving and place your reds in the fridge about 20 minutes before serving. This should come close to emulating proper room and cellar temperatures. Where am I on this whole thing? I generally enjoy wines cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Where I might feel like putting a red in the fridge for 20 minutes in the summer, I don't need to in the winter because we keep our house on the cool side and I want my reds warmer then anyway. Likewise, I have no problem enjoying my whites right out of the pantry in the winter, but want them very cold during the dog days of summer. What I'm trying to say is this. Within reason, experiment and learn the way you enjoy wine. Because really, you're the only person that matters, right? SiG MT 21 Text by Gene Betz WHOLLY SPIRIT S COMING SOON! COMING SOON! 411 Central Ave., Great Falls, MT 406-761-5010 kaufmansmenswear.com FIND US ON FACEBOOK Officially Uncorked A True Test of Temperatures... You Be the Judge S MT

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