這個新年，喝點什么？

文 Tersina Shieh 編、譯 張恬熙

克服抗拒的情緒，打開那扇大門，通往奇妙的葡萄酒吧！或許你不會每一款酒都喜歡，但如果不曾嘗試，你怎么知道會錯過什么呢？所以，趁著這個新年假期，與朋友們試試那些不常喝的葡萄酒吧。你一定會發現驚喜的！

We wont like them all but we dont know what we miss if we dont try.So try during this Chinese New Year holiday to share wines that you dont normally drink with your friends.You will be surprised!

中國農歷的新年馬上就要來啦！不少人已經開始準備與家人和朋友們的聚餐，這類型的聚會往往會持續一周甚至更長的時間。當然，對我們而言這也是一個品嘗不同類型葡萄酒的好機會！

毫無疑問，許多人會被“聚餐時候該喝什么酒”的問題所困擾，但是最近幾年我已經不再考慮這個問題了。快放松一下吧，去試試那些你不常喝的葡萄酒。通常來說，一個聚會有10-20個人參加，就算你不喜歡某一款酒，也總有人想法跟你不一樣。所以呀，我們不僅不會浪費，還有機會在一個晚上品嘗許多不同類型的葡萄酒。

假如說你最喜歡來自波爾多的紅酒，那么在年夜飯上你也可以喝喝法國以外其他國家的波爾多混釀：像是來自美國、智利、阿根廷、南非、澳大利亞、新西蘭、意大利、日本和中國的波爾多混釀，這些都是用同樣的葡萄品種釀制而成（以赤霞珠、梅洛和品麗珠為主，小味兒多、馬爾貝克、佳美娜為輔）。你還是在自己味覺的舒適區內，卻能夠邁出品嘗其他國家的酒的一步。天知道你會發現多少可以與你心愛的波爾多媲美的好酒。

另一種做法是找個“備胎”，你可以試試除了波爾多以外的法國產區酒款，比如從香檳、勃艮第、盧瓦爾河谷到阿爾薩斯，羅訥河谷還有南法等產區。多樣的葡萄酒就和百家宴一樣豐富。

再或者試試冷門產區怎么樣？里奧哈和托斯卡納是西班牙和意大利最熱門的產區，但你喝過托羅河谷的西班牙酒或者是馬爾凱的意大利酒嗎？雖然這兩個產區所用的主流葡萄品種和里奧哈與托斯卡納一樣（西班牙的丹魄以及意大利的桑嬌維塞），可不同產區的酒卻有著微妙的差別。

如果你是個冒險家，那你可以去探索那些看起來與葡萄酒完全不相干的國家，比如印度、墨西哥、英格蘭和加拿大（不是冰酒，而是白葡萄酒和紅葡萄酒）。在這個世界上，有超過70個國家生產葡萄酒！為什么只關注那幾個經典產國呢？

我們總是有各種原因拒絕嘗試新的葡萄酒。但我不得不說：葡萄酒是用來分享的，與好朋友在一起時，任何葡萄酒都是美妙的烘托，可以讓節日的氣氛更加濃厚。克服抗拒的情緒，打開那扇大門，通往奇妙的葡萄酒吧！或許你不會每一款酒都喜歡，但如果不曾嘗試，你怎么知道會錯過些什么呢？所以，趁著這個新年假期，與朋友們試試那些不常喝的葡萄酒吧。你一定會發現驚喜的！

Chinese New Year is just round the corner and most of us will be having non-stop feasts with families and friends for at least one week if not more.This is also a good time for us to try different kinds of wine!

Some of us will no doubt think hard to match the food and wine and I did touch on this last year.However,we can also let ourselves loose and try wines that we are not familiar with.After all,there are usually 10 - 20 persons in a typical gathering.Even though you may not like a particular wine,there will be someone who thinks otherwise.Therefore,not only will wine not be wasted,we can also try a lot of different wine in one evening.

Let say you prefer wine from Bordeaux wine,you can still have Bordeaux blend wine with your Chinese New Year meals but not from France.How about from the US,Chile,Argentina,South Africa,Australia,New Zealand,Italy,Japan and China? They are made from the same grape varieties (mainly Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot and Cabernet Franc,supported by Petit Verdot,Malbec and Carmenere).You are still within your comfort zone but youll have the chance to experience Bordeaux blends from other countries.Who knows,you may discover a few wines that can rival your beloved Bordeaux.

The other option is instead of having Bordeaux,you can have other French wine but Bordeaux: from Champagne,Burgundy,Loire to Alsace,Rhone and Southern France.The diversity of wine is as wide as the dishes.

Or how about exploring wine from lesser-known regions? Rioja and Tuscany are the most popular regions from Spain and Italy but have you tried Spanish wine from Toro or Italian wine from Marche?Both of them use the same major grape varieties as in Rioja and Tuscany (Tempranillo in Spain and Sangiovese in Italy) but there are certainly subtle differences in the wine.

If you are adventurous,you can look for wines from countries that people dont normally associate with wine,such as India,Mexico,England and Canada (not ice wine but white and red wine).Over 70 countries in the world produce wine! Why only stick with the few typical wine countries?

We are reluctant to try new wines for various reasons.But as I cant emphasize enough,wine is for sharing and with good company,any wine is a delicious backdrop that adds to the festive mood.Overcoming that intimidating feeling of wine opens the door to the amazing world of wine.We wont like them all but we dont know what we miss if we dont try.So try during this Chinese New Year holiday to share wines that you dont normally drink with your friends.You will be surprised!