The World of Wine
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wine versus Beer
by Jennifer Margulis
Recently, we had some friends over for dinner. We ate outside at our wide glass-topped table near a tall oak tree and opened a bottle of handcrafted dandelion wine made from dandelions growing wild in Southern Oregon.
The surprisingly yellow wine had just a little sparkle to it. The dry taste held a hint of sweetness … a perfect “cooler” for a hot summer day.
But I’d be committing a crime of omission if I didn’t tell you that my husband, James, usually prefers a cold beer in the summer to a glass of wine.
There are several beers brewed locally — we buy beer in growlers from Standing Stone Brewing Company and Caldera Brewing Company in Ashland, and Southern Oregon Brewing Company in Medford.
Still, James’ seasonal proclivity for beer led me to thinking about all the reasons it’s better to drink wine:
No one ever got a wine belly.
They don’t make wine “light.”
You're not allowed to hold beer in your mouth, aerate it between your teeth by making a noise that sounds like a horse with a hairball and then spit it out, as you are expected to do when spending all day wine tasting on assignment to write an article for the Oregonian.
Wine doesn’t make you belch. (Well, it doesn’t make me belch. But beer does.)
Wine doesn’t give you halitosis.
I'd rather be called a wino than a beer-o.
If you aspire to be a connoisseur of fine Oregon fare, like steelhead caught in the Rogue River, sauerkraut made from red orach (a heirloom spinach grown on Whistling Duck Farm this year), and marionberry crumble, you have to learn to tell your Chardonnay from your Sauvignon Blanc, your Tempranillo from your Viognier, and your growers’ Cuvée from your Cabernet Sauvignon. Discussing the finer points of the hops content of Caldera Brewing Company's Ashland Amber just isn't as impressive.
If you were only a beer snob and drank no wine, you wouldn't be reading this column (unless I begged or used coercion).
Beer snobs won’t be attending this year’s Southern Oregon World of Wine but wine connoisseurs will be there in abundance.
Wine snobs and wine know-nothings, have you bought your tickets for the Southern Oregon World of Wine festival August 24 – 27th? Will I see you there?!
Well, you can't really have an ice-cold glass of wine as you can an ice-cold beer--that is, unless you take ice cubes in your pino grigio!
...And beer is not good for your heart, nor does it contain the youth serum resveratrol!
Hmmm... not much of a wine OR beer drinker here, but if given the choice with both on the table in front of me, I'd reach for the wine. I like the taste better.
Beer bottles just wouldn't have the same oomph as wine bottles in an application like this: http://www.furnitureluxurydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/gorgeous-wine-bottles-lighting-inspiration.jpg
Is dandelion wine made at the same wineries that make regular wine? Is the process similar? I know nothing about dandelion wine, and now I'm curious. Can one get tipsy from drinking it?
I've never liked beer. Not even in college where everyone liked it. I'm absolutely a wine person. No hard liquor either.
Beer always gives me a belly ache, of course, I don't do well with most grains. Wine, no problem!
Gotta say, I love them both, especially when I'm supporting small craft breweries (and it's so much fun to drink local beer in every town we visit, something that's harder to do with wine). What can I say? I'm an equal opportunity lush!
I'm a wine lover who opts for the cold, sparkling kind on a hot summer's day.
I actually prefer beer in the summer, too. But I prefer wine in the winter, so it's not as if I'm taking sides. I guess I find beer more cooling and wine more warming or something. Hard to say. One thing I will say about beer is that it lasts longer. One serving of beer is a while pint vs one serving of wine takes up much less volume. So if I'm trying to hold myself to just one drink, I usually will go for a beer.
Do I have to pick? I like them both. But a cold beer in the hot summer is impossible to beat.