ICYMI The Wine Awards by Cosmo Middle East and MMI Dubai is back for its second edition this month.

Judged by the region’s leading wine connoisseurs, The Wine Awards will reveal your go-to sips across 12 categories and Cosmo will celebrate the winning wines on Tuesday February 13 for a Galentine’s event to remember at ICD Brookfield Place’s Josette.

And this year we’re all about Cosmo girlies levelling up on their wine knowledge, starting with wine etiquette. It’s giving sophisticated.

From knowing which wine is best to serve with fish to whether it’s a faux pas to add ice to your fav pale rosé, brush up on these do’s and don’ts for your next wine-drinking session.

Do finish your bottle within 1 to 3 days

While we don’t encourage excessive wine consumption, we do recommend finishing an open bottle within 1 to 3 days. When you open a bottle, the wine is exposed to oxygen, which triggers oxidation, causing the wine to slowly change. This is beneficial for young red wine and is often encouraged through decanting or aeration. However, there is a delicate balance between allowing the wine to breathe and overdoing it.

Your wine would be at its best on the day of opening and slowly begin to deteriorate after that. The best option when opening a bottle of wine is to share it with your friends and enjoy it together.

Do keep some simple wine-pairing options handy

It can be difficult to remember the intricacies of food and wine pairing. Chefs are the experts in this field, with the knowledge and experience to execute it perfectly. For beginners, it can be quite daunting to embark on a wine journey and master the art of pairing. We recommend sticking to some basic rules and utilizing easy online pairing manuals to help guide you through.

Again, practice makes perfect, but here are some basic rules to get you started:

  • Red wine = red meat; white wine = white meat
  • Bubbles to begin; sweet to finish.
  • Light to dark: Light-colour intensity wines should always come before the darker ones.  

Do take notes of your favourite wines

If you’re new to the world of wine and feeling overwhelmed by all the different names and varietals, don’t worry: the best way to overcome it is to dive right in. Start by getting a tasting book, wine rating app, or a simple notebook, and take note of the wines you like the most, and why.

Over time, you’ll start to see patterns emerging. You can then refer back to your list when you’re unsure or need to buy a bottle as a gift.

Do pop some grapes in the freezer

So simple, that you’re probably wondering why you haven’t thought about it before.

This is the ultimate solution to quickly cool down your room-temperature rosé, or white wine. Always store a few grapes in your freezer that you can use as substitute ice cubes without altering the taste of your wine. Better yet, keep a couple of your favourite bottles in the fridge, so they are chilled and ready for any occasion!

Do try some of MMI’s incredible range of rosés

MMI offers an extensive variety of rosé wines, with a specific emphasis on wines from Provence. However, we also have an impressive selection of pink wines from all over the world. Although Provence Rosé is currently in vogue due to its exceptional quality, if you want to enhance your taste buds, we strongly suggest trying some of the rosés from other regions.

Don’t put ice cubes in your wine

Unless you wish to fall into disgrace with the wine community and unleash the fury of Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of winemaking, do not ever, ever do that.

We all love an ice-cold rosé on a hot summer’s day, but did you know that putting ice in your wine is considered an absolute no-no in the wine world? Winemakers put a lot of effort and time into crafting their recipes and obtaining perfectly balanced wines. Adding ice to your wine dilutes the taste and defeats the purpose of wine sipping.

Don’t pair red wine and dessert

When having a meal, it’s common to start with a light white wine and then switch to a deep red wine for the main course, especially when enjoying a steak. This pairing can be so perfect that you might be tempted to order another glass of red wine with your dessert.

Don’t. The tannins in red wine beautifully complement a tender cut of red meat, but they can ruin a sweet dish. Sugar makes tannins feel rough and bitter, which will spoil both the wine and the dessert. Instead, we recommend switching to a dessert wine or port as you move on to the final course.

Don’t be overwhelmed

The wine world is vast and complex, with many rules when it comes to labelling, regionality, and descriptions – try not to feel overwhelmed. If you’re looking at a wine list or store shelf and don’t know where to start, we have a few guidelines:

  • Start with your budget: There is just no point looking at wines that are out of your price range.
  • Determine what you feel like having: Bubbles, White, Rosé or Red.
  • Think about what you’re eating (light meal = light wine).
  • By now the list/shelf should be much smaller. Look for words that feel familiar and spark joy: if you see the word “Chardonnay” and it makes you smile, go for that. If not, cross it off the list.
  • When in doubt, ask the Sommelier or the liquor store attendant!

Don’t make your own rosé at home

There are two different methods to make rosé wine. The first method is to extract juice from red grapes and allow a short amount of contact with the skins. This contact makes the juice take on a lovely pink hue from the colour of the grape skins.

The second method is to blend red wine and white wine until you achieve the desired colour and flavour. However, it’s best not to attempt blending rosé at home, as it is a complex process that requires professional expertise. Blended rosés require a lot of tasting, adjusting, and refining, and chances are that if you try to blend at home, you may end up with a mess.

Don’t drink to excess

We are huge advocates for enjoying your wine responsibly and have several low or alcohol-free wines in our selection for those trying to cut back.

Wine can be such a pleasure, especially when enjoyed responsibly! However, overconsumption can be dangerous for your health and have many negative side effects. For those who like to enjoy their alcohol, we recommend trading quantity for quality.

Meet the judges of The Wine Awards and find out about all the categories here.