Elizabeth Richardson pours wine for a tour group at the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville, Wash.

 

Uncle Patrick gargles his wine. “I taste blackberries and cherry and oak,” he says, “and a lot of tannins.”

The only thing you know about wine is that it comes in different colors. But, with holiday meals approaching, here’s how to puncture wine windbags, thanks to Washington State University Professor Kathleen Williams:

Precipitate saliva. When Patrick says he tastes tannins, you say: “Tannins don’t have a taste. They create a sensation as they precipitate the proteins out of your saliva.” Tip: Stroke your chin sagely as you pronounce “precipitate.”

Throw in a German word. Patrick swirls the glass. “Good legs,” he observes. You say, “The French call them tears. The Germans call them Kirchenfenster or church windows, because they form an arch.” Read more.

Are you knowlegable about wine? Do you have a favorite you'll be serving with your holiday meals?

It was a close 10-8 vote, but the House Revenue & Taxation Committee has agreed to introduce legislation that would hike Idaho’s beer and wine taxes - which haven’t been increased in more than 40 years - more than threefold to provide a stable funding source for substance abuse treatment. Keith Allred, head of The Common Interest, a good-government group, estimated that the higher tax would cost the purchaser of a weekly six-pack about 91 cents more a month. Idaho currently spends about $19 million annually on substance abuse treatment, Allred told the panel. “We’re just suggesting that some of that ought to be offset by those who drink alcohol”/Betsy Russell, SR Eye On Boise. More here.

• Could stimulus affect earlier holdbacks?
• Budget decisions being rethought
• Day-care licensing bill introduced
• Turning the tables

Question: Is this a good time for Idaho to hike beer and wine taxes?

What do you tend to look for in a win label?/Idaho Statesman

• The grape
• The age
• The design
• The region
• All of them
• None of them