how to drink the wines?

[papo1]

I was given two bottles of wine one is a Fortant De France (White Merlot) and the other is a ( Piesporter Michelsberg Spatlese 1998) Schmitt Sohne. The first I understand is a semi-dry and the last a sweet wine. How are the served (chilled or not and with what are the best served. Thanks for your help;Pete

[Innkeeper]

Hi Papo, and welcome to the Wine Board. Drink the white merlot at 60 degrees F, and the Spatlese at 50 degrees F.

[wondersofwine]

Not familiar with the first wine. The Piesporter Michelsberg will go nice with cake or most pastry desserts. It can also be drunk as an apperitif before dinner. If you like wines with a little sweetness, you may even want to continue drinking it through dinner with a chicken or veal dish delicately prepared.

[Innkeeper]

Sorry I missed the second part of your question. The White merlot would go with the same things as the Spatlese that Wonders recommended.

To get the wines to the proper temperature, note the temperature of the room the wines are stored in. Then place in refrigerator for ten minutes for each degree you want to chill them. If the Spatlese is in a 70 degree F room, you have to plan ahead, at least three hours and twenty minutes ahead. You can accelerate this in the freezer (risky) or in an ice bucket. Fill a bucket, any bucket, up with ice and then with water. The wine will chill in that at the rate of one degree per minute.