DEAR DOCTOR...let us solve your wine problems

Dr Hannah Our Resident Wine Therapist 

and Perfect Housewife

Dear  Dr Hannah,
I hope you can help me.

My husband Eamonn and I argue all the time about the best way to clean our wine glasses.He likes to use washing up liquid but I don`t and, every evening after dinner, we have terrible arguments about this and generally end up not talking to each other. We have been married for ten years and I am beginning to think our marriage is in crises.Things have got so bad that I cannot decide whether to give up wine, use disposable glasses or just leave him. Can you advise us as I want to save our marriage?  

                                                                                                                                                                          Yours in desperation,

                                                                                                     Carmel

Dear Carmel,

My, My, you and your  poor husband Eamonn do seem to have a serious problem here. Try as we might to ignore it, the truth is that wine glasses do need just a little bit more care in the washing arena than your average glass. Keep in mind that the liquid in the wine glass is typically a bit pricier than your glass of milk or orange juice, so the extra measures to ensure a clean glass could be viewed as merely protecting a valuable investment.

 Every marriage can have its problems however I must admit that yours is particularly complex and as such has several solutions.  My advice Carmel, to both you and Eamonn, is that you can take one of  the several approaches below which should help restore happiness in your marriage:

The Rinser Method

As easy as it sounds, just rinse, rinse and triple rinse your wine glasses with hot water. Make sure that all of the residual wine is removed and allow glasses to air dry, turned upside down on a clean towel.

The Washer Method

Using a very mild detergent, sparingly add a drop to each glass and sponge the soap around to remove all wine stain. Then rinse the heck out of the glass. Soap residue left on your wine glass will interfere with the flavor and aroma of wine.

The Soda Method

Often reserved for delicate crystal glasses, washing soda (or baking soda if you are hard pressed) will gently clean the glass and absorb residual wine. Washing soda is available in most grocery stores in the detergent section. Remember that crystal is much more porous than typical glass and is more likely to absorb odors from its surroundings, including storage companions - like a cupboard full of coffee or cleaning detergents used in the process.

Dishwasher Method

Wine glasses that have shorter stems and that are not made from crystal are ideal candidates for the good old dishwasher. Just use a bit less detergent than you would for a normal, full load and don't set the wash cycle on "heat dry," so that you avoid baking on detergent that has not washed clean. Once the cycle is complete, immediately remove glasses and hand dry with a cotton (lint-free) dish towel.

Why not try to introduce a bit of excitement into your marriage by taking turns with the various methods above.  The method may vary, but the result should be the same - a clean glass of wine, every time.

 Carmel, I hope this advice helps you and Eamonn resolve your difficulties.

Doctor Hannah

Wine Therapist


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