青春無敵

Joe:

Hey! Sam. This is Joe.

(嗨！Sam，我是Joe。)

Sam:

What’s up?

(怎麼啦？)

Joe:

Listen! I need a favor.

(我需要你的幫忙。)

Sam:

What is it?

(甚麼事？)

Joe:

There’s a black-tie dinner party this Friday, and I need you to give me a quick lesson on how to drink wine.

(這星期五有個正式的餐宴，我需要你教我怎麼喝紅酒大概的技巧。)

Sam:

A black-tie dinner party?

(正式的餐宴？)

圖片來源：East Midtown

Joe:

Yeah. The thing is that some clients will come visit this Friday, and my boss decides to take them to a super fancy restaurant. And you know me, I’m always a beer kind of guy. So I figure since you’re the only wine buff friend I know….

(是啊。因為這星期五有客戶來訪，老闆決定要去非常高級的餐廳款待他們。你也知道的，我只喜歡喝啤酒，然後你是我認識的朋友裡唯一一個很懂品酒的，所以…)

Sam:

Okay okay. Why don’t you drop by my place tomorrow evening?

(好啦！你明晚來我家一趟吧！)

Joe:

Great! Thanks, man!

(太棒了，謝啦！兄弟。)

Sam:

No biggie. See you then.

(這沒甚麼！到時見囉！)

Sam:

First off, hold the glass by the stem, not by the bowl so that you won’t warm the wine too quickly with your hand.

(首先，拿著杯腳，而不是杯子，這樣手的溫度才不會讓酒暖的快。)

 圖片引用：tracyshaun 

Joe:

Okay. Hold the glass by the stem…

(好的，拿著杯腳…)

Sam:

Then, sniff the wine. You may swirl the wine a little as it will improve the flavor.

(接著，聞一下酒，你可以晃動一下酒杯，這樣可以增加酒的味道。)

Joe:

Why so?

(怎麼說呢？)

Sam:

It helps to decant the wine and coat the glass with aromas.

(這樣做可以幫忙醒酒，讓酒杯充滿酒的香味)

Joe:

Hmm.

(嗯。)

Sam:

What do you smell?

(你聞到甚麼？)

Joe:

I smell…grapes?

(我聞到…葡萄？)

Sam:

Ha! Different people may pick up different scents from the same wine. Some may smell prunes while some may smell strawberries. There’re no wrong answers.

(哈！同樣的酒，每個人聞到的味道都不一樣。有的人會聞到梅子，有的人會聞到草莓，沒有一個正確答案。)

Joe:

Okay. Can I drink it now?

(嗯，那我現在可以喝了嗎？)

Sam:

Not so fast! You need to sip it, not gulping down the entire glass. Just take a small sip, swish the wine around in your mouth, and then swallow it.

(沒那麼快！你必須要啜飲，別一口喝光整杯酒。要小小口，讓酒在你的嘴裡打轉，然後再吞下喉。)

 圖片引用_{：rlimousinephoto}

Joe:

What’s the point of doing all these?

(這樣做的用意在哪？)

Sam:

You need to feel the wine’s body.

(這樣你才能感覺它的酒體)

Joe:

Huh? The wine’s body?

(蛤？酒體？)

Sam:

It means the impression you have about the wine. Varying percentages of alcohol and tannins make a wine full-bodied, medium-bodied and light-bodied. A full-bodied wine has a lot of alcohol.

(酒體指的是你對酒的整體印象；酒精度和單寧酸的多寡會讓酒嘗起來厚重、中等和輕盈。厚重的酒含的酒精度較高)

 圖片引用：Dennis Jarvis

Joe:

I see.

(我懂了。)

Sam:

Last but not least, savor the wine. Feel the aftertaste of the wine in your mouth.

(最後一點，你要品嚐酒，感受酒留在你口裡的餘味)

Joe:

Drinking wine is a lot harder than I thought.

(喝杯酒比我想的還困難多了。)

 圖片引用：James Palinsad

wine buff

品酒專家

stem

(n.) 高腳酒杯的腳

swirl

(v.) 旋轉；晃動

decant the wine

醒酒

aroma

(n.) 酒的芳香、氣味

sip

(v.)、(n.) 啜飲

gulp down

大口喝盡

swish

(v.) 漱口；這裡指的是先別急著把酒吞入喉，要先讓酒在嘴裡打轉，感受酒的味道

swallow

(v.) 吞

body

(n.) 酒體

alcohol

(n.) 酒精

tannin

(n.) 單寧酸

full-bodied

(a.) 厚重的、濃郁的

aftertaste

(n.) 餘味