Wondering how many of you out there have wine as a late-night nightcap, and for those who do, what do you choose?
90%+ of the wine I consume is with dinner. Sometimes, I have a little as I cook; Champagne is my favorite, but more often than not it’s whatever is leftover from the night before or what will be had with the upcoming meal.
But every once in a while, I’m in the mood for a small drink as I wind down before bed, usually reading a book or bumbling along with watercolors (examples here and here). Historically, my nightcap of choice has been single malt scotch. But I’ve mostly lost my taste for Scotch- it gives me a headache and I just don’t enjoy as much as I used to. Do people on this board have a wine nightcap of choice? Dessert wines seem the natural choice, but I’m open to any ideas!
I more or less consume wine as you Noah, enjoy a glass alongside cooking food when time allows also 90% of the consumption takes place during dinner, or if with a friends then we probably keep on with wine along with something to nibble on after the food (or if no meal involved).
I very rarely have a nightcap (more or less only happens if with a group of friends calling it a night). I find that I sleep and feel better then next day if I skip it, I also usually stop drinking something like about 2 hours before heading to bed. Beer is even worse in that respect (on me)…
For me a nightcap is part of a mind(less) exercise before sleeping and when I drink wine, I want to kind of do the opposite in that I want to contemplate more and focus on the wine. Hence on those rare occasions I have nightcap it’s something a bit stronger probably some homemade from the in-laws.
Dinner is finished by 7:30 or 8pm? That’s about when I start thinking about dinner!
As for nightcaps, I don’t tend to keep spirits at home so if I’m at home it is most likely a glass of crisp white wine where the rest of the bottle can be corked and be fine the next day. If I’m heading home late from a bar then it varies. Last night it was a Quatro Naranjes 2 of them actually).
I’ve found madeira to be the ideal nightcap wine. Can pour myself just a little sip without worrying about wasting the rest of the bottle and scratches a lot of the same itch as brown liquor for me.
I often enjoy a glass or two of wine after dinner. Never really intended to be a nightcap, but I guess it kind of is. Often its just whats leftover from dinner, but I’ll also sometimes be nursing a bottle of something sweet or fortified in the fridge, sherry, madeira, port, sauternes.
I generally try to finish eating and drinking at least an hour before bed as I find it can interrupt my sleep otherwise.
My normal routine is a glass of wine during dinner, and then one to two glasses of wine afterwards as a wind down, as I either read or watch TV. Occasionally, I will skip that last glass of wine and indulge in a cognac or a single malt scotch. That’s a normal night for me. Now bear in mind on a 50+ year old bladder, invariably that means I’m getting up at 3 AM to do some business.
Incidentally, I brought a really old bottle of Armagnac back from France in May, and I have been hitting that with some regularity. It is delicious stuff and slightly lower alcohol than whiskey.
I have found my quality of sleep plummets - and triggers snoring - if I drink too close to falling asleep. Ideally my last beverage is 2-3 hours prior and my nightcap of choice these days is a scoop of micellar casein.
When I have a nightcap (and I don’t far more often than I do), it’s often Armagnac, Cognac, or Scotch. When it’s wine, it’s usually tawny Port, with some Barolo chinato or tawny-style Aussie stickies rotated in now and again.
Who’da thunk it? A thread about nightcaps brings out all the WB teetotalers! I’m obviously kidding…
While my preferred nightcap is usually a whisky of some sort, I usually like to have a bottle of open LBV port or tawny port. It’s slightly boozy, and there’s the sweet (dessert) factor that I enjoy. Plus, they’re usually inexpensive and easy to find.
I used to enjoy Bourbon but it no longer works for me. Even one glass and I feel bad the next morning.
Not a daily routine but I do like having a glass of wine by itself in the evening watching a show after the kids are in bed. Just a great way to calm down for me. Doesn’t kill my sleep scores unless I sit there and down half a bottle or more after dinner.
I used to have a bourbon or scotch, but I have pretty much quit drinking spirits.
I’ll mostly drink wine for a nightcap if there is some left in the bottle from dinner (I can see most of you thinking “what is this leftover dinner wine concept he speaks of?”), and I want to relax with a drink. Rarely would I pop a bottle to do so.
I’m in the “whatever’s handy” category when it comes to a nightcap – usually that means whatever bottle of red happens to be open already, though a sipper bourbon or beer may make an appearance. Regardless of the nightcap choice, I always drink a good 8-10 ounces of water before falling asleep. Makes for a better feeling in the morning.
Dinner is finished by 7:30 or 8pm? That’s about when I start thinking about dinner!