Wine is a peculiar drink that must be served right to bring out its true taste and aroma. Simple things like setting the right temperature, opening the bottle, and choosing the right glassware can make a huge impact on your enjoyment. This guide highlights the basic tips on how to serve wine in accordance with the prestigious wine culture.
1. Choose the right glassware
Since 1986 when George Riedel introduced machine-made crystal glasses known as Vinum, the wine glass industry has never looked back. Today, you can find a broad range of wine glasses with different shapes for every wine type. Ask any novice wine taster and they’ll tell you how a glass shape makes a huge difference in how different wines taste.
2. Serve at the right temperature
Just like tea or coffee, wine tastes better when served at the right temperature. Some of the more delicate floral aromas in fine wine are often subdued at extremely cool temperatures or burn out easily when the wine is overly warmed. Red wine tastes better when served at temperatures that are slightly below room temperature (53 °F – 69 °F) while white wine is better served from 44 °F – 57 °F. Sparkling wines, on the other hand, taste better at 38 °F – 45 °F. Here are the best ways to store wine.
3. Observe the wine bottle opening ritual
Everyone can understand the logic of inserting a corkscrew into the bottle cork using a level arm and pulling out the cork. However, it’s the little details in the procedure that matter. First, cut the foil using a foil cutter, beginning from the top to make it visually appealing. Secondly, poke the cork slightly off the center to get a redial diameter of the worm. That way, the curlycue portion of the wine opener won’t tear the cork. Old wine corks are always brittle, so be extra careful to avoid breaking them apart. Before you serve the wine, feel the aroma to ensure that there is no strange or unpleasant odor from the bottle.
4. Decant red wine
Decanting is a perfect way to improve the flavor of red wine. You can do that by simply pouring wine into a glass pitcher or decanter and let it rest for about 45 minutes. If you want to do it faster, use a wine aerator to decant your wine almost instantaneously. Decanting doesn’t harm any red wine, except for very old collections or white wine. If you enjoy drinking red wine, you might want to consider becoming a red wine club member so you always have a good bottle at home.
5. Avoid overfilling
A typical wine bottle contains about 25 ounces, and that’s why many bars and restaurants portion it into five servings of 5 oz per glass. Most wine glasses can hold more than 5 oz, but don’t be too quick to overfill your glass. You need the extra space in the glass to hold the aroma.
The process of handling and serving wine is taken seriously in the wine culture. Everyone serving wine should understand these principles of serving wine to ensure that wine tastes right and maintains its aroma. The rules of selecting wine glasses, keeping the right temperatures, opening the bottle, and pouring the wine must be followed for better enjoyment.
