Serve the wine at the right temperature

One frequently reads that red wines should be served at room temperature. That maxim remains as true as the day it was first written, what has changed however, is room temperature! We tend to think of room temperature as being in the mid 70’s, for wine’s sake it’s better to think of it as the mid 60’s. The cooler temperature keeps the alcohol in check and allows for the slow, sequential release of the volatile compounds that make a wine’s aroma so captivating.

For whites we tend to think straight from the fridge works but frequently wine taken directly from the fridge is just too cold to be expressive. The ideal temperature for most white wines is closer to 50 degrees than the sub 40-degree temperatures one usually finds in the refrigerator. With rich, aged wines, a touch warmer could be even better, allowing for the wine to be more aromatically expressive.

Sparkling wines are also best served in this temperature range but beware, the warmer the bottle of sparkling wine the greater it’s effervescence apon opening. It’s not a bad idea to keep your bubblies cool until they’ve been opened as this lessens the risk of an explosive surprise!

Rose and lighter reds can stand to be served on the cool side. The classic cellar temperature of 55 to 58 degrees works perfectly for these types of wines.


Serve wine in the right glass

There are many shapes of glasses on the market today and it can get confusing which shape is best for which wine. One thing to remember is that the size of the glass is really more important than the shape. A good wine glass holds between
10oz. and 15oz. of wine. Now don’t go filling that up that glass! It’s best if you only fill the glass about a quarter full. This gives you space to swirl the wine in the glass, helping to release the aromas of the wine, yet leaves enough space in the bowl of the glass to capture all those volatile aromatics.

There are two main styles of wine glass shapes, those based on the classic Bordeaux stem and those that are more tulip shaped and based on the classic Burgundy stem. In general the Burgundy style works best with very aromatic reds, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, the Grenache and Syrah based Rhone blends for example while the classic Bordeaux stem is better suited to Cabernet and Bordeaux Varietal based wines, Sangiovese, and Shiraz.

While white wines have traditionally been served in smaller glasses it make sense to serve them in the bigger red wine stems for the same reasons you’re already using them for your reds. Use your burgundy stems for, well, white Burgundy and other Chardonnay based wines while your Bordeaux stem will be best for most other whites such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio.

One thing to keep in mind is that soap residue, off odors from the storage cabinet and even heavily chlorinated water from the tap can all have a large impact on your appreciation of a wine. Always check your glasses before using them, and if possible, give them a good rinse right before you taste with them. The best way to rinse your glasses is by “wining” them. That is just a fancy way of saying give them a rinse with a bit of wine. It’s a great way to rid the glass of any debris or odors that may interfere with your enjoyment of the wines to come.

Give it time to breathe

Sometimes a wine may smell funny even though your glasses are spotless. There are several reasons for this beyond the obvious, that the wine is not to your liking.

Often older wines can have a bit of “bottle stink” apon opening. This is easily remedied by allowing the wine to breath either in your glass or in a decanter. I have found that almost all wines, young and old, inexpensive, and not so inexpensive tend to improve with some exposure to oxygen. This “breathing” of the wine allows for off aromas to dissipate while the wine slowly releases it’s good aromas.

In addition, breathing can allow for a wine to improve its mouthfeel by softening some of the tannins and allowing the acidity to integrate into the wine. While red wines benefit most from breathing whites certainly can improve with time in either a decanter or even the open bottle.

When serving wine I like to take a small sample of the wine when I open it. Not only does this allow me to judge the state of the wine but, by reducing the volume of wine a bit and thus lowering it’s level in the bottle, I’m exposing a bit more surface area of the wine to air, allowing it to breath more freely in the bottle.

Well those are just some of the basics to get you started. Don’t be too particular about any of these suggestions for they are just that. Try and remember there are no rules here except for one. Have some fun!