How to Serve Wine
The basics on serving wine including tips from picking the right wine glasses to pouring wine without spilling. Some of these tips will even improve the flavor of wine.Opening the bottle
Perfect the art of opening a wine bottle. There are many types of bottle openers on the market, so select the one that best suits you. Practice removing the cork effortlessly, without breaking it, and especially without dropping pieces of cork into the bottle.
Proper Temperature
Learn about the wine you are serving and the temperature it should be. Different wines are best served at different temperatures; Some wines are best chilled, others need to be served at room temperature for optimum enjoyment.
Serving a wine at the wrong temperature can destroy the flavor and aroma, defeating the purpose of the winemaker.
Serve Champagne, sparkling wines, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, white Zinfandel, and other white wines at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Chill for an hour and a half in a refrigerator. 20 minutes in an ice-water ice bucket would also suffice. Sweet dessert wines and dry sherry should be served in the same manner.
Vintage-dated Champagne, high-quality bubbly and barrel-aged wines should also be chilled an hour and half before serving, along with high quality, full-bodied barrel-fermented white wines like white Burgundy and Chardonnay. They should then be brought out 20 minutes before serving. Ideal serving temperature should be 55 degrees, or cellar temperature. This will enhance the mature characters of the vintage wines and the flavors of the quality wines.
Serve the majority of red wines at 65 degrees Fahrenheit or after 20 minutes of refrigeration.
Letting the Wine Breathe
Find out which wines need to breathe oxygen to open up the aroma before serving.
When allowing a wine to breathe, pour it into a decanter or glass first, as wines cannot breathe well in a bottle. Don't let the wine breathe too long, however, as this can dull the aroma and flavor.
Serving the Wine
Opt to serve wine in a decanter. Not only are decanters aesthetically pleasing, but they improve the taste of the wine. Aged wines, specifically, benefit from being served in a decanter because it removes wine sediments and allows the wine to breathe.
Wine Glasses
Select wine glasses depending on the type of wine you are serving.
Remember that when you are serving a wine, you need to give it space.
There are different styles of glasses, specifically designed to highlight the distinct qualities of the wine. For example, the traditional wine glass has a large bowl shape. When filled only a quarter of the way, the space allows for it to be swirled and breathe oxygen.
Don't serve a new wine in the same glass as an old wine. If you have finished a bottle of wine and have opened another, change the glass so that you don't lose the integrity of the wine flavor.