Serving Wine
In all honesty serving wine is not that dissimilar to Brexit (I kid you not), for two reasons: 1) there are many and various methods of doing it and 2) everyone has an opinion about said methods, and when disagreements arise the whole situation can get a little aggy. See, you thought I was crazy there for a second, didn’t you? Thankfully there aren’t any dodgy politicians in the mix as far as wine is concerned, but I think you get the gist…
There are four particularly significant aspects to serving wine ‘properly’. I’ve seen enough students drinking straight from the bottle to realise that for the vast majority of our audience none of the below applies, but for those of you who do want to brush up on you vino etiquette please allow me to assist…
There are four particularly significant aspects to serving wine ‘properly’. I’ve seen enough students drinking straight from the bottle to realise that for the vast majority of our audience none of the below applies, but for those of you who do want to brush up on you vino etiquette please allow me to assist…
Opening the bottle
First comes the capsule – the foil on the top of the bottle. It can either be cut under the top lip, or the bottom, though most sommeliers tend to do the latter since traditionally the foil was made from lead and they didn’t want to poison their clients (apparently killing off your customers isn’t terribly good for business). That said, aesthetically speaking, foil cutters are designed to cut the top lip since does look a little prettier, so really the choice is yours.
As for the cork, poke it slightly off-center to make sure the worm (the curly bit of the corkscrew – though realistically if a worm was that curly I think it would be in serious trouble, but I suppose that’s not really relevant) goes throw its center. This will prevent the cork from snapping/crumbling, leaving you both a little disappointed and a lot frustrated that you can’t get into that precious grapey goodness.
First comes the capsule – the foil on the top of the bottle. It can either be cut under the top lip, or the bottom, though most sommeliers tend to do the latter since traditionally the foil was made from lead and they didn’t want to poison their clients (apparently killing off your customers isn’t terribly good for business). That said, aesthetically speaking, foil cutters are designed to cut the top lip since does look a little prettier, so really the choice is yours.
As for the cork, poke it slightly off-center to make sure the worm (the curly bit of the corkscrew – though realistically if a worm was that curly I think it would be in serious trouble, but I suppose that’s not really relevant) goes throw its center. This will prevent the cork from snapping/crumbling, leaving you both a little disappointed and a lot frustrated that you can’t get into that precious grapey goodness.
Image courtesy of Wine Folly.
The Right Glass
It wasn’t actually until 1986 that the whole glass situation got complicated. An Austrian called Georg Riedal brought out a whole range of different shaped glasses called Vinum. He claimed that different wines required different shapes of glass in order for them to reach their optimal tasting capacity. Of course people initially thought he was a little loopy, but after holding tasting classes to demonstrate the method to his supposed madness people quickly realized he was on to something and the whole shebang took off!
This picture pretty much has it covered…(thank you Wine Folly).
It wasn’t actually until 1986 that the whole glass situation got complicated. An Austrian called Georg Riedal brought out a whole range of different shaped glasses called Vinum. He claimed that different wines required different shapes of glass in order for them to reach their optimal tasting capacity. Of course people initially thought he was a little loopy, but after holding tasting classes to demonstrate the method to his supposed madness people quickly realized he was on to something and the whole shebang took off!
This picture pretty much has it covered…(thank you Wine Folly).
Image courtesy of Wine Folly.
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The Right Temperature As a general rule, wine tastes better when it’s chilled. As with pretty much all other aspects of wine ‘general’ or ‘easy’ doesn’t really stick, so obviously there are more layers too it. Different wines taste their best at different temperatures. However, one super important thing to remember is that the ‘room temperature’ people bleat on about with regards to red wine, is NOT 20°! Wine has been drunk for centuries, and this rule was realised long before the invention of central heating, so instead you’re looking at the 16/17° mark (they must have worn a lot of jumpers back then)... This image has got it all covered. |
Image courtesy of Wine Folly.
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Top Tip: chilling a wine, particularly a white can mask it’s flavour/aroma, so for the students amongst you that have chosen a cheaper option I suggest you go full Frozen Elsa style and make it as cold as cold can be!
The Decanting Dilemma
For some reason, one that completely defeats me, decanting is a bit of an issue of contention amongst the wino community - i.e. between those who know what they’re doing and those that like to think that they do (we all know the type).
In reality it’s not a dilemma at all, there are two reasons for decanting wine, so if what you’re drinking fits the criteria than may I suggest you trot off to find yourself a decanter. If it is either:
For some reason, one that completely defeats me, decanting is a bit of an issue of contention amongst the wino community - i.e. between those who know what they’re doing and those that like to think that they do (we all know the type).
In reality it’s not a dilemma at all, there are two reasons for decanting wine, so if what you’re drinking fits the criteria than may I suggest you trot off to find yourself a decanter. If it is either:
- A young wine
- An old wine – and by old we’re talking 15 years plus
Image courtesy of Wine Folly.
So why decant?
Well, one of the main objectives is to get rid of any sediment (solid particles) that might have collected in the bottle over the course of time. This is usually only the case for older wines and can make them taste a little bitter if left to sit in your glass…it also just looks a bit gross.
I see your blank looks now…why young wines too then? It does make sense, I promise. Decanting is the perfect way to aerate your wine, which in a younger wine is super helpful as it brings out its aromas and flavour. Some winos argue that decanting for aeration purposes is overkill, and that simply swirling the wine in your glass is sufficient…but you know, each to their own.
And how exactly do I do this decanting malarky?
It's not a complicated process, honest. Firstly, find yourself a decanter, or even just a glass 'vessel' that you can transfer the wine into. Then slowly pour the wine into said 'vessel', ideally with a light underneath the neck of the bottle. When you get to towards the end of the bottle slow down the pouring even more, then when you see the sediment appear in the bottle's neck (helpfully highlighted by your light), use your common sense and stop pouring the bloody thing!
In terms of when to decant the wine, once again opinion varies. For the sake of keeping things simple (or as simple as they can be), decanting 30-45 minutes before you want to drink it would be a good blanket rule.
Well, one of the main objectives is to get rid of any sediment (solid particles) that might have collected in the bottle over the course of time. This is usually only the case for older wines and can make them taste a little bitter if left to sit in your glass…it also just looks a bit gross.
I see your blank looks now…why young wines too then? It does make sense, I promise. Decanting is the perfect way to aerate your wine, which in a younger wine is super helpful as it brings out its aromas and flavour. Some winos argue that decanting for aeration purposes is overkill, and that simply swirling the wine in your glass is sufficient…but you know, each to their own.
And how exactly do I do this decanting malarky?
It's not a complicated process, honest. Firstly, find yourself a decanter, or even just a glass 'vessel' that you can transfer the wine into. Then slowly pour the wine into said 'vessel', ideally with a light underneath the neck of the bottle. When you get to towards the end of the bottle slow down the pouring even more, then when you see the sediment appear in the bottle's neck (helpfully highlighted by your light), use your common sense and stop pouring the bloody thing!
In terms of when to decant the wine, once again opinion varies. For the sake of keeping things simple (or as simple as they can be), decanting 30-45 minutes before you want to drink it would be a good blanket rule.
Image courtesy of Wine Folly.
