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Is there a certain temperature at which I should serve wine?
Wines should be served at the temperatures at which they taste best. More specifically, wine should be served at the temperature you enjoy it. Usually white wines, rosé,
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What is the easiest way to open a bottle of wine?
The easiest way to open a bottle of wine is the method easiest for you. Most bottles of wine are stopped with a cork or a material simulating cork. This requires a wine opener of some kind to remove it. There are many ‘cork screws’ on the market. The key is to find one that works best for you.
Before using you opener of choice, remove the capsule (the material covering the top of the bottle, also called the foil) to expose the cork. If there isn’t a capsule, remove any wax from the top of the cork.
Here is a rundown on some basic wine openers and how they work:
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How do you open a bottle of
Hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle pointing the cork away from people or things that could be injured or broken by a flying cork. Remove the wire cage. Hold the cork in place with one hand while you gently twist the bottle with the other. The cork should be released slowly.
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Should I let wine breathe after it has been opened?
This is a much debated issue. Many believe that few wines greatly benefit from ‘breathing’ (i.e. opening the bottle of wine and letting it stand a while before drinking) because the surface area of the wine exposed to air is minimal. At the same time, most believe that few wines will suffer from having a chance to breathe.
The argument for letting wine breathe 9especially older red wine designed to be aged) is that the wine can benefit from the exposure to air just as it may benefit from the oxidation that occurs during the aging process. On the other hand, an older red wine may begin to break down when exposed to air for an extended period of time.
If you are drinking a wine you feel needs time to breathe, most likely a young, tannic red wine, try letting it breathe in the glass rather than in the bottle. More of the wine will be exposed to the air that way. Also, consider decanting it. Let your personal taste dictate how you like your wine, whether you prefer it fresh from the bottle or after it has had time to breathe.
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What kind of glass should wine be served in?
Wine can be enjoyed out of any vessel you like, so don’t let the lack of a special glass stop you. Glass is preferred because it is completely inert and doesn’t impart any off flavors to the wine and is clear so the wine’s color can be appreciated. Professionals and dedicated amateurs value glasses with stems to hold on to so the temperature is not altered by the heat of one’s hand. Wine glasses narrow toward the rim so wine can be swirled (to maximize aroma) without spilling out of the glass. Traditionally, red wine glasses are bigger than white wine glasses. If you are planning on purchasing wine glasses and are either on a budget and/or don’t have a lot of room to store separate wine glasses for red and white wines, consider buying an all-purpose, 10 ounce wine glass and use it for both red and white wines.
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How can you tell if a wine has gone bad?
The way a wine smells and tastes will determine whether or not it is sound. A wine has gone bad when it is ‘corked’ or oxidized. This is evident by a pungent corky or moldy smell (sometimes associated with wet cardboard) in the case of being corked, or an unpleasant aroma and flavor reminiscent of
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What is corked wine?
‘Corked’ wine displays off characters as a result of the cork being affected by the action of mold combined with traces of chloride compounds from the environment. In severe cases, cork taint manifests itself as a smell reminiscent of a musty cellar or wet carpet – generally not a pleasant aroma. In more mild cases, the taint will make a wine smell flat and devoid of the normal bouquet one would expect. Often the wine will also be flat on the palate, and in some cases, it is only on the palate where this taint can be detected. The compound causing the taint is called 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA), and is detectable by those sensitive to it at extremely low levels. The compound can be found in several other packaging mediums such as oak barrels and even cardboard.
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What is decanting? Why would you decant a bottle of wine?
Decanting is the process of slowly pouring the contents of a bottle of wine into another vessel, leaving any sediment behind. It is a technique used to not only clarify the wine, but aerate it as well. Many wine lovers will decant younger reds to soften the tannins and older reds to remove the sediment.
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What do I do if the cork breaks while I’m opening a bottle of wine?
If the cork breaks in half but is still stuck in the neck of the bottle, screw a corkscrew into it at an angle and pull it out. If you get the cork out but pieces are left in the wine, you can pour the wine through a cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove the cork. If the cork becomes completely mutilated, the easiest thing to do is push it in, and then pour the wine through a cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove the pieces of cork.
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Is the wine ruined if pieces of cork get in it?
No, the wine is fine. Simply remove the pieces of cork from the wine glasses after you pour it and drink as usual. If there is too much cork in the wine to remove easily, decant the wine into another container through a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
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What is the sediment I sometimes find in a bottle of wine?
Sediment is made up of solid particles that are a byproduct of winemaking, such as dead yeast cells or fragments of grape seeds or skins. They are harmless if consumed but the wine drinking experience can be more enjoyable if you decant the wine to remove the sediment.
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In what order should I serve wines?
As a general rule dry wines before sweet, white before red, light before heavy, lesser before finer, and young before old. This gives your taste buds a chance to get used to the increasing strength or complexity.
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How long will an open bottle of wine keep?
Longer than you may think….don’t throw it away! Re-cork the wine (if you’ve thrown away the cork use plastic wrap and a rubber band). An open bottle of red or white wine will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. A bottle of
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Where should I store wine after it is opened?
A re-corked, leftover bottle of red or white wine can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days without compromising its flavor. Just take the red wine out of the refrigerator to let it come up to room temperature before drinking. A tightly corked leftover bottle of
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How can I remove red wine stains?
Red wine stains are easiest to remove if they are still wet. If you can’t deal with the problem immediately, lay a wet towel over carpet area or soak the affected clothing until you can treat it. The following methods work almost all of the time: