Storing and Serving Wine

The way in which wine is stored and served has an impact on the way it tastes and the impression it leaves on the consumer. Wine is a living, evolving and delicate thing which should be handled in the correct way to enjoy the many facets of what it offers.

Storage
A cellar is ideal for wine storage because of its cool and, most importantly, constant temperature and it is also free from light, vibrations and draughts. Regrettably, few of us are fortunate enough to have a clean, dry cellar and instead use the cupboard under the stairs or the spare room! These locations will do if you are storing for short periods of time and so long as they provide more or less the features of a cellar as mentioned. The wine should be kept lying down, keeping the wine in contact with the cork ensuring that it will not dry out and let air and bacteria in.

Service
To derive the most pleasure from each wine you drink, it should be served at the right temperature and in the glass which suits it best. White wine should be chilled as this enhances the crispness and freshness and livens up the fruit character. Sparkling wine retains its bubbles for much longer if the wine has been sufficiently chilled. Beware not to over refrigerate white wines as this can kill flavours and aromas. Red wine should be served at room temperature or chambré to free the aromas and flavours but if it is over warm the wine will be bland and disappointing. To warm red wine quickly, use a ..., do not stand a wine by the fire as this only heats part of the wine and too quickly at that! It is always best to chambré a wine naturally for about two hours.

Decanting
Only wines which throw a deposit truly need decanting, but doing so will aerate ('breathing') a wine faster than if it is just left to stand in bottle. Deposits form in older, full-bodied wines and are a combination of tannins and colouring pigments which are harmless, but unattractive and can be bitter if tasted with the wine. To decant a bottle of wine, it should be left upright for several hours to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom, then carefully remove the cork and wipe round the top of the bottle. Very slowly and steadily pour the bottle in one hand to the decanter in the other at an angle and over a light source which will expose any sediment as the wine is poured. Some people recommend the use of coffee filter paper to strain the remaining dregs!

Pouring wine
One should pour still wine to the centre of the glass but only to two thirds full, to allow for swilling and sniffing. The sense of smell is surprisingly important when drinking wine. For sparkling wine, it is best to pour the wine, very slowly to the side of the glass to preserve the fragile bubbles. To avoid drips, twist the bottle slightly as you bring it upright.

Glassware
Most winemakers agree that the glass a wine is served in influences the taste and impression of a wine. The correct shape of a glass can retain aromas for longer, or bubbles in the case of sparkling wine. Transparent uncut crystal glasses are most desirable to be able to assess colour and body, slightly turning it at the top to preserve the bouquet and with a long stem to hold the glass by rather than by the bowl. Incredibly glass manufacturers have spent time creating specific shapes for different grape varieties, but an easy rule of thumb can be seen in the diagram below!

Glassware Examples

Flute - Champagne and sparkling wine Bowl - Red wine Tulip - White wine