Choosing a bottle of wine is an art, opening a bottle of wine is an art, choosing a glass for your wine is an art, pouring without spilling wine is an art and even tasting good wine is an art. Everything about wine is artistic, so you must be artistic to enjoy wine.
The taste of wine is highly determined by the years, how it is poured and how it is served and, of course, your tastes and preferences.
A good wine glass will make any wine taste better. Through the years a lot of confusion has been caused over the different shapes and styles of wine glasses, especially when consumers were accustomed to using only one shape of wine glass,. Then an Austrian gentleman, Georg Riedell, started hosting glass tastings in the late 80s to prove first-hand that the shape of a wine glass really does make a difference.
No, this doesn’t mean you have to buy a whole new range for every varietal of wine you enjoy drinking, it simply suggests you find a wine glass that fits your drinking style and make your wine taste better.
The temperature of wine also plays a very big role in how the wine tastes. I am sure you have all tasted how different your coffee or tea tastes at different temperatures. The same applies to wine. Red wine should be consumed at between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, white and sparkling wines between 6 and 14 degrees Celsius.
Decant or not to decant, that is the question. Most red wines are more enjoyable if they are decanted. Ideally, pour the wine into your preferred vessel (decanter) and allow it to sit for about 30 to 45 minutes. However, the quickest method would be to use an aerator, which decants the wine immediately. Almost no wine will be harmed by decanting it, not even sparkling wine, so why not?
When pouring a glass of wine, a standard serving is generally considered to be 180ml. Even though most glasses can hold considerably more wine, the space in the glass is designed to hold the aromas, so try your best to not overfill.
Try the no drips trick by giving the bottle a slight twist as you end the pour. This does require a little practice, so keep a napkin handy and keep the wine coming…
It is considered civilized at least during your first glass, to hold your wine glass by the stem, as your hand will heat up the wine altering the flavours and aromas. However, the truth is you can hold your glass anyway you like. Though in some social situations and for that Instagram selfie at The Tops Wine Show VIP lounge, we suggest you pose holding the stem.
Lastly, how long can you store your wine after you have opened it? It depends on the type of wine and how it is stored (fortunately we’ve never had that challenge). Sparkling wine between one and three days, white and rose wines between three and seven days, red wines between three and five days, fortified wines a month and, heaven forbid, the infamous box wine also a month…. As if it ever makes it past the FIRST NIGHT…