HOW TO SERVE WINE PROPERLY
Regardless of the type of wine you are drinking – an aged Cabernet Sauvignon, a fruity rosé – you want to taste it to the fullest. There are lots of rituals to serve wines; however, at Laguiole in Aubrac we want to share some tips with our readers.
Let’s start with the main thing: Open the wine.
To open a bottle of wine, first use the knife on a corkscrew to slice the foil as you turn the bottle and remove the foil. Then, screw the corkscrew firmly into the center of the cork, nearly all the way in. Using the lip of the bottle for leverage, pull out the cork with a slow, steady motion.
Decanting & Pouring
Older wines should be decanted just before drinking to best showcase their bouquets. Younger wines benefit from being left in the decanter for several hours before drinking.
When serving a vintage port or an older red wine that might contain sediment, you should decant for clarity, leaving the sediment in the bottle
Wine doesn’t breathe in the bottle — it is only aerated by the act of pouring. If you don’t want to bother decanting, pour it into a glass an hour or two before you plan to drink it. To avoid drips that slide down the side of the bottle, rotate the bottle as you stop pouring.
Controlling the Temperature
Full-bodied red wines should be served at cool room temperature, while light whites benefit from chilling for 20 minutes in ice water or the freezer, or an hour in the fridge. Don’t forget about wine in the freezer — it will break if left in there too long.
Ice buckets or wine coolers filled with a mixture of ice and water are efficient and ideal for chilling. Once the wine is chilled, you can keep it at the correct temperature at the table for a few hours by placing the bottle in an insulated container.
Choosing Wine Glasses
The different shapes of wine glasses are designed to show off the features of the type of wine being served. See which glasses to pair with which varietals here. You can decide how to serve wine at home based on the character of the wine and the mood you want to create.
The stem of a traditional wine glass acts as a handle, allowing you to hold the glass without touching the bowl so you don’t heat up the wine with your hands. It also protects the bowl from fingerprints so you can appreciate the color of the wine.
Now that you know, you can improve your experience of wine serving by following these simple steps.
Tell us about any additional tip you would like to share through our comment section.