Tips & tricks.
Tips & tricks.
A good bottle of wine is the most important first step towards enjoyment. How you serve and taste wine is also important, we will help you on your way!
Temperature:
The right temperature is crucial for an optimal wine experience and looks like this:
- Full & complex white wines: 12°C.
- Light and fresh white wines: 7-9°C.
- Sweet white wine: 10-12°C.
- Young & fruity red wines: 10-12°C.
- Complex and full-bodied red wines: 16-18°C.
- Champagne & bubbles: 6-10°C.
White wine & bubbles are therefore best stored in a cool cellar or adapted wine fridge. If you do store it in the fridge, make sure you let it warm up a bit before drinking. Half an hour is enough for white wine, especially because pouring the wine itself causes a rise of about 2°C.
For red wine it is more or less the same story. Keep in mind that the so-called "room temperature" refers to times long gone, when central heating did not yet ensure that it was 21°C indoors.
The rule of thumb is and remains: better to serve a wine a little too cold than too warm! (certainly for red)
Decanting & carafing:
Decanting a bottle is a subject that divides a lot. Many wine experts will tell you that it is a must with certain wines, others advise against it. I will give you my personal advice from experience!
Decanting is useful because with older wines you separate the wine from the residue that has built up in the bottle. So you make sure that you don't get an unpleasant feeling in your mouth from that residue.
How do you decant? You pour the bottle in a controlled manner into the carafe, looking carefully when you see the residue. Towards the end you start pouring more gently, so that no excess ends up in the carafe!
When we decant wine because we want to add oxygen to it, it is called carafing. Here the action has a different purpose: you add extra oxygen which triggers an "aging process" in young wines and will make the wine a lot fuller and more complex.
Even older wines can benefit from decanting. Not only do you separate the residue, but you also give the wine a chance to "catch its breath". Again, you get a softer, fuller wine in return that often shows its full potential.
How do you decant? "Wild and reckless!" The idea is to give the wine extra oxygen so you don't have to be too careful.
Caution! When you uncork a really old wine, decanting can have a counterproductive effect. It can happen that your old top wine can no longer overcome that sudden oxygen injection and simply goes bad. Here, pouring gently and controlled is the message!
Glassware:
You have undoubtedly seen a lot of wine glasses in all shapes and sizes in your life. Does that mean that you as a lover should have all types in your home? Fortunately not! I would like to list the most indispensable ones below:
- The Champagne glass or "flute": ideal for all your bubbles. Nowadays, the glass below is also used for a complex Champagne.
- The tulip-shaped glass: the go-to for all light, fresh and fruity white wines. What's more, you can also use this glass for all your medium-bodied red wines. Handy!
- The spherical glass: this glass is most suitable for all your aromatic and full-bodied white/red wines.
To make the choice easier, it is best to take the following criteria into account:
- A glass with a narrower opening retains the flavors better and is therefore best suited for fine wines and lighter wines.
- A glass with a large opening loves a full-bodied wine that wants to get out and fill your entire glass with its aromas.
You can’t really go wrong with the choice of glass, but I always advise wine lovers to be mindful and stay away from generic glasses with short stems. Try to give your wine the glass it deserves!