Anyone can serve wine like a professional sommelier. Like any “home improvement,” there are simply a few steps you will need to follow:
-Serve Wine at the Perfect Temperature
-Open a Bottle Like a Pro
-Decant Like a Pro
-Serve Like a Pro
Serve Wine at the Perfect Temperature
To simplify the key takeaways, we serve our white wines too cold and red wines too warm in the U.S. Whites should be served between 43 and 52ºF Lighter bodied, younger whites should be colder than fuller bodied, oaked whites. Serving whites colder smoothes the alcoholic edge and makes the drink more pleasant.
Red should be served between 54ºF for fruity Beaujolais to 65ºF for complex Bordeaux
Go by body: medium bodied reds falls in the middle, around 60ºF ? Merlot. Serving reds cool but not cold rounds a tannic edge but still allows the full nose to blossom in the glass.
We at The Daily Sip? have reviewed numerous “quick-cooling” devices that you can explore at www.bottlenotes.com/dailysip. Nonetheless, the easiest way to cool your wines remains an old-fashioned ice bucket/ice bath. To create the optimal chilling experience, fill the ice bucket with ice and a little bit of water. Place the entire bottle in the ice bath. Whites should be properly chilled in 10-15 minutes, while reds only should need five minutes.
Open a Bottle Like a Pro
The reason servers use those funky corkscrews with an “elbow”- a hinge-joint- is because these are ironically the easiest corkscrews to use to open a bottle of wine.
These are the three steps required to open the bottle like a Somm:
Decant Like a Pro
Decanting wines is the most sure-fire way to get them properly aerated before consumption, thereby maximizing the tasting experience. Decanting old wines has the added bonus of allowing all the sediment to settle in a decanter, thus helping to avoid sediment in the glass. And of course, pouring wine from decanters is an esthetically beautiful at a dinner party.
Quick Tips for Decanting:
Serving Like a Pro
My dear friend Robert Hall of Bottega del Vino Crystal says it best: “If the wine matters, so does the glass.” To get the most out of any bottle of wine, you’re best off if you serve it: a) in the top of the line stemware, and b) if you only fill each glass 1/3 full.
Following these two steps will enable you to get the most out of any $20 bottle of wine and allow any of your $220 bottles of wine to “sing.” Over filling a glass hinders proper aeration, while serving in small, cheap stems does the same.
Investing in great stemware like Bottega del Vino (www.bottlenotes.com/stemware) is the a sure fire way to maximize the wine-tasting experience, for yourself and any guests, any night of the week.
Very good info for everyone who LOVES wine . Drink, Live , Laugh, enjoy.. ;0)
Hi, my name is KYPHILLY, and I am a wine lover! Perhaps one day, I can afford one of those $225 bottles and do a taste test.
Love wine thanks for the tips
Great info. Especially the part about the perfect glass, I have had so many people act like I'm nuts when I say that.
Great info. I've been getting into wines quite a bit. I have not been decanting, however after reading this article I will definitely go pick an elegant decanter up. Thanks!
I couldn't agree more! This should be emailed to every restuarant!
We love wine! Thanks for the tips! :)
very informative and i will definitely use these tips at my next party!!
i love wine and entertaining, very good to know the proper way to serve.
I love these tips. I love wine, but have always kept it to myself and not served it because I don't want to mess it up.
Thank you for the info! My hubby and I are trying and experimenting with red wines and are learning alot. Appreciate any helpful information.
very helpful, this helps quite a bit.
Good article, like the specific detailed points.