Wine Etiquette - Testing, Serving and Tasting Wine
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The Taste of the Grape - Wine Etiquette - the Art Serving and Drinking Wine
What are the Rules of Wine Etiquette - the Serving and Drinking of Wine?
By Celina RichardsDoes the mention of etiquette bring to your mind images, mainly negative, of fancy, formal dinners, filled With stuffy, snobby guests? Where there are 12 different forks and if you do not use the right one at the right time you will be banned for life...?
Do not worry. While etiquette means observing set rules, it is not about the restrictive traditions that rob
one of the joy of life, at least, not where wine is concerned. Wine etiquette is basically a set of guidelines
designed to ensure that the wine we serve and drink is at its peak taste and bouquet.
There are primary connoisseurs of fine wine known as oenophiles who are very stringent about treating, serving and tasting wine. But most of us are just wine lovers or simply people who appreciate a few glasses of wine. For those occasional enthusiasts, collectors and cellar owners - the vast majority of wine dinkers - the essence of wine etiquette isn't a madness, but a chance to heighten the experience of enjoying a fine wine.
The Rules of Wine Etiquette
Since wine is altered by temperature and environment, proper storage means keeping your wine in a temperature stable area, relatively cool and dark. When getting a wine ready to serve: Keep red table wines standing, for settling sediments, in the serving area for approximately 24 hours in advance at room temperature. White and Rose wines need to be slightly chilled, place them in a refrigerator at 50 degrees for one hour before pouring.
Sparkling wines which includes champagnes require a longer chilling period of several hours. Observing the proper temperature etiquitte for your wine, will smooth out inconsistencies and thus enhances the taste.
When to Uncork the Wine
Uncorking a wine calls for these guidelines. For red wines, remove the cork one hour in advance. This last minute increase in oxidation helps bring out the true flavor of the vintage.
On the otherhand, the longer white wines are left open in room temperature, the more chance there is degrading its quality. Generally, white wines and sparkling wines do not need extra breathing time. Don’t uncork white wines or bubbly wines until you are ready to serve them.
Decanting Red Wine
It may appear pretentious to make such a lot of fuss, but there's no denying that decanting a wine adds a whole new dimension to the taste. There are two main reasons for decanting red wine vintages and ports, for these wines can build up fairly substantial bitter sediment at the bottom of the botles. Pouring slowly into a wide rimmed decanter allows you to separates the wine from the sediments.
The decanting of red wines is also done to let the liquid be exposed to air. Red wines have more tannins
and acids then white wines and these components need to be mellowed. Oxygen in the air negates the acids
and tannins, reducing any remaining bitterness. The improved bouquet will delight the nose and
the enhanced flaver will delight the taste buds.
For decanting, use a container with a large, open mouth. Notice the already mentioned chemical reaction as you perform this act of wine etiquitte. Savor the aroma exuding from the wine, it is a crucial element for the tasting experience. Now you know why red wine glasses have large rims. The large mouthed glasses provide another way to aerate the wine and so fine tune it before serving.
Having slowly decanted the wine, leave it for about an hour at room temperature, then serve to your guests. You may want to try an experiment. Decant one bottle of red wine as described. Then take a second bottle of the same vintage. Uncork this bottle, but do not decant the wine. Wait an hour and taste a glass of decanted wine and compare it wih a glass of wine straight from the opened bottle. You will find an unmistakable difference beween the two. Which should give you good cause to decant red wine.
Note that if you are unable to decant your wines, at least, give them the chance to breath in the glass before drinking.
Pouring The Wine
Wine etiquette dictates how a glass of different kinds of wine should be poured.
For bubbly wines that sparkle, pour along or against the
side of the glass to preserve the all-important bubbles. A "still" wine is poured
into the center of the glass, allowing the flavor to float
upwards.
How much should you pour? Basically, never fill a glass more than two-thirds or halfway. And on occasions when different wines are being sampled during a meal, the amount being poured needs to be even less.
Using The Right Glass
The diverse array of shapes wine glasses come in may prove confusing. But these shapes have a function with regardes to temperature and areation. As already touched upon red wines are served at room temperature. Their more intense aromas are better appreciated in glasses with wide but thin rims.
The opposite principle is true for white wine glasses, which are served chilled. You will find that the tulip shape, the hallmark of white wine glasses, are narrower then the red wine cousins. Other glasses include the champagne flute and dessert wine glasses.
Follow The Drinking Rules
To the uninitiated wine etiquette may seem unnecessary. However it is a hallowed fact that for those who pursue the most authentic experience of wine in all its subtleties, it is the only way to go.
About the Author: Celina Richards is a counselor and dating coach in private
practice since 1995. She offers dating-relationship coaching, singles group
coaching and ongoing coaching for singles & unmarried couples. She started
writing articles to help singles with the knowledge and tools they need to find
and sustain lasting relationships. Visit Adultmatchmaker.com
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