Serving
Wine
Wine Serving Temperatures
The temperature at which a wine is served has an immense impact
on its taste. Serving wine cool will mask some imperfections—good
for young or cheap wine—while a warmer wine temperature
allows expression of the wine's characteristics—best
with an older or more expensive wine.
A
bottle of wine will cool 2 °C (4 °F) for every ten
minutes in the refrigerator, and will warm at about this same
rate when removed from the refrigerator and left at room temperature—the
temperature of the room will affect the speed with which the
wine warms up. If you need to chill a bottle of wine in a
hurry, 35 minutes in the freezer will do the trick.
Serving
Temperatures
Sparkling Wine 42-54 °F
Rosé Wine 48-54 °F
White Wine 48-58 °F
Sherry (Light) 48-58 °F
Red Wine 57-68 °F
Fortified Wine 57-68 °F
Sherry (Dark) 57-68 °F
Decanting
Wine
Decanting is pouring wine into a decorative container before
serving. Decanting is typically only necessary for older wines
or Ports, which contain sediment that can add bitterness to
the wine. Wine decanters allow the wine to breathe and may
improve the flavour of older red wines. Younger wines also
benefit from the aeration and rest that decanting provides.
But a wine decanter can also be used simply for aesthetic
reasons.
Before
decanting a wine that contains sediment let the bottle rest
upright allowing any sediment to sink to the bottom. Then
slowly pour the wine into the decanter keeping the bottle
angled to prevent any sediment from making its way into the
wine decanter. The wine can be poured through cheesecloth
to help filter out any wayward particles. Decanting wine should
be done out of the guests' sight.
Pouring Wine
Still wines should be poured towards the centre of the glass,
while sparkling wines should be poured against the side to
preserve bubbles. To control drips, twist the bottle slightly
as you tilt it upright.
When
pouring wine, fill the glass no more than two-thirds (about
5-6 oz). This will allow your guests to swirl the wine, smell
the bouquet and check out the wine's "legs." A glass
can always be refilled if desired. At a dinner party, serve
wine to the women and older guests first, then the men and
end with your own glass.
Wine Glasses
As important as wine serving temperatures is the type of wine
glasses in which wines are served. The shape of a wine glass
can impact the taste of the wine, and for this reason different
types of wine are served in different glasses.
The
three main types of wine glasses are:
• White wine glasses: tulip shaped
• Red wine glasses: more rounded and have a larger bowl
• Sparkling wine flutes: tall and thin.
A
suitable all-purpose wine glass should hold 10 oz, be transparent
to allow the taster to examine the colour of the wine and
its body, and have a slight curve in at the top to hold in
the bouquet. While an all-purpose wine glass is fine for serving
a red wine, do not serve a white wine in a red wine glass.
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