The question of how to serve wine seems like a no-brainer, just uncork and pour. Serving wine correctly, however, takes a little more thought and can add significant enjoyment to the occasion that brings people together.

The experts at Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi - one of Tuscany’s oldest wine producers - offer the following tips for serving wine:

Wine Temperature
The temperature at which a wine is served has an immense impact on its taste. Serving wine cool will mask some imperfections which is good for young or inexpensive wines 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 4 degrees (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, 20 minutes in the freezer will do the trick.

Wine Decanting
Decanting involves pouring wine into another vessel before serving and 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 flavor 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.

Pouring Wine
Still wines should be poured towards the center 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 and smell the bouquet. 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.

The Wine Glass
While wine serving temperature is important so is the type of wine glasses in which wines are served. The shape of a wine glass can impact the taste of the wine. 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 color of the wine and its body, and have a slight curve in at the top to hold in the bouquet. Remember, too big a glass is better than too small, and the thinner the glass (or crystal) the better.

Additional information about serving and enjoying wine - especially Italian wines like Chianti, Brunello, and the emerging Super Tuscan blends - is available at Tuscany Tonight.

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2 Responses to “Food Blog-Wines: Tips for Serving Wines”

  1. 1 Fat Loss 4 Idiots

    I worked at a Chinese restaurant part time during my university days. Learnt a lot about wines from there…you post is quite useful for someone who wants to get some information on wines.

  1. 1 Amazing Cooking Guide

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