A Guide to Storing and Serving Wine

Ever bought a nice bottle of wine, only to have it taste... well, not so great? It might not be the wine's fault! How you store and serve wine can make a HUGE difference in how it tastes. Think of it like this: you wouldn't serve a perfectly grilled steak ice-cold, right? Same goes for wine!

Let's get started with the basics:

Part 1: The Wine's Safe Space - Storage

Where you keep your wine is crucial. It's like finding the perfect home for it, where it can chill out and mature gracefully. Here are the golden rules:

• Temperature is Key: Imagine wine sweating in a sauna or shivering in an ice cave. Not good! You want a consistent temperature, ideally between 10°C and 15°C (50°F and 59°F). Too much heat, and you'll age the wine too quickly. Too much cold, and you can mess with the cork (more on that in a sec).    

• Lay It Down (Unless It's Wearing a Cap): If your wine has a cork, store it on its side. Why? Because you want that cork to stay moist! If it dries out, it shrinks, and oxygen sneaks in – and oxygen is a wine's worst enemy. Screw caps? They're cool standing up.    

• No Bright Lights: Think of wine as a vampire – it hates strong light! Light can make wine taste stale and old before its time. So keep those bottles tucked away in a dark place.    

• Keep It Still: Imagine trying to take a nap during an earthquake. Vibrations can disturb the sediment in wine and generally stress it out. So find a calm, undisturbed spot for your collection.    

Part 2: Serving It Up Right

Okay, the wine is stored perfectly. Now, how do you actually serve it? Temperature is, once again, a big deal.

• Red Wines - Not Too Chilly! Serving a bold red wine straight from the fridge is a crime against humanity! Not really, but it'll taste quite thin. You want it at "room temperature," which is more like cool room temperature (15°C-18°C or 59°F-64°F). You can even warm it up a bit by holding the glass in your hands. I like to serve it at 55°F (barrel-room temperature) and enjoy a glass as it slowly warms up. You'll really be able to experience more aromas and flavors that way.

• White, Rosé, and Sparkling - Keep 'Em Cool! These wines are generally best served chilled. If you're using an ice bucket, fill it about three-quarters full with equal parts ice and water. The water helps conduct the cold evenly. But don't overdo the chilling – too cold, and you'll miss out on the delicate flavors.

The Temperature Cheat Sheet

To make things easy, here's a handy guide to serving temperatures for different wine styles:    

Style of Wine	Example of Styles of Wine	Service Temperature
Sweet Wines	Sauternes, Eiswein	Well chilled 6-8°C (43-45°F)
Sparkling Wines	Champagne, Cava, Asti	Well chilled 6-10°C (43-50°F)
Light/Medium Bodied White	Muscadet, Pinot Grigio	Chilled 7-10°C (45-50°F)
Medium/Full Bodied White	White Burgundy, Fumé Blanc	Lightly chilled 10-13°C (50-55°F)
Light-Bodied Red	Beaujolais, Valpolicella	Lightly chilled 13°C (55°F)
Medium/Full Bodied Red	Red Bordeaux, Rioja, Shiraz	Room temperature 15-18°C (59-64°F)

Glassware: Shape Matters!

Ever notice how wine glasses come in all shapes and sizes? It's not just for show! The shape actually affects how you perceive the wine.

• Red Wine Glasses: Big and roomy! This allows the wine to breathe and releases all those complex aromas.

• White and Rosé Glasses: A bit smaller, helping to concentrate the fresh, fruity notes.

• Sparkling Wine Flutes: Tall and narrow, showing off those beautiful bubbles.

• Fortified Wine Glasses: Small, because these wines are high in alcohol, and you want to swirl them to release the aromas.

Remember, perception is the key. You can drink wine in any way you'd like, whatever glass shape, stem or no stem, who cares. The goal is to enjoy it!

A Little Glassware TLC

Clean glasses are very important! This is not a snobby viewpoint. No one wants to drink from a dirty glass with fingerprints all over it. And, no one wants a whiff of dish soap with their glass of wine.

For our beer drinkers out there, it's easier to notice it visually in a beer glass. If you've ever seen bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass, it likely means there was some residual soap or other impurities on the glass surface.

In general, to avoid this, make sure there is no detergent/soap residue, and polish glasses by hand with a lint-free cloth.

Popping the Cork (and Other Bottle Opening Adventures)

Opening a bottle of wine should be smooth and graceful, not a dangerous wrestling match with the bottle.

• Still Wine: Cut the capsule neatly, wipe the neck, gently twist in the corkscrew, and pull out the cork. Give the neck one last wipe, and you're good to go! Oh, and it's always a good idea to pour a tiny bit for yourself first, to make sure the wine isn't faulty, just like you get asked to do at a restaurant!

• Decanting (Fancy, but can be helpful): Older wines with sediment need decanting. This separates the clear wine from the gritty stuff. You slowly pour the wine from the bottle into a decanter, being careful not to disturb the sediment. Young wines? Swirling works just fine.    

• Sparkling Wine: This is where things get a bit more exciting (and potentially messy!). Remove the foil, loosen the wire cage, tilt the bottle at a 30-degree angle, hold the cork firmly, and twist the bottle (not the cork!). The cork should come out with a gentle "phut," not a loud bang. Safety first, folks!    

How Much Wine Are We Talking?

Just a quick note on serving sizes from a standard 750 ml bottle:    

• 6 x 125ml glasses

• 4 x 175ml glasses

• 3 x 250ml glasses

This isn't a very exciting section, but remember, you can average about 4 medium-sized glasses per bottle.

Keeping the Party Going: Wine Preservation

Opened wine doesn't last forever. It'll start to oxidize and taste like vinegar if you're not careful. Here are a couple of tricks:    

• Vacuum Systems: Suck the air out of the bottle and seal it. Great for still wines, but not for sparkling – you'll lose all those lovely bubbles!

• Blanket Systems: Use a gas (heavier than oxygen) to create a protective layer over the wine. This is what most wineries and wine bars do. Essentially, they will layer argon gas into the bottle to shove out the oxygen. If you're familiar with a Coravin device, this is the same process.

Wine Wisdom in a Nutshell

So there you have it! A crash course in wine storage and service. It might seem like a lot to remember, but trust me, it's worth it. Treat your wine right, and it'll reward you with all its deliciousness!

Now, go forth and enjoy that bottle!

Cheers! 🍷

Jake