Serving and Storing Wine

Edit Content Whether you're serving a bottle for friends, or cellaring a collection for future celebrations, it helps to be fussy about your wine. Degrees of cool Just as beer tastes good cold, and coffee is usually preferred hot (or iced), wines taste best when served at certain temperatures. White wines, such as sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, taste better slightly chilled (at about 45 degrees), but not too cold. When white wines are served at temperatures higher than 60 degrees they may taste too alcoholic; when served too cold, they lose some of their complexity. Red wines, on the other hand, are most delicious when served at room temperature or slightly cooler—55 to 70 degrees. Pour like a pro Begin opening the bottle by using the small knife on the cork puller to cut off the cap's foil, if the bottle has foil. Then simply twist the worm (the pointed metal spiral) into the cork and extract with gentle pressure. No need to smell the cork, but you might want to examine it for any disintegration, which might indicate a problem with the wine. Most corks remain intact, and problem wine is fairly rare. Next, stand to the right of your guest and pour wine into his or her glass. You want the wine to reach the widest point of the glass, which should mean that the glass is only one-third to half full. This gives wine the largest possible surface area, allowing it to aerate and fully express its aromas. Short-term storage Wine is susceptible to heat, light, and vibration. All of these things may initiate unpleasant chemical changes in a wine, causing it to taste spoiled or "off." Even if you're planning to enjoy your wine within a few days of its purchase, be sure to keep it in a cool, damp, dark environment. Basements work well, as do closet floors. You'll also want to store wine bottles on their sides. This prevents the cork from drying out and cracking, which can introduce oxygen—causing oxidation—to the wine. Long term cellaring A wine rack or wine shelving in your basement or cool crawlspace is a good bet if you're storing wine for the long term. If you don't have a basement, wine refrigerators have become widely available for purchase. These units range in size and feature temperature settings that give you complete control over storage conditions. You'll want to keep the temperature between 50 and 65 degrees. Click here to add new content

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Whether you're serving a bottle for friends, or cellaring a collection for future celebrations, it helps to be fussy about your wine.

Degrees of cool
Just as beer tastes good cold, and coffee is usually preferred hot (or iced), wines taste best when served at certain temperatures. White wines, such as sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, taste better slightly chilled (at about 45 degrees), but not too cold. When white wines are served at temperatures higher than 60 degrees they may taste too alcoholic; when served too cold, they lose some of their complexity. Red wines, on the other hand, are most delicious when served at room temperature or slightly cooler—55 to 70 degrees.

Pour like a pro
Begin opening the bottle by using the small knife on the cork puller to cut off the cap's foil, if the bottle has foil. Then simply twist the worm (the pointed metal spiral) into the cork and extract with gentle pressure. No need to smell the cork, but you might want to examine it for any disintegration, which might indicate a problem with the wine. Most corks remain intact, and problem wine is fairly rare. Next, stand to the right of your guest and pour wine into his or her glass. You want the wine to reach the widest point of the glass, which should mean that the glass is only one-third to half full. This gives wine the largest possible surface area, allowing it to aerate and fully express its aromas.

Short-term storage
Wine is susceptible to heat, light, and vibration. All of these things may initiate unpleasant chemical changes in a wine, causing it to taste spoiled or "off." Even if you're planning to enjoy your wine within a few days of its purchase, be sure to keep it in a cool, damp, dark environment. Basements work well, as do closet floors. You'll also want to store wine bottles on their sides. This prevents the cork from drying out and cracking, which can introduce oxygen—causing oxidation—to the wine.

Long term cellaring
A wine rack or wine shelving in your basement or cool crawlspace is a good bet if you're storing wine for the long term. If you don't have a basement, wine refrigerators have become widely available for purchase. These units range in size and feature temperature settings that give you complete control over storage conditions. You'll want to keep the temperature between 50 and 65 degrees.