I often get asked what the "secret" is to best enjoying wine. And my number one piece of advice is to simply drink and enjoy, but most people are looking for a little more information than that.
So for all you looking to go the extra mile, there are a few simple things you can do to elevate your wine experience and help it taste its very best…
Temperature check: This is a game-changer. Most whites are served too cold (masking the aromatics), and most reds are served too warm (making them taste "flabby" or alcoholic). Try the “15-minute trick” — chill your reds for 15 minutes before serving and take whites out of the fridge 15 minutes before pouring.
Patience is a virtue: Shipping can be stressful for wine, and “bottle shock" is real. If your wine just arrived on your doorstep, give it a few days to settle and recover its balance before you pull the cork.
Plan ahead: Most red wines (and a few complex whites) need time to breathe. Get a head start and open the bottle 30 to 60 minutes before you want to drink it. That little bit of time will allow for air contact, which softens tannins and allows flavors to really open up.
Decant it: To further enable the contact with air you can decant your red wine — you might also want to do this for wines that have aged and developed sediment in the bottle, so you can avoid it in your glass.
Don’t wait too long: Oxygen is wines best friend for the first hour, but its worst enemy after 24 hours. If you don't finish the bottle, pop the cork or a bottle stopper in and put it in the fridge to preserve its freshness. 3 days is a good rule of thumb (although many will be fine up to 5 days).
All in the glass: If you follow Scott Kelley, you’ll know that glassware matters. His top tip is to get crystal glasses — crystal is more porous than glass, which leads to a better release of aromas. He also recommends avoiding stemless glasses, as they can lead to warming the wine with your hand. The shape of the glass is also a factor — Jen Pfeiffer spent many hours developing a glass with Riedel specifically for Rutherglen fortifieds, but if you don’t want to own a glass for every grape, you can find a good neutral glass to do it all. Look for a bowl shape large enough to expose the wine to oxygen, with a slight funnel (especially important for more delicate aromatic wines) to direct the aromas to your nose.
Pause, be present and enjoy it: Above all, wine is made to be savored and enjoyed with others. Take a moment to think about what you’re seeing, smelling and tasting. The best bottle is always the one shared with good company and good conversation!
Finally, remember that these are just guidelines, not rules. If you want to add ice cubes to your Champagne on a hot day, maybe splash some tonic into your Pinot Noir for a spritz, or even drop a jalapeño slice into your Sauvignon Blanc for a kick— go for it! The "right" way to drink wine is however you enjoy it most.
Let’s raise a glass to wine your way, as unique as that may be.
