The art of drinking wine – how to store and how to serve

Christmas and New Year celebrations are incomplete without tossing some delicious wine. Enjoying an aged wine, slowly by knowing its nuanced flavour notes, is truly a unique experience. Wine is often hailed as the drink of the Gods in ancient literature and legends. Drinking wine would become the most spectacular experience if you do it the right way. Wine is classified into red wine, white wine, rose wine and orange wine depending upon the various methods in which grapes are fermented. Besides, the colour, flavour and the alcoholic content in these wines too would be different.

Red wine is made from grapes that have darker skin. The wine gets its iconic dark red colour as the skin too is preserved along with the extract. Meanwhile, the skin and the fruit extract are separately preserved to make white wine. As the temperature in which the wine is stored would influence its taste, it is better to serve each type of wine in its suitable temperature.

The cork

The red wine would preserve its best qualities when it is stored in 15-20 degree Celsius. Meanwhile, 7-12 degree Celsius would be perfect for white wine. The aroma that wafts out of the bottle as soon as the cork is opened would reveal the impeccable relation between the wine and the temperature. If the wine smells too much of alcohol, then it means that the temperature is high. You could enjoy the wine after cooling it a bit. However, if the wine doesn’t smell of anything, then it means it is too cold. So, wait a bit until the wine reaches the right temperature.

You could understand the state of the wine in the bottle by examining the cork. A swollen cork indicates high temperature or an error while sealing the bottle. If the cork is too tight then it means that there is no enough oxygen in the bottle. Meanwhile, if the cork is soaked (mostly happens in red wine bottles), then the wine is likely to be spoiled.

The right glass

Each kind of wine should be served in appropriate glasses or goblets in order to enjoy the wine in its perfection. Bowl glasses are perfect for red wine as your nostrils too should be inside the mouth of the glass to sniff its unique aroma. Meanwhile, Chardonnay glass should be used to serve white wine. Its ‘U’ shape would help in keeping the wine cold for a longer time.