Once you’ve chosen a bottle of wine – whether it’s a regular wine or a great vintage – your goal should be to get the most out of that bottle and enjoy its properties and potential to the fullest.
Adequate wine service helps improve the experience. Among other factors you should consider: correct temperature, choice of glasses and careful service.
The right temperature
TemperatureYou should never take the wine out of the cellar and put it immediately on the table. Before a meal or tasting, take your time. The wine can be neither too cold nor too hot. In both cases it loses its true personality. An adequate serving temperature influences the taste of the wine and allows its bouquet to express itself to the full.
In general terms, white wine is served cooler than red wine. But, attention, the scale of temperatures is variable depending on the type of wine. Each wine gives its best at different temperatures. Here you will find an infograph with the correct temperatures for different vines and styles.
We currently have the technical means to store wine at an ideal service temperature, such as a cellar with the right conditions or a closet that maintains a cool atmosphere. The quickest way to lower the temperature of a wine is with a bucket of water and ice. It takes between ten and fifteen minutes to go from 20º C to 8º C.
It is very useful to use a thermometer to determine if the wine is ready to serve. However, a degree of more or less does not seriously damage the wine. A tip for you: test the thermometer two or three times and touch the bottle from time to time to memorize the impression it receives. With a little more experience you will be able to decide the temperature only with your own senses.
How to open the bottle?
With the small knife hidden in the corkscrew, cut the outer capsule just under the curve of the bottle neck. Be careful with your fingers. Ignorance can cause a cut with the sharp metal of the capsule.
After removing the capsule, wipe the neck of the bottle with a cloth or absorbent paper. Then insert the corkscrew corkscrew into the centre of the cork and keep it straight. Finally, remove the cork gently. The idea is not to make a noise, but a subtle and inviting sound.
Decanting
Most wines can be served directly from the bottle, but there are others that gain from the decanting process. Pouring the contents of a bottle into a decanter or glass container improves the perception of the wine in two ways: firstly, it eliminates any remains of cork or other waste, and secondly, it allows oxygenation so that its aromas volatilize and express themselves in a better way.
In the case of old wines, decanting vivifies the wines. However, it can also decant young or mature wines with several years of storage. Between one and two hours decanted becomes softer and rounder. But do not decant the wine too early because it loses its freshness and vitality.
How to decant? Very simple. The container must be clean. I recommend to rinse it with a little wine before using it. In this way, the chemical aromas of the cleaning or the possible closed smell are eliminated. Then uncork the bottle and slowly pour the wine into the decanter. We recommend that you consider decanting our following wines: Don Melchor, Gravas del Maipo, Carmín de Peumo and Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon.
The order of service
Order of tastingThe rules say that white wines should be served before red wines, young wines before old vintages, light wines before fuller ones, dry wines before sweets and the best wines, those special or unique, always at the end of the evening.
When you are the host, you must first taste the wine to know if the bottle is not defective. Always serve first to the ladies and then clockwise, starting from the right of the host.
How to serve wine without sprinkling drops on the table?
ServeSlowly! Pour the wine into the center of the glass and then turn the bottom of the bottle to keep those last tiny drops inside the bottle. This trick requires a little practice for perfection, but you can do it. Also always have a white cloth on hand to clean the bottle.
Quantity
Service – quantityEach 750 ml bottle can hold 6 to 12 tasting glasses, depending on the size of the glass. To enjoy wine with food, you should serve 150 to 180 ml. Visually it is one third of the glass. In the case of sparkling wine, the flute-type glass is filled to three quarters to observe the rise of the bubbles.
Cups
Before service, check the cleanliness of the cups. The taste of wine is not only better when drunk in the proper glass, but also without any other strange aroma. The elements you should consider are: shape of the glass, size, and the quality of the glass (remember that the glass has to be transparent, smooth and facetless).
Concha y toro glasses In Europe, especially in France, each wine-growing region has its own type of glass, for
The rim has to be curved inwards to capture the aromas and channel them to the nose. Another important factor is that the foot of the glass must be long enough so that the fingers can hold it without touching the calyx. Hopefully the glass is large enough to turn the wine and release its aromas.
