How to Serve Wine

Determining the ‘proper’ service and pouring of a wine at the table might seem as
complex at times as what’s in the bottle. Now that the wine selection is made and its
perfect entrée match is being prepared in the oven or on the stove, what’s next?

A few key steps at this point will insure getting the most pleasure from that wine
as an integral part of the meal:

The right glassware: With all the glassware variations, there are a few standard features of a wine glass that will enhance your experience of the wine. The first is the stem, which allows a taster to handle the glass without smudging the bowl or altering the temperature. The second is the tulip-shaped bowl that narrows slightly at the rim. This helps to capture the aromas that are released from the wine. The actual size and shape of the bowl varies depending on the style and color of the wine served...any visit to an online store glassware section will reveal just how many choices there are, but it is possible to have a good standard set for all occasions too.

Check the condition: Before pouring, pour a small sample in your glass and smell. In most cases, fruit of some sort will dominate, along with possible notes of flowers, herbs, minerality, earthiness and other pleasing aromas. But if you are sensing notes of moldy rags, burnt matches, vinegar or rotten eggs, select another bottle - that wine is faulty!
Temperature: Temperature matters on two accounts: storage and service. Wines should be stored on their sides and kept in a cool, dark place with minimal fluctuation in temperature. Serving temperature varies depending on the style of the wine, and many can provide an exact temperature in Fahrenheit degrees. Few of us actually stick a thermometer in the glass, so follow this simple rule. Keep your whites in the refrigerator until 20 minutes before serving, and do not keep it on ice. If a wine is too cold, its aromas shut down and your experience is minimized. A red wine should be served at slightly cooler than room temperature, so store it for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. If it is too warm, the alcohol (heat) becomes the prominent feature.
Serving order: In general, serve white wines before red, young wines before older wines, and dry wines before sweeter wines.
To decant or not: Decanting serves two purposes: first, it allows the wine to breathe, for all the lovely and complex range of aromas to come to fruition; second, it is a means to pouring a wine off of the sediment that can be found in the bottle. Sediment occurs in wines that are unfined and unfiltered and can also develop in red wines that have been aged for some time in the bottle. While this sediment is harmless, it is generally not very aesthetic when it coats the inside of a wine glass!