The unwritten rules of proper wine serving

How to serve wine elegantly? What are the main rules of opening the bottle, holding the wine glass, and filling the wine for other people?

Tasting, serving, and drinking wine has its etiquette, which you should follow just as kind of respect. In this article, we’ve collected all the unwritten rules you need to follow for the elegant way of wine serving.

 

The main requirements for the proper wine glasses

The wine glass shouldn’t have any kind of decoration. For wine serving the thin-walled, dry, and clean glasses are ideal. Regarding the form, maybe the most suitable pieces are the tulip-shaped ones.

The etiquette requires a white wine glass slightly larger than 1 dl, with an inwardly curved rim. If you’re serving a young and fragrant white wine, the glass needs to be with an outwardly sloping rim.

Regarding young red wines, 1 dl goblet with a round in shape is recommended. The older the red wine is, the larger glass is required, so the fragrances can remain above the wine.

 

At what temperature is it recommended to serve wines?

It’s a kind of unwritten rule, that the higher the alcohol content of the wine is, the higher the temperature to be served. In addition to that, red wines are generally served at a higher temperature compared to white wines.

Recommended temperature degrees for well-known wine types:

• rosé and siller wines: 12°C;
• new and light red wines, just like Pinot Noir: 13-16°C;
• bolder red wines, like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon: 16-20°C;
• eating white wines, like Chardonnay: 8-12°C;
• dessert white wines: 9-12°C.

 

The importance of the decanting process

Decantation is a very useful way of greatly improving the flavor of red wine. Sometimes people forget it, although it’s highly recommended to have it in mind. The process is quite easy, by following the classic method you pour wine into a glass pitcher or wine decanter.

After that, it’s only needed to let it sit for about 30-45 minutes. There is also a faster way by using a wine aerator which decants wine almost instantaneously.

 

The perfect ritual to open a bottle of wine

First cut off the cover cap and wipe the neck of the bottle. While holding the bottle upright, pull out the stopper with a corkscrew up to two-thirds part. Then pull the cork further simple by hand.

After the cork has been removed, it’s recommended to wipe it off with the top of the bottle as well. This additional step can help to remove cork debris and dust from storage.

 

The proper and recommended way of wine serving

If you’re preparing to serve wine which has been aged for years, the aeration for a short time is allowed. After the test taste was okay, fill the wine by holding the body of the bottle. That way the main label can remain visible.

You can start the filling with the most respectable person of the table, then continue the process in the right direction, by standing at everyone’s right hand. Fill the glass up to 2/3 part and make sure that meanwhile, the bottle doesn’t touch the glass.

The elegant way of holding the wine glass

If you’d like to hold wine glass elegantly, hold it towards the base of the stem between your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. This is the best way because your other fingers can just rest on the base naturally. Swirling your wine is socially acceptable, so it’s acceptable and you don’t have to worry about it.