Serving Wine

What temperature should red wine be served at?

Most people say that the majority of red wine should be served at room temperature, but of course there are some red wines that are delicious with a slight chill on them, such as a light Beaujolais or even a light Cotes du Rhone.

What temperature should white wine be served at?

Well, most white wines should be served with a light chill to them, but some whites are delicious just served at room temperature, such as top end chardonnays and decent Rieslings. You must be careful not to over chill a white wine, otherwise that will kill the flavours slightly.

Can red wine be served chilled?

Some red wines are delicious chilled, such as Gamay Noirs from New Zealand or Beaujolais made from the same grape, and some light Cote du Rhones and even some light Italian wines, so yes, definitely, some red wines can be chilled.

Why should wine be decanted?

When serving wine, wine should be decanted for a number of reasons. If you're serving an old wine that has what is called sediment, little bits collected in the bottom of the bottle, and although they don't necessarily taste unpleasant, you want to decant the wine off the sediment. Some wines should be decanted to let the wine breathe, it lets the wine open up to the air and change in flavors.

Can I drink wine that has sediment at the bottom?

When serving wine, you can drink wine that has sediment at the bottom, but sediment, although not harmful, it can taste bitter and is actually gritty, so it's best not to drink the sediment of the wine.

Can I drink wine that is cloudy?

Yes, there's no problem with drinking wine that is cloudy. Most commercial wines are produced to look clear. And the process that enables that is called fining. There are some wines that aren't fine, and therefore they may look cloudy when you pour them, but there's nothing wrong with cloudy wine at all.

What does it mean when wine is 'corked'?

When wine is corked, it'sa generic term that people use for a wine that is off. If a wine is corked,it can mean a number of things: cork taint, too much sulphur in the wine. "Corked" is a general term and it has nothing to do with the wine having bits of cork floating in it.

If wine has pieces of cork in it, does that mean it is corked?

When serving wine, if the wine has cork floating in it, this just means that the cork itself has disintegrated into the bottle. However, the term "corked" is a generic term for a wine that is actually off, as in tastes unpleasant.