General Tips on Drinking and Enjoying Wine

All around the globe, interest in wine is increasing and the thirst for information about wine is soaring. Wine appreciation courses have become very popular, winery tours are booming and the wine related book market is growing rapidly. But although wine tasting and selecting may be fun and familiar to the average connoisseur, it may seem like an overwhelming experience for a beginner. Beginners are often confused when they hear phrases such as "nose of the wine" and "wine bouquet" and may find buying wine a daunting task. So if you are a novice wine drinker and want to learn more about getting the best from wine, these tips should help you.

• Corked wine usually means the wine has been contaminated by the cork rather than the wine having bits of cork floating in it.
• If you're serving two dinner wines remember this simple protocol - White before red - young before old.
• A dry wine always precedes a sweet one, as the sweet taste will linger. Sweet wines should be served with deserts.
• White and Rose wines should be served chilled but don't uncork them until you are ready to serve.
• Don't throw out wine left in the bottle - recork and it will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
• The ideal wine glass should hold 6-8 oz. of wine (180ml - 240ml) and curve inwards at the rim to hold the scent of the wine.
• Red wine should be served at spring or autumn room temperature.
• Uncork red wines an hour before drinking them to allow the wine to 'breathe'. This will develop the flavour.
• To help red wine breathe, it can be poured rapidly into a clean glass jug and then back into the bottle in order to get air right through the wine (do not do this with a mature wine as it will disturb the sediment).
• To avoid decanting the sediment in a mature red wine it needs to be poured very slowly, in a continuous stream, with the light behind the bottle.
• White and Rose wines should be served chilled for about 1-2 hours in a refrigerator.
• If time is short, wine chills quicker with the cork out. Don't over chill though as this starts to dull the flavour.
• Open Champagne & sparkling wine when it is very cold.
• Keep thumb on top of Champagne & sparkling wine cork as you remove the wire and keep it there until the bottle is open.
• Point Champagne & sparkling wine bottles away from people when opening.
• It is best to drink Champagne & sparkling wine at least 1-2 hours after opening.
• Don't store sparkling wine in the refrigerator for more than 3 weeks unless it has a plastic cork. (The cork will dry out and the seal will fail.)
• After 20 years, corks start to deteriorate so for very old wines, the cork will probably break during opening.
• Attend as many wine tastings as you can. Taste, learn and enjoy !

Author: Ian Hamblin Vinrac Wine Rack Suppliers Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Hamblin

By Ian Hamblin