Photograph courtesy of Crate & Barrel
It’s time to talk basics. To appreciate a bottle of wine—any bottle of wine—to its fullest, you need to know how to do so. Proper stemware, storage, temperatures, and decanting times all play a major role in how a bottle of wine is experienced. If you’ve ever taken the “Riedel challenge,” you’ve discovered that identical wine served in different glasses tastes different. Sometimes a lot different. Here are four areas that, once mastered, will maximize each and every wine experience you have at home.
1. Proper stemware is crucial. The gold standard in stemware is Riedel, but the company also owns Spiegelau, which makes similar stemware at a fraction of Riedel’s price. Worth your consideration is Spiegelau’s Vino Grande Collection at beveragefactory.com or Riedel’s lower-end Vivant line, available at Target. Trust me, the right glass makes the difference between “Um, it’s OK” and “I love this wine.”
2. Proper temperature is crucial as well. Serving a wine at the wrong temperature is easy to do, and fortunately just as easy to fix. For white wine, take it out of the refrigerator (if well chilled) 30 minutes before serving. For reds do the opposite—put it in your refrigerator for 30 minutes, preferably in a decanter, prior to serving.
3. Decanting is critical. I decant almost everything, from red wine to white wine to gin—all benefit from a little aeration. While you should certainly decant a wine to remove sediment, the process also helps “open it up.” Precise decanting times vary, depending on the age and power of your wine. Whites need little time—pour, give the decanter an aerating shake, and serve. Young reds generally need two to three hours, while “super big” reds (like California cabs and Syrahs, young Bordeaux, and the big boys from North Italy) can be decanted the night before.
Decanters come in all shapes and sizes and can get pricey—some up to $300. I say take that amount, spend it on wine, and impress your guests with your taste in wine, not decanters. Crate & Barrel has some of the best and most affordable options.
4. Now let’s talk about wine openers. Most oenophiles have heard of Laguiole, the mack daddy of all wine keys. But personally, I don’t believe you should spend more money on the wine key than on the wine. One opener that was designed for ease of use is the double-hinged Pulltap’s corkscrew. It’s under $8 and available at most wine stores.
Remember these four areas, and you’ll never regret it and never look back—unless it’s to see if there’s some wine left in the decanter.
About Our Expert: Chris Hoel, CSW, is the co-founder of St. Louis Wine Clinic and the former beverage director of Monarch Restaurant. He writes this monthly column from Napa Valley, where he is a sommelier at The French Laundry.
