“Do you decant Port?” is a question that often arises in whispered tones.  Though literature on the subject of decanting this special wine is extensive, most folks aren’t aware of it, and those who are are often scared off by the seeming complexity and effort such decanting–and timing– entails.
The other night I enjoyed a fantastic glass of Dow’s Late Bottle Vintage Port from 2000.  Though bottled in such a way to avoid getting sediment in the bottle (and supposedly not requiring decanting), this “meant to be enjoyed immediately” quasi-vintage Port underwent a decanting miracle.  With a complex bouquet of wild berries, floral notes, and even a hint of caramel, this rich, full-bodied wine was a symphony of plum, black cherry, fig, apricot, and even dark chocolate on my tongue.  Providing a satisfying, long-lasting finish, this exceptional wine made quite the impression! Interestingly enough, my friends who brought the bottle over were astonished that this was the same wine they selected; it was one of their favorites, too!  Apparently, they had never decanted their Port before, and were experiencing its magical transformation via decanting for the first time.

Decanting Port is often of greater importance than decanting other wines.  Port wines that age in bottles such as Late Bottled Vintage, Crushed Port, and Vintage Port, as opposed to those in casks, are not filtered before they are bottled.  This means that there are more deposits that will form in the bottle.  (Tawny Port, up to 40 years, has its deposits filtered before bottling so it won’t continue to age.)  If you’ve ever been turned off from Port because you once had a glass that contained solid, bitter sediment, your Port was not properly decanted.  But decanting, in addition to removing this safe-yet-unpleasant sediment, is essential to opening up a Vintage Port to bring out its bouquet and flavor.  Because such Ports contain a bit of sediment, it’s often suggested you stand a bottle upright a day or two before opening to get the majority of deposits to sink to the bottom.   Once you’re ready to open your Port, experiment until you find the tool that makes the task easiest for you.  There are a number of tongs, screw pulls, lever pulls, etc. to help you remove the old cork.  Beginners often find Port tongs the most difficult to master, and screw pulls the easiest.  (Many times, because of its age, the cork will break. Do not be discouraged; decanting will help you remove bits of cork that may have fallen into the bottle.)

Once opened, slowly and calmly pour your Port into the decanter of your choice being careful not to stir up the sediment at the bottom by moving the bottle back and forth too much.  Do this in a well-lit area, and with a clear decanter such as a Riedel Vinum Magnum Wine Decanter, so you can see what you’re doing.  When you observe the deposits rising to the neck of the bottle, stop pouring.  If you’re insistent on drinking the little bit of remaining sediment-rich wine, an unbleached coffee filter can be used.  With practice, your decanter will be filled by a majority of sediment-free wine.  Once in the decanter, let the wine sit for a few hours.  Typically, Vintage Port less than 20 years old should be decanted for 2 hours more more before drinking.  Vintage Port less than 10 years old requires more oxidation and should be decanted for three or four hours.  Older bottles are more difficult to gauge because of numerous variables.  That said, 40 year old bottles should receive one hour of air time, and older bottles can be decanted and served immediately.  Opinions on the proper amount of decanting time do differ, but I find these guidelines appropriate for the most common circumstances.  In short, decant your Port!  You’ll be amazed at how good it can be.

In a previous post, Dine With Open Wine, we discussed some of the benefits of decanting wine.  While it’s one thing to read about what decanting does to a wine, experiencing it is another matter.  And what better way to experience the dramatic impact decanting has than to conduct your own comparison of decanted and non-decanted wine at home, or with a group of adventurous guests?  You’ll obviously need a good bottle of wine–try this with one of your favorites to really appreciate the effect–and a decanter such as the Riedel Cabernet Wine Decanter or, if you really want to impress, the Riedel Ultra Magnum Decanter.  Next, make sure the glasses you’re using match the wine you’re serving.  (For instance, don’t use white wine glasses if you’re pouring Merlot, etc.)  Wondering about the variety of wine glasses available? Check out our article on types of wine glasses in the Education Center. Ready to shop? We have a full line of Riedel glassware.

After you have selected your wine, open it and fill a set of glasses with it directly from the bottle.  Next, gingerly pour the remaining wine into the decanter of your choice.  (N.B. Most decanted wines begin to open in minutes, so it’s best to serve them shortly after decanting.)  Have your guests smell and taste their wine which came directly from the bottle.  Now, pour the decanted wine into a second set of glasses, and let your guests compare the boutique, taste, and finished of the decanted wine with that which was not decanted.  It’s a guarantee you’ll see many wide, pleasantly-surprised eyes!   While decanting will not make a “bad” wine into an instant winner, it will certainly enhance the appeal of average wines, and substantially augment the pleasure of exceptional wines.  Still not convinced?  Try hosting a decanting party and taste for yourself!  The reward is worth it!  For more detailed information about decanting, or other wine-related topics visit our Wine Storage Education Center online.  Happy decanting!

With appropriately-matched, quality wine glasses like Riedel Sommelier Wine Glasses or Riedel Vinum Extreme Wine Glasses, it is not only easier to notice the characteristic fragrances and tastes of your selected wine, it is also easier to see the beauty of your delicate beverage.  With a clear wine glass, the clarity, color and depth of your wine are highlighted like never before, allowing you to more accurately judge your wine’s age, the types of grapes used in its making, and even the climate of the vintage.  You can even learn about your wine when swirling to open it.  When swirling, your wine will create “legs” (or, in the more poetic French, “tears”).  These are the small droplets that form in the ring above the surface of your wine while you swirl it.  It was once believed that the more legs a wine had, the better its quality.  However, this is untrue, as various atmospheric conditions (and physics!) have expunged this myth.   What is true is that the speed of falling legs can tell you about the wine’s sugar concentration and richness.  Generally, slower falling wine legs denote richer wines high in sugar content as opposed to thinner wines with less sugar.  Try examining the tears of both a sweet and a dry Riesling with Riedel Sommeliers Riesling Grand Cru Wine Glasses.  You’ll be in for an educational treat!  While aroma and taste play such an important part in wine appreciation, paying attention to appearance, too, greatly enhances the tasting experience.  In fact, visual cues can even suggest additional possibilities to your palate you may have initially filtered out!

Want to learn the basics about decanters and decanting? Check out our Decanting article in the Wine Storage Education Center!

There’s something refreshing about properly-decanted wine, especially when served with the main course!  Some savvy restaurants practice the art of decanting so that your wine will open to its fullest by the time your meal arrives.  The arts of cooking, serving, sipping, and eating all depend on timing.  One disruption to the balance of a prepared meal is a carefully-selected wine that is closed come mealtime.  Waiting for it to open may make your food go cold, and it also disrupts the pace of the dinner.  In short, decanting is a terrific way to help make your wine-paired dinners as well-timed as those you experience in your favorite restaurants.

Though you may already be decanting wine at home, the use of a specialized decanter helps your wine oxidize quicker while adding an element of visual grace and elegance.  In particular, Riedel wine decanters are carefully shaped to allow a greater amount of wine to come into contact with the air.  Unlike a common water pitcher, the Grape Riedel Wine Decanter is crafted for “full oxygenation” which definitely improves the taste and aroma of your favorite wine.  The graceful, mouth blown Riedel Amadeo Lyra Decanter, launched in 2006 to celebrate Reidel’s 250th anniversary, adds additional elegance and style to your wines’ presentation.  The Riedel Extreme Decanter, dubbed “The Work of Art Decanter” by the New York Times, is designed to encourage young wines to open, as well as vintage wines.  (Decanting older wines just before serving helps keep a wine’s brilliance and clarity from being impaired by sediments that may have developed over the years).  No matter what Riedel wine decanter you choose, you’ll be bringing the best of the science of oxygenation and hand-crafter art together, with wine, for a memorable dining experience.

Serving wine is a ritual for the senses, similar to having British tea. There’s the artful process of wine selection followed by bottle presentation, uncorking, pouring, relishing the initial aroma of the nose, taking the first sip followed by a lengthier taste to judge both body and finish, and so on. The process of serving wine is not meant not be hurried; this ritual is meant to be savored. Even the glassware and wine opener should be selected with care to evoke the occasion’s desired mood. A cheap corkscrew will clearly not evoke the same aesthetic response as a beautiful, antique-plated Rogar Champion wine opener, for example.

Although some people attempt to rush the ritual, wine cannot be hurried. Its flavors open in their own time. While several products exist to help speed up the aeration process, allowing wine time to naturally aerate in the glass or a decanter is essential to any exciting tasting journey. Sipping a very closed wine, then experiencing how its flavor changes as it begins to open make the wine tasting experience a delight. There’s something magical about how a closed wine will, in a few minutes, begin to breathe, allowing its taste to be unlocked more fully. The expectation and surprise that arise as a wine opens is also symbolic of timeless adage that “all good things take time.” There are certainly many good things that take time in this life, and should! Wine tasting–like most aspects of wine’s creation and enjoyment–is definitely among them.

The thing about Thanksgiving is that when the dishes are done and the last stray family member has been gently coaxed out the door, there are always leftovers.  I’m talking about two kinds of leftovers, one good, one bad.  The food leftovers are the wonderful ones: almost better than Thanksgiving itself is a perfect Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich with roast turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce inside.

But the leftovers you’re sad to find in the kitchen?  The half-empty wine bottles that collected on the table and in corners.  Whether you’re opening a new wine for each course, or pleasing everyone with one white and one red, you’re bound to have a couple of strays lingering in corners, unnoticed until after the guests have left.

Throwing out this kind of Thanksgiving leftovers would be sacrilegious to any true oenophile.  But what to do?  They’ll go bad before you can finish them off.  Meet the WineKeeper, a wonderful invention for wine lovers all year round, but especially useful for the adult version of Thanksgiving leftovers.

The WineKeeper is a wine preservation system to that allows you to keep your bottles perfectly fresh for weeks.  It works by

WineKeeper's 4-bottle "Napa" model

replacing the oxygen in the top of an opened bottle (which is what speeds up the aging process–too much exposure causes the wine to spoil), with nitrogen gas, which doesn’t react with the wine.  The bottle is hooked up to a tap, so that you can easily pour yourself (or a guest) a fresh glass whenever you please.

The WineKeeper is a great product for wine lovers, because it allows you to keep open several bottles at once.  Say you and your spouse feel like drinking different wines, or you’re hosting a small dinner party in which you show off your expertise by matching the perfect wine to each course.  A wine preservation system allows you to keep several bottles open at once without ever worrying that your hard-earned investment will end up down the drain.

If there’s a wine collector in your family, you might also consider a WineKeeper for a fabulous Christmas present.  Bonus: no wine will be wasted this Christmas dinner!

We’ve all had it happen: the moldy cork, the bug in the glass, the wrong wine.  There are some things that are clear reasons to send back your glass or bottle.  But what about the less obvious problems?  These 5 tips tell you what is–and isn’t–ok in restaurant wine service.

1.  Size (and shape) matter.  At family-style restaurants (especially Italian), you might be served wine in small, stemless tumblers.  This is part of the cultural experience and is perfectly acceptable (and a fun way to drink wine!)–but ONLY if you’re drinking inexpensive table wine.  If you’re springing for the good stuff, it should be served in a glass that will bring out its full flavors.

Another thing you want to watch out for is restaurants that serve wine in those ridiculously small 6-oz glasses.  To get a proper pour, they have to fill the glass nearly to the brim!  This leaves no room for the swirling and sniffing that are part of proper wine enjoyment.  Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about this one except politely mention to the management the benefit of a regulation-sized 12-oz tasting glass.

2.  If you ordered a bottle for the table, the waiter should have you taste the wine, regardless of your sex, age, or whether you’re paying or not.  Here’s what to do:  When the wine is presented to you, make sure the bottle is the one you ordered.  The waiter will open the wine and place the cork on the table next to you.  DON’T smell the cork!  You can’t tell anything by smelling it, and it makes you look like an amateur.  All you need here is a visual inspection.  Make sure the cork is wet on the wine side and dry on the other side.  This is pretty much the extent of what you can tell from the cork: even if it is moldy, as long as the wine side is mold-free, the wine is probably fine.  There’s one exception to this rule: very expensive wines sometimes have a label printed on the cork.  Make sure the info on the label matches that on the bottle, especially the vintage.

After you’ve inspected the cork, place it on the table next to you.  The waiter should dispose of it.  Next, taste the wine.  If you want to do this step like the pros, read this post for a how-to.  If all you want to do is make it through the tasting with your dignity intact, just sniff and then sip the wine to make sure it isn’t rancid.  What you’re looking for is a smell like a moldy basement–this indicates that the wine is corked.

3.  If you’ve ordered a bottle, you should expect the waiter to fill the wine glasses as they empty.

4.  You should NOT expect the waiter to bring an ice bucket for your bottle of white wine, unless, of course, you ask for one.  White wines should be served at between 45 and 50 degrees F, depending on the varietal–much warmer than a near-freezing bucket of ice water.  If your wine is served too cold, the flavors will be masked and it will taste overly acidic.  However, if you order Champagne or another sparkling wine, the waiter should automatically bring you an ice bucket, as these wines need to be kept very cold for best taste.

5.  You should never feel pressured by your waiter to spend more money.  If he or she is filling your wine glass to the brim, it’s probably to get you to buy another bottle.  If you ask for a wine suggestion, he or she should offer more than one, at different price points.  If you order a bottle of wine that the restaurant has run out of, your waiter should suggest another in the same price range.  Establishments that are focused on getting you to spend more money are generally not trying hard enough to ensure your wine, food, and service is tip-top.  If you feel pressured to spend more than you wanted to, or judged for being budget-conscious, don’t go back to the restaurant.

6.  Always remember that you are the one paying for your wine, and you should expect service that reflects this.  But be forgiving: restaurants are hectic places.  If your favorite bottle of wine isn’t available, don’t stress–it’s a chance to try something new.  If your waiter isn’t at your elbow when you drain your glass, fill it yourself–he was probably dealing with a picky customer.  As long as the service is generally good, don’t let a small error ruin your night out.

Want to know what to do when you’re the one opening and serving the bottle of wine? Or learn more about wine glasses? Our Wine Storage Education Center has all the info you need.

1.  Uncorking the bottle before  service improves the wine.

It’s true that aeration before service does improve some wines.  But studies show that the neck of a wine bottle is too narrow to allow enough oxygen to get in contact with the wine to make any detectable difference in the taste and aroma.  If you want to aerate your wine, decant it.  A quick decanting is great for removing the sediment that may have collected in the bottom of your older wines, and a longer decanting is great for young red wines that are still tannic.  Want to learn how to properly decant a bottle?  Click here.

2.  Serve white wines with chicken or fish and red wines with red meat.

This is one of the oldest and most enduring wine myths.  Whether a wine is white or red doesn’t have as much to do with which dishes it should be matched with as do the specific qualities and flavors of both the food and the wine.  The most important quality to consider when pairing food and wine is balance.  A wine should complement the food, accentuating its flavors.  It should not overwhelm the food, and the food should not overwhelm it.

For example, buttery salmon cooked over a wood fire would pair nicely with a Chardonnay, which has buttery flavors from aging and oak flavors from being kept in wood barrels.  A steak pairs well with an aggressive red wine that’s high in tannins and acid: the tannins bind to the proteins in the wine, acting as a natural palate cleanser and refreshing the mouth to enjoy each delectable bite of meat with fresh taste buds.  Pairing wine with food is nothing short of an art, with many subtle nuances to consider.  To learn more about it, click here.

3.  ”Reserve” wines are of superior quality.

Although a few countries (Spain is one) have strict regulations governing when winemakers can put “reserve” on the label, the U.S. does not.  Originally, “reserve” wines were those the winemakers held back for themselves.  Logically, they were of better quality, but mostly they were probably just those wines that best fit the winemaker’s personal tastes.  Today, “reserve” has no true meaning, and is placed on the label at the discretion of the winemaker.  Often, the hiked-up price just isn’t justified.

4.  Red wine should never be chilled.

Red wines taste best at a temperature between 55º and 65º.  The average room temperature?  Around 70°.  When wine is served too warm, its alcohol flavors jump to the fore, masking the more subtle–and more enjoyable–flavors and aromas.  The correct temperature to serve a red wine at depends on the individual wine, but in general, lighter reds should be colder, bolder reds warmer.  To see a more detailed explanation of red wine chilling, click here.

5.  Great wines have great “legs.”

Many wine drinkers like to begin a tasting by swirling the glass, then holding it up to appreciate the “legs,” the little rivulets that run down from a swirled glass’s inside rim.  Legs that are many in number and thick, meandering slowly down the glass are said to be “great,” as in, “This wine has great legs.”  But many drinkers confuse great legs with great quality.  In reality, swirling the glass leaves a small quantity of alcohol and water near the top.  The alcohol evaporates first, increasing the surface tension of the leftover water until it gives into gravity and starts flowing back down the glass.  Wines with high alcohol contents will have more legs that are thicker and move more slowly.  Wines higher in alcohol are generally more viscous, so legs can also clue you in about the wine’s viscosity.  But they tell you next to nothing about how good it will taste.

6.  All German wines are sweet.

Germany does produce a lot of sweet wines, but they make many dry ones too.  If you’d like to try a German wine but sweet wines give you a headache, look for the word “trocken” on the label–it means “dry.”

7.  The more a wines costs, the better it will taste.

This is true only as a very general guideline–it is nowhere near a rule.  Though winemakers would love to have you believe that quality of taste is the only thing that dictates price, this is simply not true.  Prices depend on many factors, only a few of which relate to taste.  Things like how costly the harvest was that year, how pricey the land was, fluctuating grape prices, and even where you purchased the bottle have huge impacts on the price, but not necessarily on what’s inside the bottle.

Here’s a common phenomenon: a small, unknown vineyard has a great year, and produces a wine of great quality.  Because it’s not a well-known wine, it’s inexpensive.  Word gets out about this great deal, and the price of the wine goes way up.  But subsequent vintages aren’t as good; the wine is relying on the reputation it got during that one good year to justify its high price, but the quality is no longer there.  So though high price can reflect high quality, there are many scenarios in which it does not.  Do your research and don’t be afraid to try new things: there are many great bottles out there for around $10.

So everyone knows that you’re supposed to serve white and sparkling wine chilled.  But red is supposed to be served at room temperature, right?  Wrong.  Red wine tastes best served at a temperature between 55º and 65º.  The average room temperature is 70°: great for lounging around without your jacket, bad for red wine.

But what’s the big deal?  Why is that slight chill on the  bottle of red important?  Serving red wine at the ideal temperature allows the flavors to come through.  The tannins and structure of the wine are more fully expressed, and subtle aromas are enhanced.  When wine is served too warm, the alcohol becomes the central characteristic, overpowering the more enjoyable flavors and making even a good wine taste cheap.

So how do you get your wine to this perfect temperature?  You can certainly stick the bottle in your refrigerator for about an hour (for lighter reds like Pinot Noir), 45 minutes (medium-bodied reds like Chianti) or 30 minutes (the big powerhouses like a bold Cabernet Sauvignon).  However, this is a very imprecise science–your refrigerator is so much colder than the ideal temperature that it’s very difficult to get the temperature right.  At the very best, the wine will be unevenly chilled, with the bottle much colder than the liquid inside.  If it’s within your budget, the best option is a wine refrigerator with red-chilling capabilities.

One option that won’t break the bank is this 30-bottle refrigerator by Avanti.  Streamlined, it’s great for small spaces, and it comes equipped with a digital touch-control for temperature, allowing you to tailor the cooling environment for a specific wine.

But the ideal system is something like this EuroCave Performance Elite (pictured).  It has three temperature compartments: one for aging (53-57°F), one for chilling white and sparkling wine for service (40-44°F), and one for chilling red wine to the perfect serving temperature (62-66°F).  This kind of specialized refrigerator allows you to always have a perfectly chilled bottle right on hand.

If you’re someone who invests in your wine collection and takes pride in serving your carefully chosen and aged bottles, you don’t want to overlook service.  Chilling a perfectly aged red to the ideal serving temperature does justice to your collection.