Wine lovers are typically inclined—and even expected—to follow certain rules of etiquette when enjoying their favourite libations in various capacities and environments. There’s no doubt that the behaviours people exhibit are largely influenced by their surroundings. You could be sipping wine in a fancy restaurant, a bar, at a wine tasting event at a winery, or even if you’re just indulging in a glass of red or white in the comfort of your home; all of these circumstances inadvertently dictate your behaviour.
The Dos and Don’ts of Enjoying Fine Wine
It goes without saying that certain wine drinking practices are more based upon personal tastes and characteristics rather than the status quo. However, that doesn’t mean that certain guidelines for enjoying fine wines should become obsolete. Some institutions have high standards and reputations to maintain and so they find it necessary to implement well-known dos and don’ts of drinking fine wine.
Do Decant Your Reds
Decanting wine doesn’t necessarily have to be a complicated process. You don’t even really need a decanter for it. All you have to do is slowly and gently pour the wine out of the bottle into a clean container and then funnel it back into the original bottle. Make sure you don’t shake it too much and let the natural sediments rest at the bottom of the bottle the whole time. The purpose of decanting is to slightly hasten the ageing process so that the wine develops mature notes faster.
Don’t Serve Wine That’s Too Cold
There’s such a thing as chilling wine too much to the point where the experience of enjoying it is negatively impacted. Part of enjoying a good wine tasting is sniffing it to get a sense of the natural aromatic notes that exist in the wine. When the wine is over-chilled, these notes become stilted and difficult to detect. Storing your wine in a temperature and environment-controlled luxury wine cellar can help you avoid this issue altogether.
Do Save Empty Half Bottles
For some people, it makes more sense to purchase half bottles of wine—bottles that are half the size of standard bottles—than it does to purchase full-size bottles. Once you’ve consumed the wine in half bottles, you can save them and use them to store excess wine from larger bottles. This way, the wine is still protected from oxidization and it’ll last a little while longer. If you have a fair-sized custom wine cellar in your home and you won’t be able to drink a lot of wine on your own, you can even opt to purchase a bunch of half bottles that suffice for one or two people.
Don’t Hesitate to Taste Your Wine
One of the fun things about being a wine connoisseur is getting the opportunity to taste all kinds of different wines prior to purchasing them. Don’t be afraid to try new wines at restaurants and wine tastings before you make the ultimate decision of adding them to your collection. Try flavours that are outside of your wheelhouse and ask sommeliers or local wine shop owners what types of appetizers and main courses these wines can appropriately be paired with. This is a great way to get ideas for your next wine tasting party in Toronto and to show off your beautiful wine rack display to your guests.
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