Some useful wine hints and tips.

There’s more to wine than meets the eye. To ensure you get maximum enjoyment from your choice of wine, make sure to follow the simple hints and tips outlined here.

Storing:

• Most wines are produced to be consumed early. Ageing only suits some special wines.
• Ideally wine should be stored between 6° and 10° C.
• Avoid dampness when it comes to storing wine.
• Wine should be stored where sudden changes in temperature cannot take place.
• If your wine has a real cork, then it should be stored lying horizontally, so that the bottom of the cork is kept moist.

Serving:

• Serve White Wine at between 4° and 7° C.
• Serve Rose at between 6° and 9° C.
• Serve Red Wine at between 15° and 18° C.
• As a general rule of thumb, white wines go well with white meats, red wines go well with red meats and rose goes well with everything! But don’t stick rigidly to this, drink what you like with your choice of dish and don’t be afraid to try something new.

Pouring:

• A good corkscrew is invaluable – as this can prevent damaging the cork and ruining the wine.
• Ideally your glass should be little more than half full – this will allow you to appreciate the aroma as well as the taste.
• Long-stemmed, thin-crystal, tulip-shaped glassware is best as not only does this shape trap the aroma inside the glass, but the long stem prevents finger smudging so that the wine’s colour can be truly appreciated.

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