How To Serve Present Pour And Enjoy Red Wine

Here are a few simple tips to making sure that you make the most out of that lovely bottle of red wine.

Serving Temperature for Red Wine: Serving temperature is among the most important aspects of wine service as it can greatly influence the flavor and aroma of the wine. While red wine is almost always served a bit warmer than a white wine, there is such thing as too warm.

The term room temperature for red wines can be misleading as the temperature in most modern homes is close to 70 degrees F, which is much too warm. To experience the full flavor and natural aromas of red wine, it should ideally be served at cellar temperature, which is around 55 degrees F or 15-16 degrees C.

As a general rule, a red wine should never be served warmer than 65 degrees and very light and fruity wines taste best closer to 55 degrees. Try experimenting with the temperature of a particular type of wine to see what temperature you feel is best. A few minutes in the refrigerator or over ice may make the wine much more enjoyable.

Decanting Red Wine

Decanters are specifically designed to allow the wine to properly breathe and also enhance the visual elements of the wine. However, whether or not red wine should be decanted before serving has been a subject of much debate. Decanters are really only deemed necessary for red wines that, by the nature of the way in which they are made, form a sediment in the bottle. This sediment should never make it into a wine glass and a decanter ensures it does not.

Decanters are sometimes frowned upon with very expensive wines because there is certain elegance and style about pouring it directly from the aged bottle. Whether you choose a decanter or serve directly from the bottle, most red wines should be opened and allowed to breathe for upwards of an hour before serving. As air hits the wine, the full flavors and smells are better released.

Choosing the Right Glasses for Red Wine

The aroma or bouquet of a red wine is very important to its overall enjoyment and using the right wine glass can enhance your wine drinking experience. Red wine glasses are especially designed to have a wide bowl with an opening that only tapers slightly. Never fill the glass more than half to allow the drinker to swirl the wine in the glass. This helps to aerate the wine and let the aroma properly escape. The wide mouth of the glass means that the wonderful smell of the wine will gracefully enter the nose as it is drank.

The Right Food Pairings with your Red Wine
Strong cheese is almost always a good pairing with red wine and a combination like Brie with a Cabernet or Muenster with a Zinfandel is a marriage made in red wine heaven. Soft and gentle wines such as Gamay and Merlot are full of fruit, easy to drink and are a great choice before a meal. Full-bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel can be far too overpowering when served with vegetables or light, white meats. What they need is a large, juicy steak to do them full justice.

While you can read plenty of opinions and guidelines about what foods should go with red wines, ultimately the only true way to judge the best pairings is to experiment and go with what tastes best for you.