Wine Tips and Tools
Glassware
There are many glassware shapes and sizes available which are designed to emphasize a particular wine’s characteristics. Using glassware designed for a particular wine type can improve and enhance your wine-drinking experience by improving the smell and taste of your wine. The wine glass bowl determines how the wine’s aromas are collected and released toward your nose. The glass rim can affect how the wine is directed into your mouth, but a thinner rim is best to allow the wine to flow easily from the glass to your mouth.
Some wine glasses are stemless which are casual, easier to store and clean and can be used for many other types of beverages, making them quite versatile. The downside of a stemless glass is that holding a glass directly by its bowl will warm your wine.
Sparkling wines are best served in flutes which encourage and enhance the bubbles to travel to the top of the glass. The narrow bowl of a flute keeps the sparkling wine fresh, zesty and chilled.
Light-bodied white wines are best served in a glass with a narrow bowl which helps hold in the crispy freshness and fruitiness by limiting the amount of oxygen it’s exposed to. Full-bodied white wines, which are aged in oak, are best served in a glass with a large bowl which allows the wine to open up and balances out the complex oak flavours and aromas.
Rosé wines are best served in a glass with a medium-sized bowl which has a narrow opening to allow the fruity and floral aromas to be released in the bowl and the narrow opening holds the aromas in the glass.
Red wines are best served in a glass with a large bowl. There are a variety of styles available for red wines depending upon the grape variety. These large-bowled glasses allow more oxygen contact with a larger surface of the wine which helps develop and release the aromas. The large bowls also make it easier to swirl your wine which allows more oxygen into the wine, helping to soften the tannins, and making the wine even more flavourful.
Dessert wines are best served in a small glass which holds only about 2 to 3 oz of wine because these wines are very sweet and high in alcohol and only a small amount of this wine is pleasing after dinner or with a dessert.
You may want to opt for a set of universal white and red glasses, which saves you money and space and is more versatile.
Recommended wine glass producers:
Zalto www.zalto.co.uk
Riedel www.riedel.com
Spiegelau www.spiegelau.com
Schott Zwiesel www.zwiesel-glas.com
Gabriel-Glas www.gabriel-glasinternational.com
Storage Tips
Keep wine cool (10 to 15 degrees Celsius) and at a constant temperature, if possible.
Basements, cellars, and wine fridges are great!
Avoid temperature fluctuations.
Storing in places like the kitchen, where the temperatures tend to fluctuate, isn’t the best place to store wine.
Store in a dark place, avoiding natural and artificial lights.
Basements, cellars, cupboards and closets are good for this as long as they’re cool, and the temperature doesn’t fluctuate much.
Store away from vibrations.
Avoid storing your wine next to your stereo speakers.
Store wines with corks on their sides to keep the corks moist.
Dry corks shrink and potentially expose your wine to oxygen, causing deterioration and evaporation. Wines with screw tops can be stored standing or on their sides.
Service Temperatures
Serving wines at their best temperature creates the best wine-drinking experience. Overchilling wine can subdue the flavours and aromas of all wines. In contrast, too-warm wines can be flabby and lack structure.
Wine Styles °C/°F
Sparkling wines 6-10 /43-50
Light white and rosé wines 7-10/45-50
Medium- to full-bodied white wines 10–13/50-55
Light-bodied red wines 13–15 /55-59
Medium- to full-bodied red wines 15–18/59-64
Sweet dessert wines 6-8/43-45
Quick-chill tips:
Put the bottle in the freezer for 15 minutes before serving.
Use an ice bucket for your bottle – Fill ¾ of a bucket with equal quantities of ice and water and fully surround the bottle with the water/ice and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving. Adding some salt to your water/ice can chill it faster.
If your glass of wine is too warm, you can put it in the freezer for 5 minutes to reduce the temperature (don’t leave it in too long).
Pop an ice cube into your glass of wine (only in white or rosé wines and only your glass… not everyone is okay with this method, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.
Quick-warming tips:
Leave your bottle out 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Hold the base of your glass in your hands so the heat of your hands will warm the wine.
Decant the wine into a container after rinsing it with warm water.
Immerse the bottle briefly in warm water.
Just wait it out for about 15 minutes and your wine will warm up to room temperature naturally.
Order of Service
You may want to serve/drink your wines in a certain order to help transition your palate between wine changes. This will also ensure that you don’t overpower the flavours and aromas of a delicious and delicate light-bodied wine before moving on to a more intense, complex and full-bodied wine.
Here is the preferred order of service:
Sparkling wines before non-sparkling (still) wines.
Light-bodied wines before full-bodied wines.
Low-alcohol wines before high-alcohol wines.
Dry wines before sweet wines.
Young wines before old wines.
Decanting Wine
To decant or not to decant.....
Which wines can you decant?
You can decant any wine you like, but I would advise against decanting your sparkling wines -- you don't want to lose your bubbles!
What are the benefits of decanting wines?
Red wines generally improve with decanting by exposing the wine to more oxygen. Red wines that are full-bodied and/or highly tannic benefit from decanting as it helps to soften the bitter tannins and enhances the fruit flavours of the wine. Inexpensive or young red wines can also benefit from decanting.
White wines do not need decanting unless they have had some skin contact (ex: orange wine) or if they are overchilled and taste tart and highly acidic. Decanting white wines will soften them and boost the fruit flavours.
Rosé wines do not need decanting but can be decanted if bitter, tart or overchilled.
Decanting wines also helps to dissipate any unpleasant aromas that might be released when you first open a bottle of wine, typically within 15 to 20 minutes. Decanting can also help you control any wine sediment or crystals in your wine.
If you would like to have the best wine-drinking experience possible, consider decanting.
Does Vintage Matter?
Yes and no. Let me explain….
The vintage of a wine refers to the year in which the grapes were harvested. Most bottles of wine indicate their vintage but not all do.
The vintage of wine allows you to be able to consider that year’s weather and growing conditions which may have affected the grapes and resultant wine. The wine produced from a region with variable weather patterns can cause the vintages to be inconsistent from year to year, for example, a bottle of wine from 2014 might taste quite different from an exact bottle from 2015.
Wine-making technology has improved so that winemakers are now able to work around some of the weather-related issues, however, most aspects of the grape’s health and wellness still remain at the mercy of the weather and climate of the region.
When does vintage matter?
It matters if you want to know how old the wine is to ensure it’s had some time to age in the bottle before opening it and/or if you are a collector and want to put some wine away for ageing.
Quality full-bodied tannic red wines improve with extra ageing; the same is true of quality white wines which are oak aged.
When doesn’t vintage matter?
An inexpensive, high-volume wine producer will likely use wine-making techniques and/or multiple vintages to ensure consistency in the wine from year to year. However, using multiple vintages is also often used in some of the best wines in the world to produce quality consistent wine.
My advice is that unless you are collecting wines for ageing, there’s no need to be concerned about the vintage of a wine. Instead, think of the differences in the vintages as part of the overall personality of the wine and how these characteristics reflect where and how the wine came to be. Enjoy it for what it is!
If you do wish to check any bottles you have stored or would like to age wine, there are vintage charts available online or through apps that can be used as a reference for the recommended best-drinking years of wines.
How Much Wine Do I Need?
Do you want to make sure you have enough wine for your guests, if so, here's the important information to consider and the formula:
The number of guests x estimated number of
5-ounce glasses per guest (2 – 3 per hour) = Number of bottles of wine needed.
A standard 750 ml bottle of wine holds five 5 oz glasses of wine (25 ounces).
One glass of sparkling wine or Champagne for a toast is needed.
Consider magnum bottles of wine (1.5 litres or 50 ounces) = 10 glasses or two standard-sized bottles of wine.
You know your guests best and can decide whether you need more or less.
Having extra wine left over can’t hurt, so err on the side of more wine.
Smart and Save Drinking Tips
*Plan a safe drive home before you leave home.
Consider your options ahead of time, designated driver, Uber/Lyft, taxi, bus, train, walk, call someone…so many options. Leaving the car at home is always a great idea if you don’t have a designated driver with you.
*Always eat before drinking.
Alcohol on an empty stomach is always a bad idea!
*Drink water or a non-alcoholic beverage between drinks. It helps to pace yourself and keeps your hydration levels high so you will feel better the next day.
*Limit the cocktails.
Cocktails can be delicious but drinking too many high-sugar drinks can leave you with a nasty hangover the next day. You may also have to spend extra time at the gym working off the extra calories.
*Eat while you drink.
Just a few bites with your drink will slow down your body’s metabolization of alcohol allowing you to pace yourself and enjoy the festivities.
*Avoid mixing drinks.
Stick with clean drinks like wine, beer, or simple highballs or spirits. You will have a better sense of how much alcohol you have consumed plus less chance of a hangover the next day.
*Lighten up your drinks.
There are many lower alcohol choices available such as light beer, wine spritzers or mimosas (1/2 wine and ½ juice).
*Plan an exit strategy from a social event.
Decide ahead of time when to leave the celebration and stick to it, especially if you need to work the next day or are inclined towards high-risk behaviours when drinking.
*Enjoy yourself!
Understanding Wine Labels
Do you struggle with understanding some wine labels and ask yourself “what’s in this bottle?”
Wine labels can be a bit tricky to understand sometimes, so I’ll break it down to make your next trip to the wine store easier:
*Most importantly, wines are typically labelled by grape variety, region, or name.
*Grape variety labelling is strictly regulated by wine regions. In the US, there must be a minimum of 75% of the labelled grape variety in the bottle, while in Canada, and most other wine regions in the world, there must be a minimum of 85% of that grape variety in the bottle to name it as a pure varietal. For example, a Canadian “Cabernet Franc” would have anywhere from 85% to 100% Cabernet Franc in the bottle.
*Labels with names can be fun and often gives you an idea of that wine’s characteristics. Some examples of fun made-up names are the recent Wine Align Medal winners, Black Hills Estate Winery 2021 Alibi (BC), Palatine Hills 2020 Wild & Free White Meritage (Ontario) or Tightrope 2021 Tip-Toe (BC). The names of these wines signal that they are special unique blends made by that winery.
*Regional naming can be the trickiest to understand and you will find this naming most often in the old world wine regions such as Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Hungary. Regional naming is a geographical indication referring to the wine grape’s region or place of origin. These controls in labelling ensure that the grapes used are those traditionally grown in that region. For example, a wine labelled “Cotes du Rhone” is from that region in France. From that, I can figure out that the red Cotes du Rhone wines will be a blend of Grenache and Syrah and possibly may have some Mourvèdre and Cinsault in them as these are the red/black grape varieties that traditionally make up the red wines in this region.
*Regional tip: If you are uncertain about regional naming, just ask a knowledgeable staff member in the wine store or search for it. Wine Apps can be quite useful as well.
*Last important tip: Read the bottle’s back labels. You can often find extremely useful information and descriptions of the wines which will help you make good wine choices.
Wine Preservation Systems
Wine preservation systems work quite well if you have realistic expectations. There are many benefits to keeping your opened wines fresher for longer, such as better-tasting wine, less waste and saving money.
Here are some useful tips for keeping an opened bottle of wine fresher for longer:
Replace the cap by recapping, recorking or replacing it with a wine stopper.
Store the bottle in the fridge; yes, even the reds. This will slow down the oxygenation process, giving the wine more drinking days. You might want to let your red wine warm up a bit before you drink it.
Use a vacuum system such as an Ezabasics Wine Saver Vacuum Pump or a Vacu Vin Wine Saver Pump. These come with specialized wine stoppers. This allows you to pump the oxygen out of the bottle after you have placed the stopper.
Use a blanket system of gas such as Winelife (food grade nitrogen and carbon dioxide) or Private Preserve (Argon, carbon dioxide and nitrogen), or Art Wine Saver (Argon) to preserve and protect your wine from further oxidization. This is an inexpensive, easy-to-use option.
Use a Coravin wine preservation system which allows you to pour wine without opening the bottle. It uses gas (Argon) and a needle which punctures the cork to allow you to pour the wine without removing the cork. This system is pricier than other methods but is highly effective.
If you prefer not to drink from box wines (which already have a decent preservation system built-in), you can opt for a countertop preservation system which allows you to maintain the perfect wine temperature, while keeping your bottles handy and oxygen-free with little effort. This is an excellent choice and can keep the wines fresh for up to 10 days. Check out Eurocave’s “Wine Art” Preservation System. This system is pricey but may be the best choice for some wine drinkers.
If your open bottle is preserved properly, you can extend the life of your wines anywhere from 3 to 10 days, maybe even longer for some wines.
Winery Tasting Room Tips
Tasting wine at wine festivals or travelling to wineries can be a fun and educational experience, however, some etiquette should be observed when attending wine festivals or tasting rooms. Overall, the experience should be relaxed and enjoyable but should not interfere with the winery conducting its business or the other customers’ experience.
Here are my tips for your next trip to the tasting room and/or wine festival:
Check out the winery’s tasting room policies on pricing, reservations, group sizes, restaurants, tours, picnic areas and any other services they provide so you don’t have any unpleasant surprises when you arrive.
Always bring two pieces of ID, one with a photo.
Eat before tasting.
Prearrange a safe ride home.
Cleanse your palate between tastings, if possible.
Don’t hesitate to use the wine spittoon, if provided, for spitting or dumping your wine.
Keep an open mind, you’re there to taste wine and try new things.
Don’t worry about not knowing about wine or how to properly taste wine, no one expects you to be an expert. The tasting room associate just wants you to find something you like, buy wine, and have a good experience.
Keep your voice down so other customers can discuss the wines with their tasting room associates and enjoy their experience too.
Don’t insult the wines or the winery. If you don’t like the wine, that’s okay, everyone has a different taste preference.
Never, never, never help yourself to the open bottles at the tasting counter.
Avoid wearing fragrances such as perfumes or colognes when you are wine tasting as it can interfere with your ability to smell and taste the wines properly.
Drink water in between tastings.
Place your glass down on the counter to allow your tasting room associate to pour your next wine.
Asking for more tastings after your wine tasting is completed is not recommended.
Do not show up at a tasting room intoxicated.
Most wineries offer to waive your tasting fees or discount your fees from your purchase if you buy a bottle of wine, so I highly recommend you buy at least one bottle that you enjoyed to take advantage of that deal.
Relax and enjoy the beauty of the vineyards, and fabulous tasting rooms while you discover some new and delicious wines!
Wine Speak: The Language of Wine
Here are some wine-tasting terms which may come in handy.
What does the “nose” refer to?
The wine’s nose refers to the smell of the wine. About 80% of your wine experience is through your sense of smell, making the nose or aroma of the wine the most important (but not the most fun) aspect of your wine experience. Another term used for aroma is “bouquet”.
What does the “palate” refer to?
This refers to the palate of your mouth, so what your mouth experiences when you taste the wine. Your palate detects many things including the flavours and intensity of the flavours of wine.
What does the “body” refer to?
This refers to the overall sensation of the wine on your palate which is influenced by the tannins, sweetness, alcohol level, and acidity in the wine. Tannins, sweetness, and/or alcohol increase the sensation of the body in the wine, making it feel heavy and rich in your mouth. Acidity and carbonation in the wine decrease the body in the wine, giving it the sensation of being light, crisp, and refreshing.
Wine Grape Colours
With only a few exceptions, all wine grapes have clear juice inside, even the black/red ones! It’s the skin that holds all the colour (as well as the bitter tannins) and the area just below the wine grape skin that holds most of the flavours.
How does the colour get into the wine?
Once the red/black grapes are crushed, the fermentation is started using a mash of skins and juice and the colour and tannins are extracted from the skins and mixed with the juice to create red wine.
When making white wine, the grapes are crushed and pressed, and the juice is separated from the skins. However, some winemakers making white wines allow some limited contact with the juice and white grapes skins to bring added colour, flavour and body to the white wine.
Why do we say "Cheers!"
Why do we say “cheers” or “make a cheer” before consuming an alcoholic drink with others?
It likely started in ancient Greece but didn’t everything? The Greeks would pour a portion of their alcoholic drink onto the ground as an offering to the gods. “Cheers” started way back to 10,000 BC and was meant to show gladness for being with those around you while wishing them good health and happiness. Rumour has it that it was also to avoid being poisoned during the Middle Ages and to ward off evil spirits.
Cheering is also considered to be a great way of engaging all our senses. An alcoholic drink activates and stimulates our senses of taste, smell, and sight and then the act of “cheers” activates our hearing. Whatever the reason, it is a fantastic way to bring people together with a common goal of happiness and best wishes.