Unknown Facts About Wine

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Common questions about wine service and etiquette -- the right temperature for red and white, how long the wine needs to “breathe,” what exactly is a corked bottle, why we use descriptors like flowers, fruit and bizarre words such as "tar" and "forest floor" to talk about wine -- are all typical concerns for guys who love wine. That’s because when it comes to appreciating wine, there is as much myth as there is truth. Here’s a little cheat sheet to help you become an expert on the mysteries of wine. What's the deal with "aromas" in wine?

Just because descriptors of fruits, flowers, spices, and vegetables are often used to differentiate wines does not mean that these actual products or their artificial flavor were ever added to the wine. Type of grape, combined with soil type and winemaking technique, are what create specific aromas in wine. Descriptors are simply a way to characterize a wine’s overall aromatic style, the same way you might associate a hot brunette’s spicy perfume with her eccentric personality. With time and practice you will soon be able to identify aromas and thus crack wine “lingo.” What may have once seemed like a fabrication of wine tasting, like detecting notes of dried leaves and rose petals, will soon become second nature. Ultimately, you’ll come to know what you like and how to find it on an otherwise intimidating wine list. And who knows? Maybe you’ll end up sharing a bottle with that spicy, eccentric brunette.Look out for these commonly used descriptors:Fruit: Apple, cherry, plum, grapefruit, lemonNon-Fruit: Violets, thyme, nutmeg, green pepper, tomato vineEarth/Mineral: Forest floor, mushroom, limestone, wet stoneOakiness: Cinnamon, vanilla, smoke, nut RELATED VIDEO: The Wine Myths You Should Know

What's the right temperature for wine?

Everyone will have a different opinion about the ideal temperature that wine should be kept and served at, especially when you’re talking about reds. While it won’t ruin your evening if the temperature of your bottle is a few degrees off, there are general guidelines you can follow to help the wine express its highest potential. Good restaurant service will do its best to ensure these expectations are met with temperature-controlled wine fridges, for example. Alternatively, if you’re keeping wine at home, make sure you store your reds in a dark, cool environment like a garage or a basement, since sun exposure can cause permanent spoilage. Store your whites and sparkling wines in a refrigerator, and once you pop the cork, keep it on ice for optimal enjoyment. At the end of the day temperature is all about taste. Just please don’t drop ice cubes in that beautiful glass of white.Here are some ideal temperatures:SPARKLING: 6-8 degrees CelsiusWHITE WINE: 9-11 degrees CelsiusLIGHT-BODIED REDS & FULL-BODIED WHITES: 12-13 degrees CelsiusMEDIUM-BODIED REDS: 14-16 degrees CelsiusFULL-BODIED REDS: 17-18 degrees Why does wine need to be decanted?

Decanting, or pouring wine out of the bottle into another wine-holding receptacle (your wine glass, for example), is the process of “breathing” or oxygenating a wine to help its aromas and textures open up by transferring the wine from the bottle to a decanter. To decant or not decant is often an arguable topic, but there are a few situations when you can count on it to help open the wine to its full potential. Continue Reading

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