Wine Etiquette
What makes a good wine? Should wine be
presented in the bottle or a decanter? When must wine be decanted?
At what temperature should it be served? In what order should wines
be served? There are numerous questions but the answers are simpler
than people think. The sommelier’s expert knowledge and sometimes intimidating rituals are the necessary accoutrements of restaurant service. But wine etiquette for home entertaining is guided by less formal, common sense rules.
The following rules will help host, hostess and guests discover and appreciate the pleasures of wine.
- Opening the Bottle
- What Is the Right Temperature for Wine?
- What Makes a Good Wine?
- How Should the Bottle Be Held?
- Serving
- Does Wine Have to Mean Stains?
- In What Order Should Wines Be Served?
- How Should Wine Be Enjoyed?
- Is an Unfinished Open Bottle Wasted?
- Do I Have to Serve the Wine My Guests Brought?
Wine should be allowed to breathe because contact with the oxygen in the air brings out and deepens the flavour. Red wine should be opened one hour before serving and white wine should be poured into a decanter to release its bouquet.
White wine should be served at about 6 or 8 C and red wine at 12 to 18 C, depending on its age. Red or white, the younger the wine, the cooler the temperature. To chill a wine, put it in the refrigerator for two to four hours. If rushed, put the wine in an ice bucket filled with cold water and ice. According to some, adding salt to the water speeds the chilling process. Do not however put wine in the freezer for fear of spoiling its flavour. Keep champagne and white wine on the sideboard in an ice bucket filled one third up with water and ice.
Balance is the hallmark of a good wine. The fruity, flowery or citrus notes of its bouquet, its sweetness and acidity, its astringency and alcoholic strength should all come together harmoniously to create a distinctive, satisfying flavour. Tasting the wine, away from your guests, before going in to dinner is advisable as it enables you to spot defects (oxidation, cork taste, vinegary taste) and replace the wine quickly. That’s why you should always have a second bottle ready in case of problems, though they occur rarely as winemaking has been increasingly perfected. Older red wines are decanted to remove sediment (the lees).
Young professionals prefer to hold the bottle by the bottom. However, you may hold it whichever way is most comfortable.
Traditionally the host serves the wine. Ladies are served first, starting with the ladies on the host’s right than those on his left. The first man to be served is the male guest seated on the hostess’s right. The host then continues clockwise round the table. Glasses should be filled halfway, to just above their widest point, never to the rim.
Glasses for white wine are smaller than those for red wine and Burgundy glasses are wider round the middle than claret glasses. Champagne is served in flutes. Did you know that there are nearly 40 different kinds of glasses depending on the grape variety and country of origin? All are designed to amplify the wine’s bouquet and flavour so that its subtleties can be fully appreciated. Above all, glasses should be made of thin, clear, smooth glass without a roll rim. Avoid tinted glasses that change the wine’s colour and ornamentation that masks its clarity.
Most of all, glasses must be clean, grease-free and scent-free. Wash them in hot water without any dishwashing liquid. For a clear shine, hold them over steam then dry them with a linen dish towel, holding glasses in both hands and not by the stem to avoid breakage.
Some people can’t seem to pour wine without spotting the tablecloth. The solution to the problem is both simple and elegant—use a silver collar that fits round the bottle’s neck or a thin sheet of metal, rolled and inserted in the bottle’s neck that you rinse after using. Did you know that these are made by a Quebecker who popularized them? Silver, pewter or cork bottle holders prevent unsightly rings on the tablecloth.
- A white wine or rosé before a red wine.
- A dry wine before a mellow or sweet wine.
- A light wine before a robust or potent wine.
- A fruity wine before a one with a strong bouquet.
- A chilled wine before one at room temperature.
- A simple wine before a complex wine.
- A young wine before an aged wine.
- A red wine may be served before a white wine if the latter is more complex or more robust.
Wines are meant to accompany food. And each wine and dish carry on their own particular dialogue. As you taste a dish and sip the wine, try to follow their exchange as well as the conversations around you. Take a bite then a sip, ending the meal with a sip.
There’s some left? Don’t throw it out. An opened bottle, even of champagne, will keep a few days without loss of taste. Simply close the bottle with an airtight stopper designed to prevent oxidation or spray in a little "Private Preserve" made up of three odourless, tasteless non-inflammable gases.
Whether it be a premium wine or a screw-top wine, you are not obliged to open the gift bottle. Your guest will understand that your menu was planned in advance with specific wines in mind. Thank your guest, keep the wine and, if you wish, have your friend over some other time to enjoy it.
Cheers!
Table manners and etiquette