14.

8 Opening wine bottle

Nowadays, lot of wine bottles doesn’t require any specialized

openers as they’re closed with regular screwcaps. Still many
wines are fitted with synthetic, rubber or wooden corks
which need a proper wine opener. Although there are
various types of wine openers used for opening a wine
bottle, the most commonly used is a cork-screw also called
waiter’s friend. It is not only cost effective but also easy to
use. It’s divided into four parts – a screw, a handle, a small
knife and a single or double hinged lever. The steps involved
in opening a wine bottle are as follows:

Step 1: Cut and remove the foil with the knife.

Step 2: Insert the screw a bit away from the centre.

Step 3: Twist it inside until almost the entire screw inserted

inside the cork.

Step 4: Place the first lever on the lip and pull with the
handle.

Step 5: After the cork is little bent, place the second lever
and pull.

Step 6: Again when the cork starts bending, wrap the cork
with fingers and slowly pull the cork with the
opener till the entire cork comes out.

Step 7: Finally untwist the screw and let the cork release.

14.9 Decanting wine

The process of transferring the wine from bottle to a broader

base pitcher or decanter is called decanting.
There are primarily two reasons for decanting and they are –

a) To aerate – many of the old wines and even some young

wines which are powerful and complex need to breathe
after being bottled for a long time. Decanting lets the
wine to open up and allows the aromas and flavours to
evolve.
b) To remove sediments – many of the old red wines
develop sediments in the bottle which can be due to the
breakdown of tannins or from the dead yeast cells.
Although these sediments are harmless, it affects the
clarity of wine and so needs to be removed.

The steps involved in decanting the wine are as follows:

Step 1: After opening the wine bottle, wine is slowly poured

in the decanter. A source of light is required for which
generally a candle is lighted. Since the bottle of red wine is
dark and sediments in wine can’t be seen from naked eyes,
this light will be helpful.

Step 2: Pour the wine till it reaches the bottom, the light of
candle from behind will help in seeing exactly when the
sediments are about to fall in the decanter, where it should
be stopped.

Step 3: A small quantity of wine will be left in the bottle with

sediments which is discarded. The decanted wine is allowed
to breathe for at least half an hour to release its aromas
before it’s poured in the glass for tasting.

14.10 Wine glasses

Almost all type of wine glasses are stemmed to keep the

wine away from the warmth of the hand which will might
 increase its temperature and thus ruin the wine. Some of the
different types of wine glasses are –

i. Bordeuax red wine glass – Red wines should be served in

wine glasses with deeper and broader base with
narrower opening which allows the wine to breathe and
direct the scents to the nose. It also allows to swirl the
wine more easily. That’s the reason behind particularly
extra-large shape bowls of Bordeaux red wine glasses
which are used for long aged Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc and other Bordeaux blends and similar
wines.

ii. Burgundy red wine glass – Another style of red wine glass
is the Burgundy ones which has larger bowl to collect the
lighter and delicate aromas. Due to wide surface the
alcohol vaporizes faster and carries the light aromas to
the nostril more efficiently. These glasses are used for
Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and Valpolicella wines.
iii. White wine glass – White wines can be served in smaller
bowls as they’re not required to be swirled and also it
remains chilled for a longer time. Although, some whites
like oak aged Chardonnays and Viognier are served in
glasses with larger bowl due to their improvement with
age which adds various aromas like vanilla and almond
characters to the wine.
 Image no. 5 : Types of wine glasses

iv. Rosé wine glass – Rose wines can be served in white

wine glasses, although a particular style of rose wine
glass is also there. This glass comes with wide mid-point
and narrow opening which allows greater alcohol
evaporation, intensifying the wine’s fruit and floral
aromas and silkiness as it enters the mouth.
v. Champagne tulips or flutes – Champagne or sparkling
wines are served in tall, thin and straight glasses to
preserve the fizz.
vi. Port or sherry glass – Fortified wines are served in
smaller version of the regular wines as their serving
quantity is less. Also narrow mouth reduces evaporation
of higher strength sherry or port wines.

14.11 Wine service temperatures

As a general rule red wines should be served at room

temperature and white and sparkling wines chilled. The
reason behind it is that the flavours and aromas in red wines
evolve at normal temperature. While for white wines the
acidity and fruitiness can be enjoyed when it’s chilled.

Sparkling wines have CO2 bubbles which need to be chilled

otherwise it will taste very flat. The ideal service temperature
can change also due to type of grape and the age of the wine.

To maintain the required temperature wines can be either

stored in temperature controlled wine cellars or it can be
kept in the regular fridge or freezers for some time
depending on the type of wine or temperature required to
attain. Once opened whites and sparkling wines should be
kept in the wine buckets with ice and water to maintain
their temperature.

Following is the table of serving temperature of wines:

 Type of wine Service
Temperature
Light bodied white wines and rose 7-100 C
wines.
Medium or full bodied and oak aged 10-130 C
white wines.
Sparkling wines. 6-100 C
Young, light bodied, fruity reds like 12-130 C
Merlot or Beaujolais Nouveau.
Medium bodied red wines. 14-160 C
Full bodied and well-aged red wines. 16-180 C

14.12 Wine and food pairing

As a thumb rule, pairing of wine

with food goes like this –white
wine with fish and poultry, red
wine with red meats and cheese,
sherry to start with and port to
finish. Over the years things have
changed drastically and now the
choices are more specific
regarding the wine from a
particular region or varietal. Still,
the final call lies with the diner
and it solely depends on his or her
taste. Below is a list of some of the
wine-food combinations that can
be considered as the standard:
Type of food Choice of wine
Appetizers
Continental Light Champagne or sparkling wine or
appetizers dry sherry.
Meaty consommé Amontillado sherry.
soup
Chowder or Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo(R) (Italy).
Minestrone soup
Smoked salmon Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris or aged
Chardonnay.

Prawn or shrimp Sauvignon Blanc.

Salads
Main Course
Pasta in white Concentrated Italian white wine like
sauce Soave.
Pasta in red sauce Medium-bodied Italian red wine like
Montepulciano or Barbera varietal
wines.
Mushroom risotto Chianti red wine.
Oysters Champagne or Chablis.
Scallops Delicate light white wine like Italian
Pinot Grigio or German or NZ Riesling.
Lobster as a salad Pungent white like Pouilly Fume.
Lobster as a main Heavier white wines like Meursault or
course Californian or Australian Chardonnay.
Light fish like sole Any light oak aged white wine.
Firm fish like sea Full bodied whites like Chardonnay
bass or cod from southern hemisphere.
Salmon as a main Medium bodied whites like Chablis or
course Chilean Chardonnays.
Sushi and sashmi Sake – Japanese rice wine.
Roasted chicken Soft red like Burgundy red, Cal. Merlot
or Rioja Crianza or any rich white wine
if served with sauce.
Turkey St-Emillon, Chateuneuf-du-Pape or
Cal. Cabernet.(R)
Roast or grilled Fuller red like Australian Shiraz, Rhone
Pork blends or Chianti Classico.
Lamb High tannin wines like Cabernet
Sauvignon and Rioja Reserva.
Beef Powerful reds like Hermitage,
Zinfandel, Barolo, Coonawarra Shiraz.
Duck Med. bodied reds like Chianti Classico,
NZ Pinot or Cal. Zinfandel.
 Game birds Fully mature Pinot Noir.
Indian food Fruity whites with sharp acidity like
Chenin Blanc or Riesling for spicy
dishes. Cabernet or Merlot for lamb.
Thai Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, SA or
NZ to accompany lime & ginger in
Thai.
Chinese Aromatic whites like Gewurztraminer,
Viognier or Riesling.
Desserts
Fresh fruits, No wine as the fruits have their own
frozen desserts acidity and frozen items will make the
like ice senses numb to enjoy any wine.
Cream
Desserts with egg Noble rotted concentrate whites like
like crème brule Sauternes.
Fruit tarts Late picked whites like German
Auslese or Austrian Riesling.
Fruitcake or any Sweet oloroso sherry, Bual or
nutty dessert Malmsey Madeira or port wine.

14.13 Wine label

There are various information one

can find on the wine label and it’s
the best way to know about any
particular wine.

Wine label varies from country to

country. Although, some of the
wine labels from old world are bit
secretive, new world wines tend to
be more informative. Some of the
descriptions about the wine you’ll
find on wine labels are as follows:

Region

Mostly the old world wines from

France and Italy are known by their
origin or the place from where the
grapes are harvested like
Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany etc.
Region plays an important role in
ascertaining the quality of wine,
smaller the region name on the
wine, it’s assumed higher its
quality. For example, Chateâu (or
village) Margaux will be regarded a
much higher quality wine than a
wine labelled with just Bordeaux as
its region.

Varietal

Many wines are recognised by

their varietal or grape’s name.
Wines can be labelled with their
grape’s name like Shiraz or
Chardonnay, if the quantity of
grape is minimum 85%, although
in some countries like US it’s 75%.
Sometime wines are labelled with
more than one grape like
Cabernet-Shiraz.

Quality statement

Many of the old world wines are

labelled with statement
concerning their quality like AOC –
Appellation d'origine contrôlée in
France. These statements are in
accordance with the governing
body of the country.

Vintage year

The year in which the grapes are harvested is called

its vintage year, if it’s mentioned on the bottle.
Generally, when the conditions are ideal then the
year is called vintage year. When the conditions
are not so good, the winemakers compensate the
quality by blending wines from previous years or
from other grapes.

Alcoholic strength

Almost any wine from

anywhere in the world will have
its alcoholic strength
mentioned on the bottle. It’s
also called Alcohol by Volume
(ABV).
Volume

Volume of the bottle which is

generally 750 ml is also mentioned
on the bottle.

Producer name

Many of the new world wines are

recognised by their producer or
brand names like wines from US,
Australia or even from India.

Other than above, some other

information you’ll find on wine
labels are –“bottled at the
vineyard” or estate bottled,
“contains sulphites”, flavour and
aromas, food pairings, sugar
content.

14.14 Wine brands of the world

Unlike spirits and beers, wines

specially in the old world are
recognised more by the region
than their brands but in the new
world some of the wine
companies make their presence
felt and they’re as follows:
Brand From Major varietals (grapes)
Barefoot US Red – Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec,
Cabernet Sauvignon and blends.
White – Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling,
Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Chardonnay.
Also, flavoured and sparkling wines.
Concha Y Chile Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Toro and Carmenere.
White – Chardonnay, Sauvignon
Blanc, Semillon, Gewürztraminer.
Gallo US Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Pinot Noir, Syrah.
White – Chardonnay, Sauvignon
Blanc.
 Famous for Andre sparkling wine.
Changyu China Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet
Gernischt.
White – Vidal Blanc.
Yellow Tail Australia Red – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Malbec, Pinot Noir, blends.
White – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,
Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Semillon and
blends.
Also, Rose and Prosecco wines.
Sutter US Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir,
Home Merlot, Zinfandel.
White – Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay,
White Merlot, Chenin Blanc, Pinot
Grigio.
Also, sparkling and sangria wines.
Robert US Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir,
Mondavi Merlot, blends.
White – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,
blends.
Also, rose and dessert wines.
Hardy’s Australia Red – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, blends.
White – Chardonnay and Sauvignon
Blanc, blends.
Beringer US Red – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Pinot Noir and blends.
White – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
and blends.
Great Wall China Red – Cabernet Sauvignon.
White – Chenin Blanc.
Calvet France One of the largest negociants(supplier)
of Bordeaux wines.
Antinori Italy Makers of best quality “Super Tuscan”
wines.