Good wine, as with any of the ‘finer’ things in life, deserved to be enjoyed properly and savoured. In order to fully enjoy the perfect glass of wine, i think you need the perfect glass, the perfect pour and the perfect bottle – it’s no good getting yourself a gorgeous bottle of Henschke Tappa Pass Shiraz if you’re then going to drink it out of a small plastic cup. You just don’t get the level of appreciation that a wine of this quality deserves.
So here’s a quick guide to the perfect glass of wine:
The Glass:
You should go with a fine stemmed wineglass made of glass or crystal, rather than plastic. Stemmed wine glasses are important as they allow you to hold the glass without the palm of your hand touching the section containing the wine (which causes the wine to heat up).You should also try and match the glass to the wine you’re drinking, so here are a couple of examples:
For a sparkling wine, such as the Denbies Greenfields Cuvee 2004, you want to go for a flute-type champagne glass, as they will provide a central point from which the bubbles can rise.
For a red wine, such as the Antu Ninquen Red, Vina Montgras 2006, you should aim for a tulip shaped glass, which gives the wine plenty of room to move and allow for its full aroma to be captured.
If you’re enjoying a white wine, like the Denbies Wine Estate Surrey Gold, you should be aiming for glasses that narrow at the rim, as this allows less cold to escape – thus preserving the wine enhancing chill for a longer period of time.
The glass should be between 8 and 10 ounces in capacity, giving you a decent amount of room to swirl the wine. You should also only ever use glasses that are clean; glasses marked with lipstick, fingerprints or dirt can detract away from the presentation and taste of the wine, particularly important if you’ve just bought an expensive bottle.
The Pour:
Most people don’t put much thought or emphasis on pouring the wine, but it can make a difference. You should allow your wine to breathe in the bottle before pouring it, or if possible, decant it to allow it to breathe. You should pour the wine directly into the centre of the glass and not the sides (as most people do), the only time you should be pouring the wine directly onto the side of the glass is with sparkling wine.
You should also aim to fill the glass two-thirds full, as this gives the wine room to breathe and allows the full aroma of the wine to be enjoyed.
