OCCASIONALLY I see some sadly neglected wine in bottle shops, restaurants and in people’s homes. Bottles that have oxidised due to mishandling, or simply left too long. So here are some guidelines, tips and tricks that might help to save these gems. Some of these may be simple and common sense but others, I hope, will increase your enjoyment of wine. There is also some old-fashioned etiquettes thrown in for good measure.
Let’s start off with purchasing. 1. Check the label and think twice about purchasing that 15% abv (plus) wine. High alcohol doesn’t add aroma and flavour. 2. Look out for darker coloured oxidised white wines in bottle-shops, don’t buy the one on show which is exposed to more light and heat, take the back shelf one. 3. Whilst looking, search the back of shelves for older vintages of a red wine that’s been forgotten, a little age on most reds can only improve them (as long as the vintage is good). 4. Scrutinise medals on bottles, inspect which wine show/judging they won their trophies or medals. Generally, a silver or bronze medal means it is well-made, but not remarkable. Check out Winestate’s guide to medals on page 35. Inspect the screwcap for damage. A dint in the seal can result in a damaged oxidised wine. 6. Cork is not an outdated stopper, yet. Wines under cork do mature quicker and therefore can be enjoyed earlier. 7. At cellar door, I’ve often observed the ‘estate’ bottled wine is a better well-balanced wine than the ‘reserve’ or premium label. 8. The final tip to purchasing should be left to the legendary winemaker Jack Mann who said a wine “should be Glowing with life, Blessed with refinement, Adorned with flavour”.
Now some views on cellaring. 9. Whilst 15˚ Centigrade is consider ideal, it’s often impossible to achieve without the aid of a wine cabinet. So, try for below 20˚C and achieve a constant temperature, it’s the fluctuation that does a lot of the damage. 10. Store screw top bottles standing up. 11. Watch the humidity levels (70% is ideal) too much and the labels will rot, too little the labels may drop off and/or the cork will dry out. 12. Inspect the bottles and turn them every six months so the sediment doesn’t start sticking to one side of the bottle. 13. Keep your labels intact. If you intend on selling them, damaged labels can affect the price. 14. If you are a big collector ensure your wine cellar has a balanced selection of red and whites, accommodate other people’s likes and not only your own, part of the joy is giving! 15. The most common mistake in cellaring wines is to keep wine too long. Age is no guarantee of quality.16. Consider dividing your cellar into every day, weekend, special occasion wines and mark them so other people know what they are picking!
Serving wine is littered with dos and don’ts such as, 17. Don’t serve white wine too chilled. You really miss out on the complexity of the more full-bodied wines if they are too cold. 18. Aromatics can be served colder (8 to 10 degrees) but oaked wines like chardonnay should be served at 12 degrees. 19. Red wines can be too warm in Australian summers so they may need slightly chilling in the fridge to come down to a normal room temperature. In a survey conducted by Taylors Wines in 2018 around 100 people were served two glasses of Taylors Estate Shiraz served at two temperatures – one at room temperature (24ºC) and one at 17ºC. 71% preferred the chilled sample and said they would pay more for it. 20.There are some reds that are better slightly chilled, say at 12-14˚C. These include some fruit driven young pinot noirs and gamays (Beaujolais). 21. When holding a wine glass use the stem or foot of the glass, never the bowl (unless it is a stemless glass, then you have no choice). 22. Decant young wines to aerate them and allow the aromas to develop. 23. Decant old wines to remove the sediment as well as allowing them to breath. 24. Leave the bottle standing up for a day to make decanting easier. 25. A decanter can be any old, plain (clean) jug. Some expensive decanters are simply impractical. 26. Always smell a clean glass before you pour wine into it to ensure there are no odours. 27. If it is a cork bottle cut the foil on a bottle neatly. 28. There are many expensive ‘toys’ that open bottles, I still regard a genuine Pulltaps (made in Barcelona) as the best and most reliable opener. Watch out for cheap imitations. 29. If the cork breaks or the cork is saturated and liable to crumble due to age use an Ah-so opener. One of these tools should be in your arsenal. 30. If you cannot budge a champagne cork then use a pair of plyers or nut crackers, remember never twist the cork as it will snap. If it does then use your Pulltaps to extract the remaining cork. 31. Pour a wine by holding the lower third of the bottle with the label exposed. 32. Always wipe dry a bottle which has been sitting in an ice bucket before your pour it, otherwise it may slip out of your hands. 33. Pour Champagne by inserting your thumb in the punt and hold at the base in one hand, but only do it if you are confident and won’t drop it! 34. Don’t touch the rim of the glass with the bottle, pour the wine an inch above the glass and give a slight twist of the wrist to avoid a drip. Have a service cloth/napkin ready in case that doesn’t work. 35. Pouring sparkling wines in two goes, pour half a glass first and let it rest, then top up. 36. Try cleaning stubborn stained glasses and decanters with a Steradent tablet and then rinse them. 37. Never leave glasses in a sink, it’s an accident waiting to happen. 38. Inspect glasses for chips before polishing them and always protect your hands with a cloth when polishing. 39. A sensible sized set of glasses with a tapered bowl is better than a huge monster of a glass that will only result in an odd set when one or more gets smashed. 40. Finally enjoy wine with friends, failing that, buy a Coravin and enjoy your best bottles glass by glass whilst meditating.