How to Drink Wine: Tips to Elevate Your Experience (Part 1)

Are you a wine lover looking to up your game and get the most out of every wine drinking experience? Well, we’ve compiled some amazing tips to help you drink wine just like an expert! Whether you get your wine from a winery, order wine online, or purchase some nice bottles from your local wine shop, you can get the most out of your experience by following some of this basic purchase and drinking advice. 

Carefully Check Out the Bottle

Getting the most out of your wine drinking experience means first making sure that the wine isn’t in a damaged or defective bottle. Check for any cork damage, bulging, crumbling, or soaking of the wine. If the cork doesn’t look right, it may be an indication of heat damage, incorrect sealing, or spoilage. 

Uncorking Your Bottle

When it comes to your regular wine cork, there are a couple of different devices you can use to get the piece out correctly. A wine key that comes equipped with a worm and a hinged fulcrum is one efficient technique that is used in many restaurants and is designed to have minimal impact on the cork so it doesn’t do any damage in the process. You can also use you’re standard at-home corkscrew. Don’t forget, if you’re opening a bottle of sparkling wine, gently twist the cork until you feel the release and remove it slowly.

Choosing the Right Glass

Another key part of being a wine connoisseur and making sure whatever you’re drinking is aerating properly comes from choosing the right wine glass. For red wine, opt for a glass with a wide rim and a bigger bowl to help provide a larger breathing area. For white wine, go for a smaller glass with a steeper U-shape that will help the wine stay colder for longer. Finally, sparkling wine is best served in a tall and narrow bowl to help preserve the bubbles for longer. 

Decanting and Pouring

The decanting process varies from wine to wine, with some red wines supremely benefitting from the process, and other types of wines only needing a short amount of decanting time. For red wines, decanting before pouring will enhance the flavor and aroma of the wine as well as help to remove any sediment for older vintages. If you don’t have a decanter readily available, swirling the wine in your class will help aeration. When it’s time to pour, always make sure you’re serving the right amount. For red wine, around half a glass, white wine will be closer to a third of the glass, and champagne around two-thirds of a glass.  

Order Wine Online & More Today!

Don’t forget to check out Part 2 of our “How to Drink Wine” blog series so you can finish learning how to be an expert, and check out all of the amazing products we have to offer at Rollers Wine & Spirits! With locations across Hilton Head, we even offer in-person wine tastings, dinners, and cooking classes for you to test out your knowledge in person. Enjoy a beautiful glass of wine with us today!