Serving, decanting and storing wine
Serving temperature
| Style | Serve at |
|---|
| Sparkling | 6–8 °C |
| Sweet and dessert wines | 6–8 °C |
| Crisp, dry whites | 6–9 °C |
| Rosé | 7–10 °C |
| Aromatic whites | 7–10 °C |
| Off-dry whites | 7–10 °C |
| Rich, round whites | 10–13 °C |
| Orange and skin-contact whites | 10–13 °C |
| fortified dry (Fino, Manzanilla) | 6–8 °C |
| fortified oxidative (Amontillado, Oloroso, Tawny) | 12–14 °C |
| fortified sweet (Ruby, Vintage Port, PX) | 14–18 °C |
| Light, fresh reds | 12–15 °C |
| Juicy, fruity reds | 14–16 °C |
| Medium, savoury reds | 15–17 °C |
| Rich, smooth reds | 16–18 °C |
| Full, structured reds | 16–18 °C |
20 minutes in the fridge for a red that is too warm; 20 minutes out of the fridge for a white that is too cold.
Decanting
Two reasons to decant: aerate young, tannic or reductive wines so they open up; separate sediment from old reds and unfiltered wines (Vintage Port, Crusted Port, old Bordeaux, Barolo).
| Wine | How long | Note |
|---|
| young full_structured_red (Barolo, Bordeaux, Napa Cabernet, Northern Rhône, Ribera) | 60–120 min | |
| young rich_smooth_red (Amarone, Shiraz, Malbec reserve, Priorat) | 30–60 min | |
| medium reds (Chianti, Rioja Reserva, Burgundy village) | 0–30 min | optional; a splash decant |
| light reds, most whites, rosé, sparkling | no need | no need; open 15–30 min ahead at most |
| old red (15+ years) or Vintage Port | 0–30 min | decant gently off the sediment just before serving; old wines fade fast in air |
| reductive whites or natural wines with a struck-match note | 15–30 min | a swirl or splash decant clears it; oxidation never clears |
| LBV Port (filtered), Tawny, Sherry | no need | |
How long wine keeps once open
| Style | Days |
|---|
| Sparkling | 1–2 |
| Crisp, dry whites | 3–5 |
| Rich, round whites | 2–4 |
| Light, fresh reds | 2–3 |
| Full, structured reds | 3–5 |
| Sweet and dessert wines | 7–21 |
| Fino / Manzanilla | 3–7 |
| Amontillado / Oloroso | 30–90 |
| Tawny Port | 30–60 |
| Ruby / LBV Port | 14–30 |
| Vintage Port | 2–5 |
- refrigerate everything once open, including reds
- a vacuum stopper or inert gas roughly doubles these
- half-full bottles go faster than full ones
How long wine keeps unopened
| Style | Years from vintage |
|---|
| sparkling NV | 0–3 |
| vintage Champagne | 3–20 |
| Crisp, dry whites | 0–3 |
| Aromatic whites | 0–4 |
| Rich, round whites | 1–8 |
| Riesling / Chenin / Sémillon (top) | 3–25 |
| Rosé | 0–2 |
| Light, fresh reds | 0–5 |
| Juicy, fruity reds | 0–5 |
| Medium, savoury reds | 2–10 |
| Rich, smooth reds | 2–12 |
| Full, structured reds | 5–25 |
| sweet wine (botrytis) | 3–40 |
| Vintage Port | 15–50 |
| Tawny / Sherry | ready on release; do not age |
What makes a wine age: high acidity, high tannin, high sugar, high alcohol (fortified), concentration, good closure and storage.
Storage
Ideal: 10–15 °C, 60–80% humidity, dark, on its side for cork, any way for screwcap. Common mistakes: kitchen (warm and bright); top of the fridge (vibration, heat); temperature swings do more harm than a steady 18°C.
Is it faulty?
| Fault | Smells like | Fixable? |
|---|
| cork taint (TCA) | damp cardboard, wet dog; fruit muted | false |
| oxidation | bruised apple, sherry; browning | false |
| reduction | struck match, boiled cabbage, drains | often; air it |
| volatile acidity | vinegar, nail varnish | false |
| Brettanomyces | farmyard, plaster, band-aid | false — a little is style in some Rhône and Rioja |
| heat damage | cooked, jammy, flat; cork pushed up | false |
| tartrate crystals | none; harmless glassy crystals | not a fault |
Closures
- screwcap: reliable, no cork taint, slow oxygen ingress; ages wine more slowly; not a quality signal either way
- natural cork: traditional; 1–3% risk of TCA (cork taint: damp cardboard)
- technical / DIAM: treated cork, near-zero taint
- synthetic: fine for wines drunk within 2 years