If you already love white wine, you probably don’t need much in the way on convincing when it comes continuing your habit.
But what if you could make the experience of drinking white wine even more enjoyable? The truth is that, even after you’ve selected a great bottle, there are still a few steps that need to go into a truly memorable white wine drinking experience. Here a few tips to make sure you enjoy your wine to the fullest and get the most out of every sip.
1. Start with the right temperature
Most people know that white wine should be chilled before drinking but getting this temperature just right can go a long way to enhancing the experience. If white wine is served too warm, it can taste sour and unpleasant, or even syrupy. If it is cooled too much before consumption, the subtlety of the flavours can be lost, and it can end up numbing your tongue to its pleasing sensations. The optimal temperature for white wine is between 7-10°C and you should go out of your way to try and serve it at this temperature. It is worth waiting a few extra minutes to bring it down or up to just the right level before serving.
2. Select the perfect glass
The glass you choose to serve the wine in also has a big impact on its flavour. Although people tend to think this is more of a factor when it comes to reds, it is just as important that you select the right glass for white wine service also. Those big bulbous glasses are great for red, but white wine should always be served in something narrower. It also best to avoid novelty glasses that are off shapes or strange colours. You want to be able to see the colour of your wine and have it flow out freely.
3. Chill the glass
Speaking of the glass, a little trick that can go a long way in enhancing your white wine drinking experience is to serve it in a pre-chilled glass. By simply swirling some ice cubes and cool water around in the glass before serving, you wine will retain the proper temperature for longer and will have a nice crispness to it that you simply can’t achieve without chilling the glass.
4. Hold the glass correctly
Speaking of keeping your wine at the right temperature, it is important to hold it correctly in order to avoid raising the temperature with your body heat unnecessarily. As a rule, you should always hold your glass at the stem. Holding the bulge of the glass will definitely have an impact on the temperature and will therefore end up changing the taste. It is a simple habit to get in to and it will ensure that you have a better overall wine drinking experience.
5. After the bottle is open
Once you have opened a bottle of white wine, it should be consumed with 3-4 days. If you have the bottle for any longer than that, it might be suitable for cooking but is no longer drinkable. In order to store the wine, cork it tightly and put it back into the refrigerator. It is even better if you have a separate white refrigerator which is opened less frequently. When wine is exposed to constant fluctuations in temperatures, the taste changes and it can become more acidic. Once you’re ready to enjoy another glass, repeat the previous steps, including chilling the glass, before drinking. Always enjoy alcoholic beverages in moderation in order to truly appreciate the taste and effects.
