Drinking red wine is the most exquisite among wines. It is not as casual and bold as other wines. It has its own unique drinking culture. The wine glass, pouring and tasting are all a unique existence. The following is the Western food and wine etiquette I compiled, I hope it can be provided for your reference.

Western red wine etiquette

The first step: wine temperature

Red wine will taste astringent after being chilled

Traditionally, the temperature for drinking red wine is cool room temperature, between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, red wines of all vintages are at their best. A bottle of chilled red wine will have more pronounced tannins than a bottle of red wine at cool room temperature, so the taste will be astringent.

Step 2: Decant the wine

Only when the red wine is fully oxidized will it be fragrant

A bottle of fine wine is usually dusty for many years, and there will be an odor when it is just opened. At this time, you need to "wake up" the wine. After pouring the wine into the decanter, wait for ten minutes for the odor of the wine to dissipate. The decanter is generally required to maximize the contact surface between the wine and oxygen. After the red wine is fully oxidized, the rich flavor will The fragrance comes out.

Step 3: Watch the wine

The edges of the aged wine are brown

The red color of red wine is enough to seduce people's hearts. When pouring red wine, The basic requirement is that the wine glass should be placed horizontally so that the wine does not overflow. Place a red wine glass horizontally on a white paper in a well-lit environment and look at the edge of the wine to determine the age of the wine. Those with clear layers are mostly new wines, and those with even colors are a bit older. If they are slightly brown, it may be a bottle of old wine.

Step 4: Drink

Let it stay in the mouth for a while

Before entering the mouth of the wine, take a deep sniff in the glass. You can appreciate the fragrance of red wine, then swallow a sip of red wine, let the red wine stay in your mouth for a while, roll it on your tongue twice, so that your senses can fully experience the red wine, and finally swallow it all, and a fragrance will immediately linger in it.

Step 5: Wine sequence

Taste new wine first and then old wine

A wine tasting party usually tastes more than two or three red wines in order to achieve comparison. effect. When drinking, you should follow the principle of putting fresh food first and old food last, and light food first and strong food last.

Basic knowledge of Western red wine

Wine selection

1. Look at the place of origin. Based on geographical knowledge, we can judge whether the quality of local grapes is good, that is: grapes in areas with drought, little rain, and sufficient sunlight will mature well, have no diseases, and have less pesticide pollution.

2. See the manufacturing date.

3. Look at the life of the wine. Based on the date of production, the best drinking period is within five or six years.

4. Check whether there is any sediment or foreign matter in the wine. If the foreign matter is cork residue, it will not affect drinking; if the sediment is granular and the bottle is turned upside down and the sediment drops rapidly, and the wine is still transparent, it is mostly tartar precipitation, which will not affect drinking. If the wine is turbid or has floc, it may become moldy and should not be purchased.

5. Look at the color. Dry white wine is mostly slightly yellowish with green color, while dry red wine also comes in various colors such as deep red, ruby ??red, brick red, etc. The color of red wine changes as the wine is stored; new wine is usually dark red, and the color around the rim of the wine glass becomes lighter with light brown. Dry red wines that are dark, tarnished or cloudy should not be purchased.

In addition, there are several points to pay attention to when buying wine:

First, choose famous brand products that have been in business for many years;

Second, choose products that you know the roots of. ;

The third is to go to a direct sales store, a special dealership or a dealership with a high reputation to purchase.

Place

The best place for wine tasting is in a room with fresh oxygen and cool temperature.

The ideal room temperature is 18-20 degrees Celsius. The drinking temperature of red wine: elegant red wine is about 12 degrees, alcoholic red wine is about 14-16 degrees, rich taste is about 18 degrees, but the maximum should not exceed 20 degrees. Because the temperature is too high, the wine will oxidize and evaporate quickly, making the alcohol smell too strong and the smell becomes turbid; while the temperature is too cold, the wine aroma will freeze and become difficult to disperse, and sourness will easily appear. Any smell, such as perfume, cigarette smell, or flower smell, should be avoided indoors. In addition, you need to have a white background. It is best to use white tablecloths and napkins to line the back of the wine glass and observe the color of the wine.

Time

The ideal time for wine tasting is before a meal. It is best to avoid drinking spirits, coffee, eating chocolate, smoking or chewing betel nut before tasting wine. Professional wine tasting activities are mostly held between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. It is said that people’s taste is most sensitive during this time.

Wine glasses

Although there are many types of wine glasses, there are still the same basic principles when purchasing: 1. Colorless and transparent; 2. The belly of the glass is best without decoration. In order to facilitate the appreciation of the original color of the wine; 3. The material should not be too thick, so as not to affect the touch when tasting; 4. Use tall glasses.

In this way, when the wine glass is turned and observed, the temperature of the hand will not affect the wine in the glass. In addition, grape glasses should be washed immediately after use. When washing, first wash with mild detergent, then rinse with hot water, and finally dry with a dry cloth without leaving lint. You can hang it upside down in the cup holder, or place the cup upright to avoid the accumulation of stuffy smell.

Temperature

To taste an excellent red wine, you must pay attention to the wine tasting temperature: if the temperature is too low, the aroma of the wine will be sealed in the wine and will not evaporate; If the temperature is too high, the alcohol will taste too strong and lose its balance, which will greatly affect the quality of the wine. Red wine is generally suitable for drinking at room temperature, ideally between 15-18 degrees Celsius. If it is hot weather, the best way to cool down red wine is to use an ice bucket instead of putting it in the refrigerator. Especially for a good wine like Harvest Collection Cabernet Sauvignon dry red wine, being too chilled will destroy the original flavor of the wine.

Opening wine

The graceful act of opening a bottle is an art. When opening wine, first wipe the bottle clean, then use the knife on the bottle opener (or use a bottle cutter and sealer) to cut off the bottle seal along the protruding circle of the bottle mouth. Note that it is best not to turn the bottle. bottle, as it may “wake up” impurities that have settled at the bottom of the bottle. After cutting off the bottle seal, wipe the mouth of the bottle clean with a cloth or paper towel, then insert the tip of the corkscrew drill into the center of the cork (if the drill is crooked, it is easy to break the cork), and slowly rotate it in a clockwise direction. to drill into the cork. If you are using a butterfly-shaped corkscrew, when you turn the screwdriver, the handles on both sides will slowly rise. When the handles rise to the top, just gently pull them down. The cork can be pulled out (but if the cork is too long, it will be difficult to pull it out smoothly at one time). If you are using a so-called "Waiter's Friend" professional bottle opener, it is recommended not to drill the screwdriver all the way in at once and leave a ring (because you may not know the length of the cork. If you drill the screwdriver all the way in at once, (will pass through the cork and sprinkle cork chips into the wine), then pull down the handle, support another support point on the mouth of the bottle, hold it with your left hand, and then "lift" the handle straight up with your right hand (Note! It is "lifting" rather than pushing. Pushing can easily push the cork away. In addition, lifting will save more effort because the longer the force arm, the less effort it takes.) If you find that the cork is too long and cannot be pulled out smoothly, please stop first, drill in the last ring of drill body that has not been drilled in, and "lift" it again. Wait until the cork feels like it is about to be pulled out. Stop, hold the cork with your hand, shake or turn it gently, and pull out the cork gently, quietly and gracefully. Then wipe the mouth of the bottle clean with a cloth or paper towel, and you can pour the wine.

Decanting

Before tasting red wine, it is usually necessary to decant the wine to fully contact the wine with oxygen and allow the red wine to "breathe". Decanting aged red wine can release mature and closed aromas, making the aroma of the wine more balanced; while decanting new wine can avoid strong tannins. The length of sobering time mainly depends on the age, variety and characteristics of the wine.

Generally, young new wines can be ready half an hour or even 10 minutes in advance. More complex is the rich red wine. If the storage period is too short, the tannin flavor will be particularly strong. This kind of wine should be opened at least two hours in advance to fully expose the wine to oxygen to increase the aroma and accelerate maturation. Red wines in the mature stage, such as Harvest Collection Cabernet Sauvignon dry red wine, are generally prepared half an hour or at most an hour in advance. At this time, the wine is full-bodied and fragrant, which is the best time to taste it.

Color

Red wine has its own unique color. Generally speaking, the color of the wine mainly depends on the transparency, clarity and concentration of the wine color. Slowly pour the wine into the tulip-shaped transparent goblet, about 1/4-1/3 cup. Facing the light source, tilt forward 45 degrees, raise the glass to eyebrow level and observe its color. High-quality red wine brings out bright textures. Harvest Classic Reserve Dry Red is an elegant deep ruby ??red color, crystal clear and brilliant. After understanding the transparency and texture of the wine, we also need to look at the concentration of the wine body. Gently shake the wine glass and tilt it to see if there are any traces of the liquid sliding down the wall of the glass, that is, whether the glass is hanging. The Harvest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon dry red wine is mellow and full-bodied with a high alcohol content. When the glass is gently shaken, the wine slowly flows along the wall of the glass.

Smell the scent

After observing the color, enter the scent-smelling stage. The aroma of wine also changes from time to time depending on the year, grape variety and brewing method of the wine. Pour the wine into a wine glass, gently bring the glass to your nose and smell. You can usually smell the naturally volatile aroma. Then gently swirl the wine glass to rotate the wine along the wall of the glass to increase the aroma concentration. High-quality wine has a pure and harmonious fruity and wine aroma. Wine that has been stored in wooden barrels also has a soft and moderate oak aroma. Deteriorated wine will have unpleasant smells such as sourness and sulfur.

Wine etiquette in Western restaurants

Choice of wine glasses:

The shape of the cup will affect the aroma and smell during wine tasting. Generally speaking, the diameter of the red wine glass The cup belly is larger, and the mouth of the cup is wide and retracted, which is good for retaining the aroma of wine and increasing the sobering effect; white wine is suitable for drinking at low temperatures, so the cup body and diameter are smaller to slow down the temperature recovery. When drinking red and white wine at the same time, be sure to prepare two types of wine glasses to avoid interfering with the flavor.

How to hold a wine glass:

Most wines need to be slightly chilled to appear most perfect. Therefore, when drinking wine, you should hold the stem of the glass or the cup holder. Don't hold the cup by the body or cup like you would when drinking whiskey, lest your body temperature affect its delicate flavor.

Smell of wine:

Gently shake the wine glass to let the wine release the hidden aroma during the shaking. Put your nose into the wine glass and smell it to capture the rich flowers and fruits. , toast or ore and other smells.

Appearance of wine:

First, observe the color and clarity of the wine against a light or a glass in front of a white paper. When tasting red wine, you can also observe the subtle color of the rim of the wine. Halo, the lighter or older the wine, the wider the rim of the wine; after shaking it slightly, you can also observe the wine traces flowing down the wine. The thicker the wine, the slower it flows.

Tasting of wine:

Take a big sip and swish it around your mouth to spread the wine evenly on the tongue, allowing your taste buds to fully experience the sweet and sour taste of the wine. degree, and then swallow slowly. If you drink a good wine, you can still feel the lingering aftertaste.

Details to pay attention to when drinking wine:

Wine should be refrigerated in advance or chilled for 10 to 15 minutes before drinking. Do not put it in the freezer or add ice cubes, which may damage the wine. its flavour. When pouring wine, you do not need to pick up the wine glass, and the wine bottle should not touch the rim of the glass. In order to facilitate shaking and spread the aroma of the wine, pouring wine is usually 1/4 to 1/3 cup.