Here is the formal way wine should be served. Better restaurants will use this technique and you can impress your friends with your newfound knowledge and skills by following these simple steps.
- Always present the wine to your guests, from the right side, with the label facing the guest. In a restaurant the waiter will do this for the host or the person ordering the wine.
- Have a clean, folded napkin, behind the wine when presenting.
- Let your guests know what they are drinking by telling them the name of the wine producer, name of the wine, the grapes used, the region where it is made and the vintage (year). Use your fingers to point out this information to your guests. I recommend doing your research and memorizing this information before your guests arrive so you seem very confident and look natural doing it.
- Cut under the bottom lip of the bottle with a corkscrew to remove the foil cap and insert the wine key at a 45 degree angle into the center of the cork.
- Gently pull up on the cork, and wiggle it out without making a sound.
- Remove the cork from the corkscrew and set it aside. If the guests ask for the cork, simply present it.
- Wipe the lip of the bottle and pour a taste for the host.
- Pour about 4 oz of wine for each guest, and place the bottle on a coaster, on a secure part of the table.
- The perfect temperature for white wine is about 45-50 degrees. Cooler temperatures mask its flavors.
- Many times it is even recommended putting red wine in a bucket for a few minutes, especially if it is a wine stored at home in ambient temperatures. Red wines that are too warm are overly alcoholic.
Cheers!
The Golden Table 