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"When it comes to appreciating wine, there is as much myth as there is truth."

Common questions about wine service and etiquette -- the right temperature for red and white, how long the wine needs to “breathe,” what exactly is a corked bottle, why we use descriptors like flowers, fruit and bizarre words such as "tar" and "forest floor" to talk about wine -- are all typical concerns for guys who love wine. That’s because when it comes to appreciating wine, there is as much myth as there is truth. Here’s a little cheat sheet to help you become an expert on the mysteries of wine.


What's the deal with "aromas" in wine?

Just because descriptors of fruits, flowers, spices, and vegetables are often used to differentiate wines does not mean that these actual products or their artificial flavor were ever added to the wine. Type of grape, combined with soil type and winemaking technique, are what create specific aromas in wine. Descriptors are simply a way to characterize a wine’s overall aromatic style, the same way you might associate a hot brunette’s spicy perfume with her eccentric personality. With time and practice you will soon be able to identify aromas and thus crack wine “lingo.” What may have once seemed like a fabrication of wine tasting, like detecting notes of dried leaves and rose petals, will soon become second nature. Ultimately, you’ll come to know what you like and how to find it on an otherwise intimidating wine list. And who knows? Maybe you’ll end up sharing a bottle with that spicy, eccentric brunette.

Look out for these commonly used descriptors:

Fruit: Apple, cherry, plum, grapefruit, lemon

Non-Fruit: Violets, thyme, nutmeg, green pepper, tomato vine

Earth/Mineral: Forest floor, mushroom, limestone, wet stone

Oakiness: Cinnamon, vanilla, smoke, nut


What's the right temperature for wine?

Everyone will have a different opinion about the ideal temperature that wine should be kept and served at, especially when you’re talking about reds. While it won’t ruin your evening if the temperature of your bottle is a few degrees off, there are general guidelines you can follow to help the wine express its highest potential. Good restaurant service will do its best to ensure these expectations are met with temperature-controlled wine fridges, for example. Alternatively, if you’re keeping wine at home, make sure you store your reds in a dark, cool environment like a garage or a basement, since sun exposure can cause permanent spoilage. Store your whites and sparkling wines in a refrigerator, and once you pop the cork, keep it on ice for optimal enjoyment. At the end of the day temperature is all about taste. Just please don’t drop ice cubes in that beautiful glass of white.

Here are some ideal temperatures:

SPARKLING: 6-8 degrees Celsius

WHITE WINE: 9-11 degrees Celsius

LIGHT-BODIED REDS & FULL-BODIED WHITES: 12-13 degrees Celsius

MEDIUM-BODIED REDS: 14-16 degrees Celsius

FULL-BODIED REDS: 17-18 degrees


Why does wine need to be decanted?

Decanting, or pouring wine out of the bottle into another wine-holding receptacle (your wine glass, for example), is the process of “breathing” or oxygenating a wine to help its aromas and textures open up by transferring the wine from the bottle to a decanter. To decant or not decant is often an arguable topic, but there are a few situations when you can count on it to help open the wine to its full potential.


"A young Malbec can initially taste tight and overly tannic, like a mouthful of rocks."

Over time, older wine collects sediment from the gradual breakdown of pigment and tannins. Sediment is gritty and unpleasant to drink, so separating it through decanting is usually preferable. Older wine can also adapt and develop musky aromas, and decanting will help waken up the fruitier side of the wine. Bear in mind that wine becomes more delicate with age, so when decanting aged bottles, go slow -- a fast pour could overexpose the wine to oxygen and potentially ruin the wine.

A younger wine, on the other hand, can also benefit from decanting. A young Malbec can initially taste tight and overly tannic, like a mouthful of rocks. Letting it sit in the decanter for an hour or so can help soften it to make it more enjoyable.

On the other hand, despite its age, you may simply enjoy the look of liquid red velvet in a beautiful glass decanter, and that’s just as good of a reason to decant.


What's a "corked" wine?

A corked bottle of wine is hard to ignore. The smell of wet cardboard and moldy gym socks will make the wine completely undrinkable. A “corked” bottle is aptly named; it has been said that industrial pollutants found in many wood preservatives and pesticides can cause the cork to rot and hence is to blame for spoiling a bottle.

The aroma of a corked bottle is so poignant that you could sniff out a bad bottle by simply swirling and smelling a small amount of it in your glass. So, contrary to what your blue-blooded friends may think, sniffing the cork isn’t required. It’s a tradition that can seem pretentious and snobby. Since the cork is the culprit, it’s no surprise that numerous winemakers are switching to screw caps, especially when one in every twelve bottles is usually off due to a bad cork. Although not as sexy as a cork, screw caps do prevent a wine from ever being “corked.” Whether you’re an old school cork-smeller or a wine glass swirl ’n sniffer, a corked bottle is unmistakable, unless, of course, you’re drinking out of a bottle of the screwed variety.


Don't sweat the myths

The enjoyment of wine happens from the moment you select a bottle to the last sip. Hopefully, learning the truth about common wine myths can help you embrace the journey. From the first taste of apples in a perfectly chilled wine to the last drop from the decanter, your wine experience is uniquely yours.