Do you buy quality wine but don't know in what order it is right to serve it at the table? The serving sequence of wine can greatly influence the perception of its quality.
Here are seven simple principles to adopt immediately to serve wine in the correct sequence, useful for when you host a dinner at home but also for choosing wine at a restaurant.
1. The bubbles should be served first, then the white, rosé and red wines , except if they are sweet wines or sweet sparkling wines, which are served at the end;
2. Wines to be served cold go before those that require a higher temperature;
3. Another way to serve wine is to follow the increasing alcohol content except, of course, for dessert wines;
4. And instead, if you are serving wines of the same type, the sequence goes from the lightest to the most structured, from the youngest to the oldest ;
5. And again on service, remember that temperature matters. Don't serve the wine too cold because the aromas and flavors would be shy. For reds, room temperature is fine, which means around 18-20°C (so it's best to store it in a cool place and even in the fridge if the house is very hot); for whites and rosés the serving temperature ranges from approximately 10 to 14° C.
6. But for bubbles, one degree less is always better than one more (usually 6 to 8° C is the recommended temperature);
7. On the quantity of wine to serve, it is best to settle on about half a glass for whites and rosés , a little less for reds .
These are the basic principles, useful for orientation. And then we know: the rules are important but it can also be fun to subvert them, with art. Sommelier Anna Cardin, in her selection for Sommelier Wine Box , suggested surprising guests by serving Fior d'Arancio Spumante from Vigna Ròda with oysters, as an appetizer...