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how to drink red wine? Tips and recommendations

how should we drink red wine? How should we drink red wine? Drinking red wine is more than just putting it in your mouth and waiting, drinking a glass of this delicious broth is to enjoy a sensory experience that leaves a lot of satisfaction.

There are some conditions to which we unknowingly subject a bottle of red wine, altering significantly its flavor, acidity and balance, unintentionally serving a wine that we may not like and that loses its natural conditions.

That is why we will give you some important tips that you can take advantage of when enjoying a glass of red wine that will prevent you from altering the broth and enjoy its fullness and charm.

+6 Practical tips for drinking red wine

The tips presented here are not necessarily the only ones that can guide you when serving a glass of red wine, but they are part of the most important steps you can follow to have a full sensory experience that allows you to openly enjoy red wine.

1.- Serving red wine at its ideal temperature

We know that different types of red wines have their own temperature, for example, young wines are recommended to be served at a temperature between 15°C and 16°C, while crianza wines are recommended to be served at a temperature between 16°C and 17°C, while reserva and grand reserve wines should be enjoyed at a temperature between 17°C and 18°C.

Therefore, the ideal serving temperature for red wine is between 15°C and 17°C, which will allow it to show openly its aromatic and tannic load, it is a wine that is not drunk cold, but rather at room temperature.

To cool it we can place it in a bucket with ice for at least 10 minutes before serving, this will allow the wine to take the right temperature, and when we are in winter we can leave it in a cool place in the house that will surely take its ideal temperature allowing you to enjoy all its bouquet.

2.- Let the red wine breathe

This is very important, red wine generates many substances during the months of its bottling, so when we open the bottle many of them need a little time to be released or transformed.

This is known as oxygenation, a phase that allows the red wine to release its organoleptic qualities, so it is recommended that we let it breathe for a few minutes before serving it in the glass.

3.- Serving red wine in the glass

Once we let the red wine breathe we proceed to serve it in the glass, if you prefer to use a glass you can also do it, however when serving it in the glass you must pay attention.

The ideal is not to fill it and to hold it by the stem with the fingertips, this will prevent us from heating the red wine and also to avoid marking the traces on the calyx of the glass.

4.- Smelling the red wine

Smelling the red wine while you move it will help you to appreciate all its aromas, since we can find a wide range of fruity, floral, herbaceous and mineral notes that give it personality and identity, and this also manages to please the palate involuntarily and whets the appetite.

5.- Taste the red wine

This step is one of the best, to enjoy just take a sip from the glass and move it inside the mouth, which will make your taste buds absorb its flavor, then it is good to keep it for 5 to 10 seconds before swallowing it and enjoy the exposure that leaves its aftertaste.

It is advisable to drink red wine in small sips to enjoy it better as it is usually accompanied by an intense flavor.

6.- Pairing red wine with the right dish

When we want to accompany our meals with a glass of red wine, it is necessary to take into account the factors that enhance the flavor of this broth and that will allow us to better enjoy the food.

Red wines are a perfect choice to accompany flavorful fish, fish stews, meats in all their presentations including game, sausages, legumes, vegetables and cheeses.

The 5 most common mistakes when drinking red wine

Many times we do not know the proper way to drink red wine, so we make mistakes that alter the taste, temperature and aroma of this delicious broth.

The most common mistakes when drinking red wine

1.- Putting the bottle of red wine inside the refrigerator

This is a serious mistake, the ideal serving temperature of red wine is almost room temperature, so serving it cold is a serious mistake.

Since this does not allow the wine to show itself as it should be and alters its flavor, acidity and balance changing its quality, besides the refrigerator gradually kills the flavor of red wine.

2.- Do not let the red wine breathe

As we all know the ideal is to let the wine breathe for a few minutes before serving it in the glass, not doing so does not allow the aroma to open and release the closed aftertaste it may have, thus altering in some way the quality of the red wine.

3.- Fill the glass completely

Filling the glass of red wine completely is unnecessary, it is enough to fill half of the glass to fully enjoy the wine and delight the palate with its range of aromatic qualities and flavors that make it a delight.

4.- Holding the glass by the goblet

This should not be done. Holding the glass by the calyx leaves the traces marked and heats the broth, thus directly altering its flavor.

The ideal is to hold it by the stem with the fingertips, this will allow the wine to release all its splendor slowly.

5.- Stirring the red wine too much

We can swirl the red wine around in the glass, but it is not necessary to stir it too much as this will oxidize the wine and it will lose its bouquet more quickly when it comes into contact with air.

The red wine glass and its parts

The glass is an important item when enjoying a good red wine, since through it we can change and improve the taste of the wine.

A glass is not only used for drinking, but it is also an element of evaluation of the wine we are going to taste. Let’s get to know which are the parts that make up a glass.

Parts of a red wine glass The wine glass is made up of three parts: Chalice, Stem and Foot or Base

  • Goblet: It is the area where the wine is deposited, and its shape depends on the type of wine, it is also known as the ball or body of the glass.
  • Stem: It is the part that joins the base and the calyx and must be long enough so that it does not touch the body of the glass.
  • Foot or Base: It is the part that holds the goblet, and can be circular, square, smooth, carved, etc.

Likewise, red wine glasses meet a series of requirements that allow holding the wine without alteration and allowing it to unfold all its virtues once it is served.

Characteristics of the Red Wine Glass The red wine glass is an important ally when it comes to enjoy this delicious broth, it is not a stereotype or cliché, it is necessary that it complies with some rules in order not to alter its quality.

  • The material used to make the glass should be crystal or glass as thin as possible, transparent and colorless, in order to be able to perceive the color of the wine.
  • The glass should have very thin and colorless walls, without carving or other ornamental motifs.
  • It should be large enough to pour enough wine into it, remembering that one third is ideal,
  • The stem should be between four and five centimeters high to prevent the fingers from touching the body of the glass and altering its quality.

what are the types of glasses to drink red wine?

For each type of wine there is a different glass, all of them share common characteristics but each wine uses certain glasses that enhance its qualities and allow greater enjoyment at the time of tasting.

Types of red wine glasses

Let’s get to know the glasses that are used to drink red wine and not alter its composition.

Burgundy glass

It is a large glass with a voluminous calyx and somewhat pot-bellied with a wide neck and a proportionately long stem, which allows the aromas to rise more, and the wine to breathe, to open completely showing all its aromatic qualities.

It is a good glass for wines that have spent a long time in barrel and then in bottle, those complex wines that need oxygen to awaken. Its height is almost 250 millimeters,

Bordeaux glass

It is a very wide and high glass, specially designed to oxygenate very elaborated red wines such as Cabernet or Merlot.

It has an opening of about six centimeters that allows to approach the nose easily and to inhale the aroma of the wine at the same time that it is ingested. Its height is approximately 270 millimeters.

Cabernet Sauvignon glass

This is a large glass that allows the full development of the bouquet of the red wine, harmonizes the aromas and flavors, softens the rough edges, enhances the fruity character of the wine and balances the wine. The height of this glass is approximately 265 millimeters.

Pinot Noir glass

This is a large glass ideal for full-bodied red wines with more than 12.5% alcohol, moderate tannins and high acidity. Its design allows the liquid to flow towards the palate, which is responsible for distinguishing the fruity flavors of the wine. Its height is 238 millimeters.

Thus, we can determine that for red wines it is necessary to use a wide and wide-bellied glass that facilitates its oxygenation without dispersing the perfumes.

For well-structured, high quality red wines, with high alcohol content and rich in aromas. It is necessary to use a wide glass, as it favors the harmonious perception of the sensations they generate, while for medium-aged reds it is good to use a wide and rounded glass, which allows the nuances of the bouquet to be exalted.

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