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Wines:Choice—Care—Serving(contd,)
Serving:
Most wines should be served at round about the
temperature of the room—Qaretj Burgtmdy and
Chianti particularly. These should not be hur
riedly warmed by being placed near a fire or
immersed in hot water, but brought into the
dining room,if possible, two or three hours before
being required, so that they gradually acquire the
same temperature as the room.
White wines,Sauternes,Graves,etc.,can be a shade
colder than the temperature of the room—say,60
to 70 degrees. As a good general guide,"still"
white and red wines to be at their best can be served
at temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 and from
65 to 75 degrees respectively.
Qiampagne and other sparkling wines should be
served very cold. When these are to be served,ice
only suflScient wine for use at one time. Repeated
idng, with the resultant variation of temperature,
robs the wine of" life,"
It is suggested that wineglasses, like decanters,
should be crystal clear to give the eye the benefit
of the bright winking colour of the tvine.
The glasses should,ofcourse,be ofthin"texture,"
and the shape, as far as possible, based on the
tulip-shaped sherry glass, for the wide-bowled or
wide-lipped glass allows a good deal of the aroma
of the wine to escape.
To enable the participant to extract the full value
from the aroma it is best to serve wines in glasses
of generous size and not to fill them to the brim.
Ifthe glass is just over half-filled the fragrance and
essence is retained in the remaming unfilled part of
the glass. Moreover, a subtle compliment is con
veyed by this method ofserving,both to the vintage
and to the guest.
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