wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Indulgence

See under wine enjoyment.

In order to enjoy a wine or sparkling wine as unclouded as possible and to exploit its potential to the full, appropriate preparation is essential, depending on the type of wine.

Occasion for enjoying wine

First of all, the question arises in what company, in what mood and in what place? In a restaurant by candlelight, in a beach café with a view of the sea and the twinkling starry sky, with business associates after the conclusion of a contract, in front of a flickering open fire in intimate togetherness, with fish, at a barbecue, at a wine tavern (Buschenschank), after a walk, on the third rainy day in Tuscany or on the 50th wedding anniversary. The ambience plays a role that should not be underestimated. Who has not experienced the deceptive magic of a holiday wine? A wine should be enjoyed at the "right time", ideally when it has reached drinking maturity or, ideally, its peak (see also under the keywords ageing and shelf life). And of course, the wine to be enjoyed should also go with the food or harmonise with it, if it is drunk with food.

Weingenuss - Weingläser mit Trauben und Speisenteller

Decanting & wine temperature

If the occasion is a meal in a restaurant, the right wine must be selected from the wine list to go with the food, which requires a certain knowledge of wine. In more upscale restaurants, there is the function of the sommelier, who can be very helpful in the selection process. Before opening, the label is shown to the guest. After checking (brand, producer, vintage, etc.), the guest accepts with a nod of the head. In good time before enjoying the wine, a decision must be made as to whether decanting (aerating the wine) should take place, which is the responsibility of the restaurant. There are divergent opinions on this from "no way" to "absolutely necessary". The right wine temperature is an important factor. If necessary, wines can also be cooled very quickly by systems such as Ravi Wine Chiller or Rapid Ice. Opening the bottle should be a small ceremony. First, cut around the neck of the bottle with a small knife (never use the tip of the corkscrew) just below the glass bead and then remove the capsule. Many bottles have a special device to make removal easier (ribbon on the capsule).

Opening the still wine bottle

The corkscrew is now inserted into the centre of the cork and gently twisted in; it must not pierce the cork. It is pulled out in one piece without disturbing the deposit. Now check by intensive smelling whether there is a cork taint. This fault can be faint or intrusive, but it is always unacceptable. Any good restaurant or merchant will immediately bring another bottle of wine or accept an exchange without any problems. In good restaurants, the cork is placed next to the guest's glass to give them the opportunity to check. As a final act of opening the...

Voices of our members

Hans-Georg Schwarz

As honorary chairman of the Domäne Wachau, it is the easiest and quickest way for me to access the wein.plus encyclopaedia when I have questions. The certainty of receiving well-founded and up-to-date information here makes it an indispensable guide.

Hans-Georg Schwarz
Ehrenobmann der Domäne Wachau (Wachau)

The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

26,379 Keywords · 46,983 Synonyms · 5,323 Translations · 31,713 Pronunciations · 202,075 Cross-references
made with by our author Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer. About the Lexicon

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS