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

Occasion for enjoying wine

The first question to ask is 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 a contract has been signed, in front of a flickering open fire in cosy togetherness, with fish, at a barbecue, at a wine tavern, after a walk, on the third rainy day in Tuscany or on your 50th wedding anniversary. The ambience plays an important role. Who hasn't 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 under ageing and shelf life). And, of course, the wine to be enjoyed should also go well with the food or harmonise with it if it is consumed with food.

Decanting & wine temperature

If the occasion is a meal in a restaurant, the right wine for the food must be selected from the wine list, which requires a certain amount of wine knowledge. In more upmarket establishments, there is a sommelier who can help with the selection. Before opening the wine, the guest is shown the label. After checking the label (brand, producer, vintage, etc.), the guest accepts with a nod of the head.

A decision must be made in good time before consumption as to whether the wine should be decanted (aerated), which is the responsibility of the restaurant. Opinions on this vary from "absolutely not" to "absolutely necessary". The right wine temperature is an important factor. If necessary, wines can also be cooled very quickly using 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. With many bottles, removal is made easier by a special device (ribbon on the capsule).

Opening a still wine bottle

With a conventional corkscrew, the spiral is now inserted into the centre of the cork and gently twisted in; it must not pierce the cork. It is pulled in one piece without stirring up the deposit. Now test by smelling intensively whether there is a cork taint. This can be faint or intrusive, but is always unacceptable. Any good restaurant or wine 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 him or her the opportunity to check.

The last step in opening the bottle is to carefully clean the...