Serving
8 articles
Wine serving temperature: why we get reds and whites wrong
Reds too warm, whites ice-cold: why “room temperature” is a misunderstanding, and the right serving temperatures for every style of wine.
The right wine glass: how much does glass shape really matter?
Bowl, rim, stem, crystal: what science says about wine glass shape, why the tongue map is a myth, and whether a single universal glass is enough.
To decant or not: when a decanter helps and when it does harm
Removing sediment or adding oxygen? When to decant a young wine, when to protect a fragile old red, and what to do with whites and sparkling wines.
Chilled red wine: which Italian reds can take the fridge and which can’t
Schiava, Frappato, Bardolino, Rossese and Lambrusco at 12-14 degrees: why cold flatters some red wines and ruins others.
Five wine pairing myths it’s time to leave on the table
Red wine with fish, sweet with dessert, cheese, artichokes and the rule of terroir: five food and wine pairing clichés, revisited with some common sense.
How to taste wine without sounding like a snob (or lying)
Look, swirl, sniff, sip: wine tasting explained without the posturing, with the physics of wine legs and a simple method for training your nose.
Wine and cheese: the pairings that really work
Fresh, aged, blue, goat’s and washed-rind: how to pair wine with Italian cheeses, starting from the interplay of fat, salt, acidity and sweetness.
How long does an open bottle of wine last? The countdown begins
Sparkling, white, red and Marsala: how long an opened bottle really keeps, why the teaspoon trick is useless, and which methods actually work.