Some Useful Tips

How much do I need?  Calculate on the basis of six glasses of wine per bottle, which will give an approximate indication of the number of bottles you need to buy and then decide on a breakdown between red, white or rosé.

Serving temperatures – don’t over chill white wine (an hour in the fridge is sufficient) or partly fill an ice bucket with half ice and half water and chill for 15 minutes.  Let red wines come to room temperature naturally but, if you are in a hurry, stand the bottle under a tap of warm water for a few minutes.

Decanting Wines – wines that throw a sediment e.g. Vintage Port, mature Bordeaux, and unfiltered reds should be stood upright for a day before decanting carefully into a glass decanter.

Glasses – the ideal glass should be clear with a long stem.  Pour the wine until the glass is two-thirds full.  Serve Champagne in a tall, narrow flute glass for maximum enjoyment.

Corkscrews – to remove the cork effortlessly, invest in a good corkscrew.  There are plenty of choices on the market, but one of the best is the Screwpull.  A foil cutter is a useful item to have to hand in order to neatly remove the foil from the top of the bottle.

Order of Serving – this will of course, depend on what type of food is being served, but the basic guidelines are:  dry white before red, young before old, light before heavy and dry before sweet.