One trick takes the taste of wine to a new level

Most people remember to chill white wine and sparkling wine before serving, but it is equally important to remember to chill red wine as well.

All red wines benefit from cooling, because the normal indoor temperature in homes is too warm for any red wine.

– When it’s so warm, the alcohol content of the wine becomes quite the dominant element. The fruitiness of the wine also suffers from too high a temperature, says the Master of Wine Tuomas Meriluoto.

– Room temperature emphasizes overripe and jam-like aromas and makes the fruitiness loose and flabby. Cooling refreshes the fruitiness of the wine and softens the feeling of alcohol.

The acidity of the wine also feels fresher when the wine is chilled, and the wine becomes more balanced.

Meriluoto reminds us that the coolness affects the tannins of red wine. Wines with strong tannins, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz, become hard and rough when cooled too much, so strong and tannic wines should be cooled carefully. 18 degrees is the optimal serving temperature for them.

– 30–40 minutes in the fridge is a good rule for them.

Lighter or lower-tannic red wines, such as pinot noir, Tempranillo or Barbera, benefit from longer cooling. The suitable serving temperature for them is 15 degrees.

– Such wines can be kept in the refrigerator for an hour or a half before serving, advises Meriluoto.

The wine guru also gives his blessing to using the freezer, if you have forgotten to put the wine in the fridge in time. If there are ice cubes at home, you should use an ice cube bowl for quick cooling.

Give the wine some air

Tuomas Meriluoto says that only two things are needed for a better wine experience, and neither of them requires buying more expensive wines from Alko. The secrets to better wine are decanting and the right wine glasses.

Decanting the wine, i.e. aerating it, brings out the aromas of the drink.

– Wine always benefits from being allowed to breathe and get in touch with the air. If the wine is allowed to air before serving, it opens up the aromas of the wine considerably and makes the wine easier to read. Wine gets its rights better in every way.

Simply opening the bottle before serving is not enough for decanting, because the neck of the bottle is too narrow and the surface area of ​​the wine in contact with the air is too small. That’s why you should pour the wine into a decanter for aeration.

– If you don’t want to buy a decanter, you can pour the wine into a kitchen bowl and immediately back into the bottle. When you pour wine heavily into a bowl, air mixes with it. After using in a bowl, you can let the bottle stand for another half hour before serving.

In addition to red wines, white wines should also be aerated.

Get the big glasses

And then the other reason. Wine glasses. Wine enthusiasts and wine professionals use glasses designed for different grapes, but one glass will do just fine, as long as the glass meets certain criteria: it must be large enough, and the shape must be tulip-like.

– The biggest problem with wine glasses is that they are basically too small. The wine glass should only be filled 25-30 percent so that the wine has room to move around in the glass and there is room for the aromas.

The right kind of glass is related to the same thing as decanting in a carafe.

– When the wine is in the glass, it comes into contact with the air, which releases aromas from the wine. The bowl part of the glass must be spacious and round, i.e. closed, so that the aromas linger in the glass.

Thus, for example, a glass of two des is unhelpfully too small.

– If you want to pour a normal 12-centiliter portion into it, it already fills about 60 percent of the glass, and you can’t spin the wine glass without the wine spilling over.

If you want to go a little more sophisticated with the glasses, you should note that the thickness of the glass also affects the wine experience. A thick glass warms cold wine quickly, while a thin glass keeps the wine cold better and feels more elegant on the lips.