A wine expert pleads: Stop making these 5 mistakes when buying and serving wine

Think you’ve got the wine thing figured out? Knowing which varieties please your palate and how to spot a good budget bottle are big steps in the right direction, but there are a few easy mistakes to make in wine that could compromise the experience.

To clear up common wine mistakes, we pulled up a bar stool next to Jerry Chandler, wine consultant and general manager of Charlotte’s Bohemian Wine Bar. Chandler talked us through five mistakes that almost every wine drinker makes at some point, including serving at a sub-optimal temperature or using overzealous cork popping techniques.

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Perhaps most surprising was his suggestion to refrigerate red wine before pouring, since most of us serve it too warm, Chandler explains.

Here are five wine mistakes to avoid to get the most out of every bottle.

1. Serving white wine too cold and red wine too warm

We usually drink white wine straight from the fridge and red wine right off the counter, but both could benefit from going a little more towards the center for ideal serving temperature. Neither ice-cold white wine nor overly warm red wine can effectively express their aromatic compounds. White wine flavors are more dynamic in the 40s or 50s (Fahrenheit, that is), and red wines in the 50s or 60s.

Pro tip: Refrigerate the red wine for a short time before serving

To do this, “it’s okay to put the red wine in the fridge for 10 or 15 minutes, just to chill it a bit,” says Chandler. Similarly, you can take your white wine out of the refrigerator 15 to 20 minutes before you intend to serve it, or chill a bottle of white at room temperature in a bucket of ice water just that long. “It will give you temperatures that will be in the 40s,” he says, “but it won’t be too cold.”

Keep in mind that ice plus water and salt will chill your bottle much faster than ice alone. You can put the bottle in the freezer for a few minutes, “just don’t forget about it, because you’re going to burn that wine and a lot of the sugar will separate,” says Chandler. Sparkling wine can also do with a slight increase in temperature, but be aware of increased carbonation as well. “It’s going to be a little livelier,” he says, and will give even more when it opens.

2. Improper popping of sparkling wine

Speaking of which, while a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine may be festive, it reduces the carbonation in the bottle and can also be dangerous. Most sparkling wines are topped with a mushroom cap, plus a metal cage, which holds the cap in place as the contents of the bottle are under pressure.

But that cage has another purpose. It can also help you open the bottle safely. It should be unscrewed and loosened but left in place to help you remove the cork. “Use the sides of the cage to gently grab and twist. This will allow some of the pressure to slowly release from the bottle,” says Chandler, who releases the cap in a slower, more controlled manner and stores more carbon. the dioxide responsible for the bubbles.

“I watch so many people just unscrew the cage and then take it off, and I always feel my heart skip a beat because you’re letting that cork do whatever it wants, including exploding in any direction, full speed,” Chandler says. “Never remove that cage unless you’re removing it with a plug.”

3. Improper storage

You don’t need to have a wine cellar or wine collection to follow a few common sense practices when it comes to wine storage. Most wine in the U.S. is consumed within hours of purchase, in which case not much can go wrong, but even if you’re holding onto a bottle for a few days to save for a special occasion, “make sure you’re aware,” he says. Chandler, to ensure that the wine you have does not become a waste of money due to improper handling.

Even inexpensive bottles can be affected by light, heat and movement. “You never want to leave wine where temperatures are going to fluctuate constantly,” says Chandler, which can be anywhere that gets direct sunlight at any time of day. “You also don’t want to leave it somewhere where it’s going to be constantly moving,” he says, which can disrupt any sediment and affect its flavor.

Leaving a bottle of wine in a vehicle, for example, can expose it to extremes of both high and low temperatures, as well as excessive movement. The best way to store wine for more than a few hours is on its side in a consistently cool place out of direct sunlight.

4. Being a packing snob

There may have been a time when the weight of the bottle or the type of closure used was a guarantee of the quality of the wine, but this is no longer the case. Along with other types of alcoholic beverages, wine has evolved with the times, and sustainability issues as well as improvements in technology have created more diverse packaging options.

“Science has come a long way in preserving wine, especially in the last 20 years,” says Chandler, but some people still have preconceived notions about corked wine. (“Stelvin closures” for wine professionals.) “You won’t want to put away a screw-top bottle for 20 years,” he says, “but for wines you’ll be drinking soon, a screw top is just fine.”

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Many wine producers are actually reducing the weight of bottles as they have launched sustainability initiatives, and some major wine reviewers refuse to rate wines whose bottles are above a certain weight. Both canned and boxed wine are also increasing in quality as these packages are also encouraged by sustainability measures. Essentially, wine has entered its “don’t judge by its cover” era.

5. Never leave your comfort zone

There are literally thousands of grape varieties, not to mention winemakers, but most of us tend to drink the same few bottles over and over again. Because of the way wine is distributed in the US, it is difficult to find producers whose wines are consistently available from store to store. Or finding a bottle you loved at a restaurant on your local retail shelves. Many of us tend to drink the same mass-produced brands and familiar grapes because we can always find them.

This is also a mistake in terms of getting the best bang for your buck, knowing what’s actually in your bottle and expanding your palate. “When wines are mass-produced, I’m always thinking about what else is there to keep them on the same consistent flavor profile,” says Chandler. (Hint: it’s more than grapes.) Anything with a marketing budget for bigger ads tends to represent wine made in conference rooms, not vineyards.

However, it can understandably be difficult to branch out. “When I first started learning wine, I only wanted to drink certain things because I didn’t want to spend money and take risks,” Chandler says. Instead of focusing on a few bottles, try to understand the flavor profiles that appeal to you and be willing to work with wine professionals in retail or restaurants who can use your preferences to introduce you to new things. “Wine is a never-ending experience,” he says, “and we want people to be as excited to try this thing for the first time as we are.”