When shopping for a wine refrigerator make sure that you know what your needs are. More casual wine drinkers or those with very little space might be better off purchasing a counter-top fridge or wall-mounted cooler. These units tend to have a small capacity somewhere in the range of 6 to 12 wine bottles. Most are thermoelectric, meaning they won’t make a lot of noise or vibrations. You can find plenty of options on whichwinecooler.com.

If you are a fairly avid wine drinker but not a complex collector you can step it up to a mid-size unit. Mid-size wine coolers come in a wide variety of types and feature combinations. You can get a front venting, compressor based wine fridge to install under your counter or built into a cabinet. Front-venting units are the only type suitable for built-in installations of any kind due to ventilation requirements.

Mid-size units also come with thermoelectric power. These units should be used as stand-alone fridges only. Don’t make the mistake of buying a thermoelectric wine cooler for anything other than stand-alone installations. Thermoelectric wine refrigerators do have a variety of features that make them preferable in many circumstances, and this is why they are preferred for any installation that is not built-in. They have virtually silent operation- No listening to the fridge kick on and off. Thermoelectric coolers also don’t vibrate- This can be an important feature for those looking for long term wine aging, as vibrations can damage the quality of the wine over time. They are also energy efficient and better for the environment than their compressor based fridge counterparts.

Some wine cooler features that should be considered can be found in both front-venting and thermoelectric units. This includes the type of glass: Dual-paned glass is very popular for protecting wine and insulating the cooler. Tinted glass is also gaining in popularity to reduce harmful UV rays from attacking the wine. Door locks can be a useful feature for households where wine seems to disappear without your knowledge.

• Marvel at the Color!
• Swirl that drink!
• Smell that bouquet!
• Sip and Savor!
• Write that $#^* Down!

Marvel at the Color!

Most wine experts recommend the first step in tasting wine is to take note of its color. The best way to do this is to drink from a clear glass , not some fancy red tinted stemware with swirls. Put the wine glass up against a white background- A good choice might be a white kitchen towel or a sheet of paper. Wine color chart gives away tips on the age of the wine and how it was made.

Typically you also want to look at the opacity of the wine (meaning, is it clear or muddy). If you can see through the wine, that’s a good indication that it is ready for drinking! If the wine looks like water- That’s a clear indication you poured it out of a box… don’t be so cheap!

Swirl that Drink!

You’ll want to swirl the wine in the glass a little. Don’t make a hurricane out of the thing, just spend a few seconds getting the oxygen in the air to mix with the wine. This helps open up the wine bouquet for you to smell it in the next step. It also helps open up the flavor.

Smell the Bouquet!

Ya we know, it’s not a bouquet of flowers- It’s a glass of wine. You will be surprised just how many smells can come out of that little glass. The human nose can differentiate between thousands of different smells. And don’t just smell the wine one time- Smell it a few times. Smell it with one nostril, tilted into the wine glass, and then switch. Did you know that each of your nostrils is better at picking up different smells? Really enjoy that wine bouquet! You can also use a wine decanter to do this for you before you pour your glass.

Sip and Savor!

Did I say tilt and chug? No! Take sips of the wine, letting it sit in your mouth a little, and savor it. The purpose of drinking good wine is not to be gone in 60 seconds. Give it a chance to move you. You may even like to suck in a little air through your mouth while the wine is still in there to provide more oxygen and open up the flavors further (careful not to spill on yourself).

Write that $#^* Down!

I hope you were taking mental notes of the wine color you saw, the wine bouquet you smelled, and the wine flavors you savored. In order to get better at wine tasting you need to write all that down. This will help you remember what wine you enjoy and what wine you don’t. It will also help associate words with the sensations you just experienced so that you can explain them to others. Wine, after all, is a social hobby!

Red Wine Glasses

Red wine glasses generally have a wider bowl allowing the grapes to mix well with oxygen. The larger bowl allows the aroma and flavors of the wine, such as Merlot or Syrah, to be fully expressed after blending thoroughly with air. The principle behind the aeration of wine using a red wine glass is similar to one of the reasons a wine decanter might be used for a bottle of red wine; allowing oxygen to completely penetrate the liquid. The length of the stem can also have a bearing on how the wine is received on the palate. A longer stem will cause the red wine, with its entire flavor, to be directed to the back of the mouth. Conversely, a wider bowl and shorter stem will guide the wine toward the tip of the tongue, such as those find on modern stemless wine glasses. The accumulation of aroma in a wider bowl and the direction of flavor to the tongue are more desirable effects when sipping a subtle wine such as Pinot Noir.

White Wine Glasses

White wine glasses are often narrower at the top of the bowl and possess a longer bowl overall. There are many different styles of white wine glasses but the effects they attempt to achieve are the same. White wines, in contrast to red wines, are full of delicate flavors and are typically lighter in aroma. To accentuate these characteristics, white wine glasses allow less oxygen to mix with the wine thus preserving more of the varying flavors. Some full-bodied white wines, such as Chardonnay, are best enjoyed slightly oxidized and so are served in a white wine glass with a slightly larger bowl.

Champagne Flutes

Another type of white wine glasses are champagne flutes. The flute shape of the bowl accomplishes three distinct functions. First, the narrow flute keeps the oxygen exposure of the champagne relatively low. Second, it allows the champagne to maintain its level of carbonation, one the most desirable characteristics, for a longer period of time. Third, the longer flute-shaped bowl adds aesthetic appeal to the wine by allowing a greater distance for the bubbles to travel. Finally, the longer stem of the champagne flute and other white wine glasses allow a greater area for the drinker to hold thus preventing body warmth from heating the wine.

When you think of wine decanters, what is the first thing that comes to mind. If you are really into home decorating your first thought may be “decanter = decoration”. I mean, what else would they mold such fancy glass creations for other than art, right? Well, the sophisticated wine drinker needs to understand that a decanter is a necessary instrument for properly enjoying a bottle of wine. Should you always use a decanter? What exactly do they do? This article answers those questions and more.

Let’s start with what a wine decanter is used. As wine ages there can be a level of sediment that arrises from the liquid. Properly pouring the wine into the decanter helps separate that sediment so that you won’t have little floaties in your drink. Let’s face it, when you see floaties, you think bugs. Can you imagine opening a hundred-dollar bottle of Cab you’ve been carefully aging for decades, pouring that first delicious glass, and staring at a bunch of floating sediment? Or worse yet, handing a glass of wine to your distinguished guests and seeing the disgusted looks on their faces.

Wine decanters also let your beverage “air out” before serving. It is important that the wine is exposed to oxygen to open up flavors. Of course, you don’t have to use a wine decanter for this, which leads us to our second question, “should you always use a decanter?” If you properly plan for it you simply need to open the bottle of wine. Opening the wine early can give the wine the time it needs to get oxygen. If you don’t have the space or money for a wine decanter just become a better planner. Some experienced wine drinkers actually induce extra oxygen contact as a part of drinking. You can do this by taking a sip of wine, leaving your mouth partly open, and lightly inhaling while the wine is in your mouth. Few are aware of this technique but we have witnessed Sommoliers doing it firsthand.

There are two specific times it really helps to use a decanter and both are based upon age. First, if you are drinking a really young wine you will want it to get as much exposure to oxygen as possible (within reason of course- you don’t want the wine to go bad) to open up flavors. This is because the wine flavor hasn’t been given a lot of time to properly develop in the bottle. Tip the bottle upright and allow it to splash all over the inside of the decanter. This technique increases the surface area of the wine for maximum wine-oxygen contact.

Second, if you are drinking a really old wine you should decant it. This again is to help separate the particles that will have formed in the bottle. A lot of inexperienced drinkers think that particles mean the wine is rotten, but this is frequently not the case. When decanting old wines delicately and slowly pour the wine along the inside of the decanter. Your goal is to keep the chunks in the bottle and out of your wine glass. Both young and old wines can benefit from swirling the decanter, much like a wine glass, to increase exposure to oxygen further.

In summary, decanters are fun, stylish, and useful. They can be used to increase wine flavor, remove junk from the wine, or just style up your home bar. Many artisticly styled wine decanters come in sets with complimentary styled wine glasses.