Opening and Serving Wine
(Continued from page 2)
By David Rosengarten
From The Real-World Wine Guide, courtesy of foodnetwork.com.
Pouring Technique
You're on your own here. But one little trick can prevent a lot of stained tablecloths: As you're about to stop pouring into a glass, give the bottle a sharp little twist (only about 20 degrees). Immediately return the bottle to a vertical position. This helps you make a dripless pour.
Sediment
As red wine ages, it throws a sediment—a murky, muddy substance that's not pretty to see and not pleasant to taste. The solution: Decant the wine. If your red wine has been lying on its side in storage—as it should—and if you decide to serve it at the last minute, you cannot remove the sediment by decanting; the sediment is mixed in with the wine. You can use a filter, but many traditionalists object to that.
If you're on top of things, stand the wine up for a few days before serving so the sediment falls to the bottom of the bottle. At serving time, stand a candle or flashlight next to the decanter. Pour the wine into the decanter so that the light is below the neck of the bottle as you pour. You will be able to see the wine flowing into the decanter and observe the exact moment when a little sediment begins to mix with the wine. At that moment, cease pouring. It is important to pour the wine into the decanter in a steady stream—stopping would wash the wine back into the bottle and mix it with the sediment. When you're done, you should have about a half-inch of muddy wine in the bottom of the bottle.
| 
