Wrap a towel around the top of the bottle if you want to be sure not to splash anyone when it opens.

Hold chilled wines by the glass stem. Don't let it ruin your evening if you don't have all three types of wine glass in the house, but do remember one very important thing: don't serve wine in glasses still hot from being washed.

2torial #0587: Learn2 Open and Serve Wine and Champagne (Continued) Serving the wine It's nice to have the proper glasses to drink from. Red wine glasses are wider at the mouth and rounder than white wine glasses to allow for swirling and sniffing. White wine glasses are generally taller and have longer stems to keep the wine cold longer. Sparkling wine glasses are typically much narrower, so that the bubbles last longer. White wines may be served immediately after opening. Good red wines will benefit from being allowed to "breathe" for half an hour. The idea is to get as much surface area as possible, to allow as much wine as possible to come into contact with the air, while not disturbing it too much. The process of decanting will allow your wine to breathe. Decant wine by gently pouring it into another container. Not only does this provide the neccessary surface area, but any sediment present (most likely in very old or unfiltered wines) should stay in the bottle. If no decanter is available, pour off a half-glass 15-30 minutes before serving and let both the glass and bottle sit. When pouring sparkling wines, wrap the bottle in a cloth napkin (clockwise, of course, darling!) for effect and to insulate the bottle from your warm hand. Tilt the glass, and pour down the side of it to minimize frothing. If you don't finish your wine in one sitting, here are some tips for saving what's left. White wine will generally keep in the refrigerator for four to five days once it's opened. Red wine, if you keep it at room temperature, will only last up to two days. The less air that gets to it, the better, so keep the cork! Transferring your wine to a smaller container, such as a clean 350ml bottle, and corking it tightly will help preserve it longer. Products you can use for preservation include cans of inert gases that settle over the surface of the wine in the bottle (these can be expensive), and vacuum pumps that expel most of the air from a bottle and seal it with a rubber stop. Remember to enjoy it! -end- Learn More! or All steps at once (printable version)