Frequently asked wine questions

Opening wine

There are all sorts of closures for bottles these days, including cork, synthetic closures of various types and screwcaps. Each one has advantages and disadvantages and there is no clear evidence yet that one closure is best for all wine types.

Natural cork can sometimes be tainted, giving rise to 'corked' wine. Synthetic closures are sometimes inflexible and more difficult to extract and reinsert, and some of the earlier types do not form a very good seal, making them unsuitable for wines that will be kept in bottle more than 6  months or a year.

Screwcaps are very convenient and excellent for retaining freshness and purity of fruit flavour, especially in aromatic white wines such as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. However, some consumers find them unattractive and associate them with cheap wine even though it is the quality-conscious producers who are pioneering screwcaps in New Zealand and Australia. It is not yet clear whether they are as good for red wines which require long ageing in bottle.

To open a bottle of wine successfully, first get a good corkscrew and secondly work on your technique. A dodgy corkscrew or one inserted at an angle will result in a broken cork and a lot of mess! The tried and trusted Waiter's Friend corkscrew is ideal. Use the blade to remove the foil or capsule and twist the screw or worm straight down into the centre of the cork, not at an angle. Use the lever against the neck of the bottle to pull the cork up.

You may find it better to twist the screw only two thirds of the way into the cork at first, pull upwards, then twist it down all the way to get the cork to finally pop out. It is best to avoid butterfly-style corkscrews with a solid worm since these are more likely to damage the cork during extraction. Screwpull-type corkscrews are excellent but more expensive. Foil cutters are certainly not indispensable but they do remove the foil or top of the capsule neatly and quickly.

Little bits of cork floating on the surface of the wine do not mean the wine is corked. Simply fish these out or throw away the first tiny bit of wine you pour out.

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Chilling and opening sparkling wine and champagne

A few hours in a fridge is usually long enough to chill sparkling wine but if you need to chill it more quickly, the most effective way is in a bucket filled with ice and water. This takes about 20 minutes.

Ice on its own is a lot slower. You can buy chiller jackets specifically designed for sparkling wine. If you have one of these in the freezer or ice box, you can chill your wine in about 10 or 15 minutes. Chilling wine in the freezer is not a good idea. If you forget the bottle, it is likely to explode when the wine changes to ice, forcing out the cork

Once your sparkling wine is chilled, there are two watchwords for the safe opening of the bottle: slowly and carefully. Chilling the wine makes it easier to open since it reduces the pressure. Shaking the bottle and popping the cork may look terrific in news footage of Grand Prix winners, but it wastes precious bubbles and may cause an accident.

Untwist and remove the muzzle but keep your thumb over the cork at the same time to make sure the cork does not escape prematurely, especially if it is not very chilled. It is sometimes safer to keep the wire muzzle on top of the cork once you have loosened it rather than removing it completely, though this is less comfortable for the hand holding the cork.

Keeping a glass nearby and pointing the bottle away from you (and anyone else) at an angle of about 45 degrees, twist the bottle with one hand while you grip the cork with the other. As you twist the bottle, gradually allow the pressure to push the cork out so that it emerges with no more than a sigh or whisper.

On a hot day outdoors, make sure your open bottle sits in the shade. A good quality sparkling wine stopper will ensure any leftovers keep its fizz for at least 24 hours.

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Decanting wine

Many premium wines, and particularly vintage ports aged in bottle, benefit from decanting. Decanting serves two purposes: it eliminates any sediment that may have formed during bottle ageing and - more controversially - it exposes the wine to oxygen, thus letting it 'breathe' for a while before drinking. Many robust red wines will soften after an hour or so in a decanter and it can even be beneficial for certain full-bodied white wines (such as good quality, mature white burgundy) which can be very 'closed' if drunk straight from the fridge. However, very mature wines (more than 20 years old) should be decanted immediately before drinking as they become delicate with age and will quickly spoil if exposed to oxygen.

How to decant: take the bottle out of the rack and stand it upright for at least 24 hours before you want to open it to let any sediment settle to the bottom of the bottle. Once you have removed the foil, you may need to wipe the top of the bottle with a clean damp cloth. Uncork the bottle as gently as possible to avoid disturbing this sediment. Using a candle, torch or light positioned behind the neck of the bottle, pour the wine gently into a glass decanter stopping as soon as you see any sediment start to appear at the shoulder of the bottle. To avoid losing any of the wine, you could always pour the last bit through a clean cloth such as muslin or a paper coffee filter.

You can also use a decanter funnel, which sometimes has a filter and directs the wine so that it runs down the side of the decanter. This is particularly good for old vintage ports which need gentle handling and have usually formed a significant sediment. Vintage Port will not keep indefinitely in a decanter - it will gradually deteriorate just like wine. A week to ten days is really the maximum, depending on its age. Very old Vintage Port may only last a matter of hours.

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At what temperature should I serve wine?

The general rule is reds at room temperature, while whites, rosés and sparkling should be served chilled following a spell (hours not days) in the fridge. To chill wine quickly, plunge the bottle into an ice and water mixture. Now that most homes have central heating, 'room temperature' may be slightly too warm for some reds.

Softer lighter-bodied reds can taste very refreshing if slightly chilled, especially in summer when they warm up very quickly in the glass. Try chilling wines such as Beaujolais and other inexpensive, unoaked juicy style wines. Dry sherries such as fino and manzanilla and dry sercial madeira are also delicious chilled. On the other hand, complex tannic reds are better served a little warmer.

If you are fortunate enough to have a cool cellar, then this is ideal. The reds will soon warm up once brought into the house or poured into glasses and whites will not have been over-chilled by spending too long in the fridge. Wines which are too cold will lose some of their aroma and flavour but a cool temperature will also help to mask a wine's faults.

Most sweet wines should be served chilled, as should pale dry sherry such as fino or manzanilla and dry Sercial Madeira.

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What glasses should I use?

There are a myriad different shapes and sizes. The undisputed expert is Riedel, who has made a study of which shape of glass brings out the best in a particular wine. However, in general for red and white wine you need a clear glass which tapers in slightly at the top in a tulip shape. If you only fill the glass half full, this leaves room for the aromas and bouquet to develop and concentrate at the top where you will smell the wine. It also gives you room to swirl the wine around in the glass to release more of the aroma.

Sparkling wine and champagne will retain its fizz much longer if you serve it in tall, thin glasses rather than wide cup-shaped glasses.

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How should I store my wine?

Wine is alive and needs an air-tight bottle to survive. That's why bottles sealed with a cork should be kept on their sides - the wine keeps the cork moist, preventing it from shrinking and letting in air. Wines sealed with a screwcap or synthetic closure can be stored upright. There is very little agreement about the best way to store sparkling wine, though some say it ages best when stored upright.

The ideal conditions for storing wine are at an even temperature, fairly high humidity, darkness and the absence of vibration. Fluctuations in temperature can affect the way wine matures - perfection is a steady 10-13°C. Humidity helps the corks stay airtight, darkness prevents ultra-violet light from ageing the wine prematurely; vibration can also cause ageing by stirring up sediment. A slightly warmer but constant temperature is less detrimental than wild swings from very cold to warm. If a wine freezes, the cork may be pushed out and the wine lost.

Tradition has it that a cellar is where you'll find these perfect conditions. But most modern homes lack cellars and, besides, some cellars are less than perfect, subject to temperature changes and far too damp, so labels and cardboard boxes go mouldy. You can easily adapt a cupboard or room to create an excellent environment for storing wine, provided it has no outside walls and there is no central heating or direct light.

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How long can I store wine?

The majority of wine sold today is intended to be drunk within a year or two. Inexpensive wines, particularly whites under £5, should be drunk within 6 months to a year. Red wines generally last a little longer although some are specifically made to be drunk early, such as Beaujolais Nouveau. Non-vintage champagne almost always benefits from 6 months or so in bottle between purchasing and opening.

A general rule of thumb is that the more expensive the wine, the better ageing potential it has. A young vintage of a £15 bottle of claret should easily last 5 years if stored correctly (i.e. cool, dark and free from vibration).

Bottle ageing under ideal storage conditions increases the complexity of flavours and softens the tannic structure of a wine. Some top wines also appreciate in value as they age due to their increasing scarcity as stocks around the world get smaller and smaller.

As red wine ages, a sediment may form and you will need to decant it.

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What can I do with leftover wine?

A re-corked half empty bottle should keep fresh for up to a day or two and in some cases you may be surprised to find that the wine tastes better with a bit of aeration! Keep the wine in the fridge to slow the oxidation process. You could use a vacuum pump with a rubber valve stopper to pump out the air in the bottle or use one of the patent devices to replace it with inert gas. The wine will keep fresher longer.

If you regularly have half empty bottles left over of fairly modest wine, why not think about 3-litre bag-in-box wines? These keep well for a few weeks and a glass can be conveniently poured out at any time. Alternatively use the leftover wine in your cooking - it is wonderful in marinades, sauces and gravy! Some people go a step further and even make their own homemade wine vinegar.

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What is corked wine?

Corked wine smells musty and woody and lacks fruit. It may also have a bitter aftertaste. There are different degrees of corkiness and some people have a greater sensitivity to it than others. Consequently not everyone will agree that a wine is corked. If a wine is slightly corked, it may just make you think that the wine is not very nice but not actually faulty. This is one of the main reasons that some winemakers are turning to screwcaps, especially for aromatic white wines.

It is a misconception that small bits of cork floating on the surface of wine means the wine is corked and occasionally mould can appear between the capsule and the cork but this too is nothing to worry about and should simply be wiped clean before uncorking.

The most common cause for 'cork taint' is a compound called TCA (trichloroanisole), which generally develops when natural corks are chlorine washed but it can also come from the winery, especially if chlorine has been used as a cleaning agent. Minute traces (parts per trillion) of it are all that is needed. There are different causes for corkiness, not all of them emanate from the actual cork. It could be a musty stave in a barrel at the winery, so it is possible to have a corked wine even if it has a synthetic closure or a screwcap.

Statistics vary on the incidence of corked wines. It has been said to affect as many as one in twelve bottles, although our experience says it is less often. Our Masters of Wine open 20 or 30 bottles (sometimes up to 100) every day and typically get one corked wine every few days. It would be true to say that it is the cheaper wines which are more likely to be affected as they use shorter and lower grade cork, but even first-growth clarets are not always immune.

The wine industry recognises that this is a serious problem and much research is being carried out, especially by those who produce corks. Chlorine bleaching of cork is being replaced by other processes, but the problem is far from being resolved.

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Screw caps

In April 2003 the Waitrose Wine Buying department produced the following statement to sum up the Buyers' views on screwcaps. 'Over the past weeks there has been a great deal of trade press coverage on the extent to which screwcaps will become the major closure of wine bottles in the UK. Because of this, the Waitrose Wine Buying team feels it is important to set out our view on the issue of closures and how we see their future.

'From the increase in sales of screwcapped wines from different regions, both Old and New World, and from the positive feedback we have received from our customers at tastings and in branch, it is obvious that consumer opinion is no longer strongly against screwcaps because of an association with cheapness. Many of our customers are very knowledgeable wine drinkers, and as such want to open bottles of wine in the full confidence that they will be in A1 condition without risk of taint or oxidation.

'The Buying team has always followed a philosophy of trying to bring to our assortment the best wines in the best condition and we now feel strongly that in order to achieve this for many styles of wine, screwcaps are the best closure. Certainly for the aromatic and semi-aromatic wine styles, both red and white, full- and light-bodied, we believe that a screwcap ensures a freshness and preservation of flavours and aromatics which other closures cannot achieve.

'With red and white wines which have been fermented or aged in oak, we are not yet so convinced that screwcaps are the best way forward and we will be seeking further information and views before we form a firm opinion. There seems to be a certain synergy between natural cork and the oak element in a wine, a view which has also been expressed by a number of winemakers with whom we work. However, to counter this there is a strong body of opinion (notably the New Zealand Screwcap Initiative) which claims that the consistent and controlled maturation of the finest wines achieved by screwcaps is far preferable to the potential variability of natural and synthetic corks. While we are actively encouraging our suppliers and producers to trial the use of screwcap closures, we have always believed that it is the producers themselves who should make the final decisions as to which closure to use. We will not force our opinion on them.

'We also believe in giving our customers the fullest amount of information to decide whether or not they wish to buy a bottle with a specific closure. We therefore use point of sale information to say which closure is used. If we can, we add this information to the back label.

'Over the coming months there will be more screwcapped wines in Waitrose. There will be some regions or countries where this movement will be faster than others, mostly a question of the supply of suitable bottles. However, we do believe that in 3 or 4 years' time, a significant percentage of bottles sold at Waitrose of the wine styles outlined above will have screwcaps.'

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Sediment in bottles of wine

Most forms of sediment are naturally occurring and completely harmless, often indicating a fine wine which has a certain amount of bottle age.

Red wines can throw a sludgy sediment which falls to the bottom or may sometimes stick to the side of the bottle. Both red and white wines can form tartrate crystals, which again may fall to the bottom or attach to the underside of the cork. These are sometimes mistakenly identified as glass fragments but they are completely harmless and are tasteless if you care to crunch a few!

Most modern, mid-priced wines are nowadays stabilised and filtered to avoid any sediment forming within the first few years in bottle. However, some people argue that filtration results in a loss of flavour compounds and complexity and prefer their wines to be unfiltered. Some wines even put 'unfiltered' on the label as a badge of honour.

If your bottle has one of the above sediments, decant it. The wine is perfectly safe and good to drink.

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Wine faults

Some faults are visible; others can be smelt and/or tasted. If you can smell a fault, it is usually confirmed by the taste of the wine.

Haze or cloud: If a wine remains very cloudy or hazy even after it has been standing upright to let any sediment fall, then this is probably due to the growth of yeast or bacteria, perhaps as a result of inadequate filtration.

Fizziness: Many young still white wines are bottled under carbon dioxide to keep them fresh and there may still be a slight spritz when you come to drink it. This is not a fault and is particularly common with off-dry wines. However, if a wine fizzes when it shouldn't, it may indicate that the wine has started to ferment again and this is definitely a fault.

Mustiness: This generally indicates a corked wine.

Oxidised wines: Wines exposed to too much oxygen - through poor wine-making, a faulty closure or simply too long in bottle - tend to smell flat and rather like sherry. They are often prematurely brown in colour.

Vinegary wines: These are the result of acetic acid due to the activity of yeast and bacteria and exposure to oxygen.

Excess sulphur dioxide (used to protect the wine from exposure to oxygen) can be unpleasant and has been implicated in the discomfort felt by asthma sufferers, though people's sensitivity is very variable. As long as the level does not exceed the EU limits, this is not technically a fault.

Mousy flavour: This is usually due to the activity of a type of yeast known as brettanomyces. At low levels, some tasters find it adds a savory complexity and earthiness to a wine but to others it is always a fault.

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Wines made from organically grown grapes

The phrase 'wine made from organically grown grapes' is used because it is not generally accurate or legal to refer to 'organic wine'.

Very few wines are totally organic, mainly because it is almost impossible to make wine without the use of the preservative sulphur dioxide. The few wines that are made in this way tend to deteriorate rapidly and have a short shelf life.

Today, as more people are opting to live healthier lifestyles and are becoming increasingly aware of the environment, organic food and drinks are moving into the consumer mainstream.

Organic viticulture is when grapes are grown without the use of industrially synthesised products to combat pests and diseases or to increase the fertility of the soil. Viticulturists aim to increase the microbial activity in the soil by natural methods and in an environmentally friendly way. It is much easier to achieve this in warm, dry climates such as the south of France where fungal diseases do not pose a problem. Over half the world's organic grape growers are in France.

There are numerous monitoring organisations who lay down rules and regulations which must be satisfied before they will certify that a wine has been produced by organic viticulture. Some producers such as Ernst Loosen in the Mosel and Pfalz in Germany are technically organic but do not seek accreditation. The most well-known of these organisations are Ecocert and Demeter.

The New World is catching up fast. In California, Fetzer's winery set up its first 10-acre organic vineyard in 1987. The yield was so outstanding that the vineyards now stretch across thousands of acres. Australia has been surprisingly slow to catch on, but Penfolds and some others are now converting to organic viticulture.

Organic viticulture is labour intensive and the yields are frequently lower than by conventional viticulture. This is why you may find yourself paying a little more for wine made from organically grown grapes. Not all of them offer the essential balance between quality and value and a wine made from organically grown grapes would not be selected for sale in Waitrose simply because of the way it had been produced.

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Wines suitable for vegetarians and vegans

The main issue for vegetarians and vegans is the use of certain processing aids during wine-making. A range of fining agents is used in order to clarify and stabilise the wine. Wines which have not been fined are less likely to be clear and bright or may form a haze once the wine has been bottled.

In addition, tannic red wines can be made less astringent by fining since some of the tannins are removed. The fining agent is a processing aid not an additive, so in theory none should remain in the wine. However, it is impossible to guarantee this and some consumers may object to the actual use of the agent.

The following are the most common fining agents. Some are used for red wines, some for white or sparkling. The first is suitable for vegetarians and vegans because it is not an animal-derived product. Casein and albumin are animal by-products and are therefore suitable for vegetarians but not for vegans. Isinglass and gelatin are animal products and are therefore unsuitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

• A type of clay called Bentonite
• Casein from milk
• Albumin from egg whites
• Isinglass (protein obtained from fish bladders)
• Gelatin

Where possible, Waitrose Wine Buyers discourage winemakers from using animal-based products as fining agents unless the winemaker believes the quality of the wine will suffer as a result. The quality of the wine is the first priority. Producers are encouraged to put the V logo on the label but this is not always possible to control since some bottlings or vintages may qualify but not others.

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