How Should Bordeaux Wine Be Served?

It’s finally time to take your best bottle of vintage Bordeaux wine out of the cellar. You have been waiting for this for years, but now that you are there, you are not quite sure of how to serve this great wine as it should be. And that’s completely normal. Old wines require special attention and its service should be meticulous.

Take the Bordeaux Wine out of the Cellar and Open It Well

Even the best Bordeaux wine is a fragile wine. After years of storage in the cellar, it is important to be meticulous and attentive as soon as you want to approach the bottle. It normally remained horizontal without moving for many years. It would therefore be unwise to handle it carelessly and brutally. The only step of straightening the bottle vertically must be done with delicacy and gentleness.

Do not straighten the bottle all at once, it would upset the wine too much and make tasting complicated. It is therefore a question of anticipating. One or two days before the planned service of the Bordeaux wine, collect your bottle from the cellar and straighten it carefully. Having a serving basket would be perfect because you will be able to keep your bottle in an intermediate position. Otherwise, keep it upright until service, in a dark, cool environment.

The Perfect Serving Temperature of Bordeaux Wine

Fine wines like Bordeaux react to the environment in which they are placed. Just as the proper conservation of a wine requires following certain rules, the proper service of a wine requires just as much. And especially when it comes to controlling the perfect temperature. A structured red wine that can be laid down is generally served at a temperature between 16° and 18°C (maximum). And let’s not forget that between the moment the wine leaves the bottle and the moment it ends up in the glass, it can take up to +2°C.

To make sure you are serving your wine at the right temperature, get a thermometer. There are many models in specialized stores or even in supermarkets. If you find that it is too hot, you may consider gently placing your carafe in an ice bucket filled with water for a few minutes. In the case of a red Bordeaux wine, large glasses that are quite high, tapered and more flared at the bottom are perfect to keep the perfect temperature.