Wine 101- 5 things to never do

1) don't drink water right before taking a sip of wine

Your mouth works to create some kind of neutrality, and it does this by salivating. Your mouth will salivate after taking a sip of something to attempt to quickly return the PH level to neutral because all liquids, including wine and water, have varying PH levels. If you took a sip of water and then immediately took a sip of wine, you’re going to catch your mouth while it's trying to bring the PH levels back to neutral, which is going to make the wine taste 'off'.  Rather, after taking a sip of water, wait a few seconds until your mouth stops salivating before taking a sip of wine.

2) Storing wine in a light area

The best places to keep wine are not the kitchen or living room because these areas frequently receive direct sunshine, which can alter the temperature of the wine and its flavour. The best option is to purchase a compact wine refrigerator, but if you're on a tight budget or don't have the room, there are four primary guidelines to follow while storing wine: keep it on its side, at a constant temperature, away from light, and at a low temperature. To do this, you should store your wines away from any windows or locations where there will be direct sunlight shining on the bottle because light is one of wine's worst enemies. The ideal temperature to age wine at is 12 degrees Celsius because it will slow the rate of oxidation, which is what taints wine. On the other hand, you don't want your wine to get too hot, so anything over 26 degrees Celsius is out. However, consistency in temperature is almost more significant than temperature alone,Wine doesn't tolerate a lot of fluctuation, so if you can't keep it at a constant 12 degrees but can be at a steady 21 degrees, that's the recommended temperature. The final one should be placed on its side so that the wine will remain in touch with the cork, keeping it moist and preventing it from drying out. How can this be accomplished without a wine cellar? Grab a cardboard box with a styrofoam box inside, add the wine, and secure the lid. Locate a place in your home away from light, heat ducts, and anything that could create temperature changes (closet or basements are ideal) The cardboard box should be sealed and stored on its side. Because you're keeping the wine on its side, away from light, and at the most constant temperature in your home, you won't really be dealing with temperature variations, and the styrofoam will keep it relatively insulated (most houses are going to be at a temperature at about 20-22 degrees celsius).

3) Hold my wine glass by the bulb

If your glass has a stem, ALWAYS hold your wine by it. The main reason for this is that holding the wine in your hands will warm it up, and the temperature at which you serve it will affect how it tastes. While we're on the subject, you should also be careful not to serve red wine too warm or white wine too cold. Red wines should be served at around 12 to 15 degrees Celsius, which you can achieve by placing the wine in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. If the red wine is served too warm, the alcohol will really jump out and the wine will taste quite fragmented. White wine shouldn't be served extremely cold unless that is your purpose. Instead, you want your white wine to be between 5-8 degrees Celsius. The colder you serve it, the less you will be able to taste it.

4) Decant wine for too long

The majority of wines only truly need 20 to 30 minutes, perhaps an hour, and only a few have ever benefited from more exposure to air. Wine does not need or want to be exposed to air for a long time. That wine will eventually start to separate after a while, and there is no way to stop it.

5) Drink good Champagne or sparkling wine out of a flute or a coupe

These two shapes of glasses are not conducive to smelling or tasting anything, instead use a white wine glass you can actually get your nose in, move around a little bit and actually enjoy. If you're going to spend a lot of money on a nice sparkling wine, make sure you serve it in a glass that will allow you to taste and smell all the wonderful subtleties that it has to offer, just like any other wine.