Tools of the Trade for a Wine Drinker

Wine is meant to be enjoyed, whether it is at a formal dinner party or an informal, cozy night by the fire. But first you have to open the bottle.

Now don't go at it like a bull in a china shop. First, you need to cut the plastic or metal capsule off below the lip of the bottle. You do not want the wine to come into contact with the capsule.

To cut the capsule you can use a knife or some corkscrews even have a knife attachment. It is entirely up to you whether you remove the entire capsule or not.

Today there are many varieties of corkscrews on the market from Heath Robinson contraptions to well designed utilitarian models. It is advisable not to purchase a cheap corkscrew as these tend to break after extracting only a few corks. Also bear in mind that if you don't want the cork to break choose a corkscrew that has a hollow spiral.

A user friendly corkscrew which is really popular is the screw pull. This wonderful device does not require superhuman strength and rarely breaks the cork. You just place it on the bottle and turn the screw until it reaches the bottom of the cork. When it reaches the bottom keep turning it in the same direction and the cork rides all the way up the screw.

Once the cork has been removed wipe the top of the bottle with a cloth to remove any dirt or bits of cork.

OK, the bottle is open and its time to choose a glass. For some reason people seem to make a real meal of this, probably because there are so many to choose from. But it really is straightforward, you just need to keep in mind a few basics. And these basics are there for the simple reason to make sure you get the full enjoyment from your wine.

First thing to remember is that a clear uncut glass allows you to see the wine's color better. Choose larger glasses as wine should never be poured to the top of the glass. The best shape to choose is a glass that is bulbous at the bottom, becoming slightly narrower towards the top as this will concentrate the aromas that dissipate too quickly if you use a wide mouthed glass.

A wine with a long stem is a good idea too. This allows you to swirl the wine around it more easily without leaving finger prints all over the bowl of the glass.

Traditionally we tend to use smaller glasses for white wine and larger glasses for red wines but this is not a hard and fast rule, you can choose the size you prefer for either color.

If you are intending to drink an old wine (often only more than eight years old) it can be useful to decant the wine first. Yes, decanters are genuinely useful and not just decorative.

An older wine may have thrown some sediment leaving it murky and muddy.

Decanting a wine also aerates and oxygenates it. If you decant a wine a couple of hours before you drink it, it will mix with the air, softening the tannins, removing any harshness and bringing out the fruit.