1. Red Wine should be served at room temperature

Room temperature at the time the phrase took hold, was likely somewhere around 18°C - a lot cooler than it is today. Modern heated homes and restaurants have led to the mistaken belief that red wine should be served as high as 21 or 22 °C!

Not only does red wine take on a flabby texture at this temperature, but its freshness, fruit and flavours are lost.

The outside of the bottle should feel cool to the touch.

If you are served a bottle of red wine in a restaurant that is too warm, ask them to chill it for a few minutes before serving.

If you have an opened bottle of red wine it will keep for up to 3 days in a fridge if tightly sealed. Remove it 30 minutes before drinking. Do not warm your wine by a source of heat.

Lighter red wines may also be served lightly chilled. Beaujolais - nouveau or otherwise, Gamays and light Loire reds all benefit from being served a little cooler than full-bodied red wines.

2. You should not drink white wine with cheese

Some of the most delicious cheese and wine pairings are with white wine - which in many French regions, is the standard match. Much depends on the local wines and cheeses - so for example a goats cheese from the Loire valley comes into its own when served with a bright Sauvignon from the region, such as a Sancerre. An aged, rich Chardonnay is the perfect accompaniment to a hunk of good mature cheddar. Traditionally, blue cheeses were always drunk with sweet dessert wines as the salt sweet blend is pretty unbeatable.

3. All wine improves with age

Only wines that are made with ageing in mind will improve over time - and then, only if they are kept in cellar conditions - at an even temperature of around 12 degrees, horizontal and in the dark. Everyday wines will not keep more than a couple of years in most cases and will eventually turn to vinegar. It is also important to store these wines correctly - see our previous blog on How to Store your Wine at Home for more info.

Wines that age well are often released onto the market during their 'drinking window'. That is to say during the period of time where the vintage is considered to be at its best. If you want to buy wine to age yourself, it's worth taking proper advice to avoid making an expensive mistake.

4. Not all wine contains sulphites

All wines contain sulphites as they are a naturally occurring substance found in grape skins and pips and is a byproduct of fermentation. A very small amount of additional sulphur is added to most wines to stop fermentation and prevent the wine from going off. Watch out for more on this hot topic in an upcoming blog post.

Under the EU laws passed in 2005, sulphite limits are strictly controlled to 150 mg/l for dry red wines and 200 mg/l in dry whites and rosés, with higher levels for sweet wines. Dried fruits such as apricots contain up to 2000 mg per kilogram, while many other common products contain high sulphite levels including bagged salad, burger meat and frozen chips.

Organic wines have 50mg/l lower limits than conventional ones and responsible producers, including those we represent, are careful about using just enough sulphur dioxide to protect their wines and is undetectable in the taste, smell or feel. 

5. A screwcap means lower quality wine

There are excellent wines bottled under both corks and screwcaps. Screwcaps have now become mainstream in numerous wine-producing countries, particularly in ‘New World’ countries such as Australia and New Zealand. They’re popular among wine drinkers as they’re easier to open and store, and preferred by many winemakers and importers as they cause fewer faults to occur in the wine.