How long should you leave a bottle of red wine open before serving ?!
How long should you leave a bottle of red wine open before serving ?
how long should you let it breath ?
Answers:
about 30 minutes
I'm usually chugging it down within seconds of the cork popping...
I usually let my Merlot sit for about an hour first.
I'm no expert, but I think I heard about 30 min. I know you're supposed to drink red wine at room temp., but I still like it better chilled. I'm hiding now, the wine police will be after me.
One hour.
Personal preference applies. I usually let it breathe 5 minutes for every year of aging.
it's now vinegar,.
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Between 20 minutes and 1 hour.
Don't just open the bottle and let it sit though, pour some into a glass. This will introduce air into the bottle and help the process.
Decant it, pour it into a decanter or a glass jug. That will allow more air in than just taking the cork out.
You are supposed to let it sit out for up to an hour, but I don't. I hate drinking piss warm (room temp) beverages. They have to be cold!
There is not enough surface to air contact to make a difference under a few hours. If you really want the wine to breath decant it. A half way method is to pour a glass thus increasing the surface area exposed to air.
If you decant (double the time for the glass method) the time really depends on the wine and its age. Really old wines can be damaged by too much time. Really new wines won't benefit much from the whole process. For the middle aged wine (10-20 years) 30 - 45 minutes will do.
What is important, and maybe more important, is the wine's temperature at service. Ideally that would be 65F+- 5F. If the wine is any colder you will lose flavor and any higher the alcohol will become too dominant. And boy is this true for those 16% blockbuster zinfandels! In the wine trade we try to taste both red and white wines a bit warmer because it shows up any flaws in the wine which is precisely NOT what you want now that you own the bottle.
And while I'm on the subject of temperature, the 38F+- temperature of the refrigerator is WAY too cold for white wines, especially French ones. Your target here is 50-55F. Just take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before service.
The idea that red wine needs to "breathe" is a myth.
40 minutes ( *v* )