Once your shipment arrives, check for accuracy. Every bottle should be there. Your wine should be in perfect condition - we check each bottle before shipping. Call immediately if anything appears odd. Note that some wines are bottled without foil. Some like to keep their bottles in the shippers - just make sure they are on their side. If you have a basement cellar, store them there - just keep them off of the floor to avoid contact with dampness. Even better, put them in a temperature controlled wine cooler, at around (58-62 degrees F). Lay them on their side. If no fridge or cellar is available, put them anyplace away from heat and light and vibration - any cool, relatively dry place is ideal.
Give them a few days to relax after their journey. White wines are ready to enjoy. Just chill them down after the rest and you're ready to go. If you do wish to open a red wine, we recommend a light decanting prior to drinking. This can really open up a red wine and soften any firm tannins. You can also lay them down for a while. We only offer premium wine, so many will age gracefully.
We suggest serving white wines between 40-45 degrees F. If you've placed one in your fridge, pull it out and let it come up a few degrees before serving. We recommend serving red wines at (58-62 degrees F). If you have a wine cooler its easy - just set it for 55 degrees F. If you don't have a cooler or cellar, we recommend putting them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to get them down to about 55. Once they are at ideal temperature, uncork them. We always recommend decanting and letting them breathe for about 20 minutes. You can also decant them and put in the fridge for 20 minutes to let breathe. Doing so with red wines can be rewarding!
The bigger the better. Large glass just seems offer more visually and will release the aromatics better. Make sure your glass is spotless. Sacrificing a few drops in the glass with a swirl and dump will remove any cloth or residue. Typically red wine Bordeaux glass will be a bit taller and have a larger bowl than white wine glasses. In general red wines are bigger and bolder wines so they require a larger glass to allow all those aromas and flavors to emerge. Because of this, we always go for a Bordeaux glass for red and white wines. For Pinot and Chardonnay, the burgundy glass, (usually is designed to get the most out of the wines). These are not as tall as the Bordeaux glass, but the bowl is larger than the Bordeaux glass, and designed to direct the wine to the tip of the tongue to taste its more delicate flavors.
White wines are great with hard cheese, fish, shellfish, salads, or even solo by the glass. Wines like Pinot are great with duck, pork, rich fish like salmon and swordfish. Red wines are bigger wines and demand richer foods like red sauces and seared meats. If you're just enjoying wine by the glass, grab some olive, cheese, and nuts.