By Darren Willmott This month we’re looking at some of those pesky wine myths that do the rounds and confuse anyone getting interested in the wonderful world of wine buying, tasting and storing. Perhaps the only negative aspect of ‘the grapevine’, let’s set the record straight on a few of them. Champagne is best served in a flute glass: Visually, long slim flute glasses are spot on for seeing bubbles rise up the glass, but the small rim doesn’t fully allow the wine to open up. Strangely, people are happy to pay £10+ for a red wine and use the wider opening of a standard glass to fully appreciate the aromas, yet pay £30+ for Champagne and use a smaller glass that doesn’t. Try a standard glass instead. The heavier the bottle, the better the wine: Packaging has no effect on the wine (except for raising the price). At best, it’s indicative of a winemaker showcasing his wine in the best possible way. At worst, it means he is over-compensating for the dross inside. Champagne corks should go pop: The virtual sound of celebration and, as seen on Formula 1 podiums, a complete waste of Champagne. Chill the bottle down to subdue the pressure and then slowly twist the cork out pressing against the remaining pressure. The sound should be more ‘pfff’ than ‘pop’ and is said to be reminiscent of ‘a well satisfied lady’. Red wine with meat, white wine with fish: A good guide, but if you love your food and wine it isn’t a robust rule. Well-grilled fish loves a lighter bodied red and meat like pork and veal is absolutely fine with white wine. Also remember that ‘what grows together goes together’ so perhaps go for a Spanish dish with a Spanish red or white. Serve red wine at room temperature: Certainly true before houses were centrally heated, serving red at today’s room temperature (~21°c) means you’re probably drinking it too warm and soupy. Busting another myth, don’t be afraid to pop red wine in the fridge for 20 minutes to lightly chill it down to the recommended 14-18°c. Open bottles early to let them breathe: To clarify, some wines need decanting and air will react and draw out additional complexities. Simply taking the cork out and leaving the bottle to stand won’t do a thing as only a 1p sized bit of the wine is in contact with the air. Leaving the bottle ‘airing’ for a couple of hours also means you have to wait longer to drink it! Vintage is better quality than Non-Vintage: Producers put as much effort in to Non-Vintage as it is blended from a range of base wines into a house style consistent the world over, year after year. The Non-Vintage is also usually the entry point wine for a brand and, as such, has to be the perfect ‘shop-window’ in terms of quality. Boxed wine is rubbish: Don’t be fooled by the ability to get a greater volume of wine for a relatively cheaper price. Being more portable, durable and housed in card rather than glass, any cost savings come from cheaper logistics rather than from cutting corners in production. The only downside of drinking boxed wine is that you can’t quite see how much you’ve already drunk! Cheers! Read Darren’s blog at vinesight.me