Wines

Wine advice from Esprit des vins

Everybody experiences wine in a different way, that is why choosing wine is completely a personal choice. Discovering your own taste is the most important thing, afterwards you can use the above infographic to choose wine based on your own preferences.

Don’t hesitate to contact us, we are happy to help you with any doubts or questions.

Older wines

Nothing is so fascinating as the evolution of wine over the years.

The primary fruit flavours evolve to very complex taste patterns. Depending on the region, the harvest year and the storage conditions, the life span of wine can sometimes be surprisingly long. Wines of 50 years and older can still be a great experience.

For a wine novice it’s important that older wines are not always better; like explained above the taste patterns evolve and the wine becomes very complex, an astonishing experience but not necessarily what you are looking for. Al our wines are suitable to age, to maintain our quality standards we apply following minimum fill levels:

10 years: Neck
- 20 years: Base Neck
  - 30 years: Very Top Shoulder
    - 40 years: Top Shoulder.
      - 50 years: Upper Shoulder
        
        60 years: Mid shoulder
        
        70 years: Low Shoulder

For bottles with deviating fill levels this will be explicitly mentioned. As this means there is a higher chance of oxidation, these bottles will be offered for a lower price. Wine is a living product. Each wine evolves differently depending on its origin, year, storage, and cork. Wines of more than 20 years old can show significant bottle differences and are always sold in the condition that they are.

Still have any questions regarding the age of a wine, send us a message – we are happy to help.

Food Pairing

There are countless possibilities to combine wine with your meal that perfectly match or even highlight each other. Being creative and trying your own combo’s is our message. Paring is possible in a congruent way, meaning that the taste profiles match or contrasting where you use opposite tasting profiles. Some general tips to keep in mind:

It is best to match the intensity of the wine with the intensity of the meal
Bitter wines do not pair well with bitter foods
Do not combine seafood with red wine: wine tannins clash with fish oils
Swett wines are perfect to counterbalance spicy foods
Try to choose a wine with a higher acidity than the meal

Second wines

‘First label’ wines are world-famous for their outstanding quality and their respective prices. Are you looking for a unique wine with an outstanding price-quality ratio, then you should consider the ‘second wines’ of top wine producers. These wines offer a glimpse of the best wines in the world for a lower price.

Wine diary

Start to write a wine diary for yourself, this way you will get a better overview of what your preferences are and as such this makes experimenting with wine also more interesting.

Storing & serving wine

After purchase

After transport, allow the wine to rest for multiple days/weeks

Storage tips

Temperature:
- The ideal storage temperature is between 12°C and 15°C
- Though a constant temperature is more important as wine does not cope well with temperature variations
Humidity:
- The ideal humidity is between 60% and 70%
- Dry air will cause the cork to try out as a result the wine will oxidize faster
Light:
- Store wines in a dark place without direct sunlight: UV radiation will alter the wine
Bottle position:
- Store wine bottles lying down to prevent the cork from drying out
- Sparkling wines can be stored upwards
A wine cellar or wine fridge are ideal as they meet all the above criteria

How to serve wine

Store older wine one day in advance upward as such the sediment can flow to the bottom of the bottle
Cool the wine to the right temperature, which depends on the type of wine, for the best taste experience
Open the bottle 1 to 2 hours in advance so the wine can breathe
Use a small tea sieve in case the cork breaks or crumbles to filter the wine
Use glasses with the appropriate size to be able to swirl the wine, so the wine can breathe and to concentrate all the aroma’s
Always start with lightest-bodied wine and end with fullest-bodied wine
Older wines react strongly to extra oxygen, there can be a significant difference in taste between the first and the last glass

Decanting wine

Decanting is pouring wine into a carafe so the wine can breathe more. While decanting the tannins and acidity in the wine decreases and as such the wine becomes ‘softer’. Decanting is also used to separate the sediment from the wine.

Almost all red wines are suitable to decant, but there are also some full-bodied white wines that can benefit from decanting.

Older wines are fragile, be cautious when decanting old wine: the excess oxygen can cause the wine to oxidize too fast.
Young wines can be decanting well in advance and will benefit more from decanting. The wine will open itself because of the added oxygen, this way you can mirror long cellar ageing. The wine will taste less sharp as the tannins and acidity will soften.