Section 1 · Wine and the Consumer

Storage and Service of Wine

This chapter covers the practical side of wine, how to store it properly, serve it at the right temperature, decide when to decant, and keep an opened bottle fresh. These topics appear on the written exam and are essential knowledge for anyone who cares about getting the most out of every bottle.

Aroma kit focus: apple, citrus peel, toast, brioche, dried fruit, wet cardboard (cork taint), bruised apple (oxidation)

Why Proper Storage Matters

Wine is a living product. From the moment it’s bottled, it continues to evolve through slow chemical reactions. The conditions under which wine is stored directly affect how it develops, and whether it reaches your glass in good shape or damaged beyond repair.

Most wines are made to be drunk within a year or two of purchase. For these wines, basic storage (a cool, dark place) is fine. But for wines intended to age, fine Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo, vintage Champagne, Riesling, Sauternes, proper storage is non-negotiable. Poor storage can ruin a great wine, and no amount of money can undo the damage.

Key principle: The goal of wine storage is to slow down the ageing process so that it happens gradually and positively. You want the wine to develop complexity over time, not deteriorate from heat, light, or vibration.

The Five Storage Conditions

There are five factors that determine whether a wine is stored well. All five matter, and the exam expects you to know why each one is important.

1. Temperature

Ideal range: 10–15°C (50–59°F). The most commonly cited target is around 12°C.

Why it matters: Temperature controls the speed of chemical reactions inside the bottle. Too warm (above 25°C / 77°F) and the wine ages prematurely, the fruit fades, the colour browns, and cooked or stewed flavours develop. Too cold (below 0°C / 32°F) and the wine can freeze, expanding and pushing the cork out or cracking the bottle.

Consistency is key: Constant temperature matters even more than the exact number. Daily or seasonal temperature swings are extremely damaging because the liquid expands and contracts, which can work the cork loose and allow air in. A cellar that stays at a steady 14°C year-round is much better than one that swings between 8°C in winter and 22°C in summer.

The “cooked wine” problem: Wine that has been exposed to high heat (left in a car in summer, stored in an uninsulated warehouse, shipped without temperature control) develops a flat, jammy, stewed character. The colour goes brown early. There’s often a sticky residue around the capsule where wine has leaked past the cork. Once cooked, a wine cannot recover.

2. Humidity

Ideal range: 70–80% relative humidity.

Why it matters: Humidity affects the cork. If the air is too dry (below 50%), natural corks can dry out and shrink, losing their seal. This allows oxygen to enter the bottle, oxidising the wine. If the air is too humid (above 90%), mould can develop on labels and cartons, not harmful to the wine itself, but it makes bottles unsellable and damages collections.

Important note: Humidity is primarily a concern for wines sealed with natural cork. Wines sealed with screwcaps, synthetic closures, or glass stoppers are not affected by humidity in the same way, because those closures don’t dry out.

3. Light

Ideal: Darkness. Store wine away from direct sunlight and strong artificial light.

Why it matters: Ultraviolet (UV) light triggers chemical reactions in wine that create unpleasant sulfur-containing compounds. This is called “light strike” and it gives the wine a wet wool or wet cardboard smell. White wines and sparkling wines in clear or pale bottles are most vulnerable; dark glass offers some protection but doesn’t eliminate the risk entirely.

Practical note: This is why traditional wine cellars are underground and windowless, and why wine shops should avoid fluorescent lighting directly on bottles for extended periods.

4. Vibration

Ideal: No vibration. Store wine in a stable, undisturbed location.

Why it matters: Vibration disturbs the sediment that naturally forms in ageing wines and may accelerate chemical reactions. While occasional gentle handling is fine, constant vibration (from appliances, traffic, or industrial activity) can prevent a wine from developing properly. This is one reason why wine cellars are often in basements, away from mechanical equipment.

5. Position

Ideal for corked wines: Stored on their side (horizontal).

Why it matters: When a bottle is stored on its side, the wine stays in contact with the cork, keeping it moist and swollen. A moist cork maintains its seal and prevents oxygen from entering. If a corked bottle is stored upright for a long time, the cork can dry out and shrink, compromising the seal.

Exception: Wines with screwcaps or synthetic closures can be stored upright without any problem, because those closures don’t require moisture to maintain their seal. Sparkling wines are sometimes stored upright because the internal pressure (CO₂ gas) keeps the cork moist from the inside.

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Exam Tip

If asked about storage conditions, structure your answer around all five factors: temperature, humidity, light, vibration, and position. For each one, state the ideal condition and explain what happens if it’s not met. That cause-and-effect structure is what scores marks.

Storage Conditions at a Glance

Factor Ideal Risk if Wrong
Temperature 10–15°C, constant Premature ageing, cooked flavours, cork failure
Humidity 70–80% Cork drying/shrinking (too low); mould on labels (too high)
Light Darkness Light strike, sulfurous off-flavours, especially in white/sparkling
Vibration None Disturbs sediment, may accelerate chemical change
Position Horizontal (corked bottles) Cork dries out and loses seal, allowing oxidation

Odour-Free Environment

One additional storage consideration that’s sometimes overlooked: wine should be stored away from strong smells. Chemicals, cleaning products, paint, and pungent foods can potentially taint wine over time, particularly if the closure allows any exchange with the environment. A good cellar or wine storage area should have good ventilation and no chemical storage nearby.

Serving Temperature

Serving temperature has a dramatic effect on how wine tastes. The same wine served too cold or too warm can seem like a completely different drink. The exam expects you to know the recommended temperature ranges for different wine styles and understand why temperature matters.

What Temperature Does

The old rule “room temperature” for reds is misleading. It dates from an era when European rooms were typically 16–18°C. Modern heated rooms at 22–24°C are too warm for almost any wine. Most red wines benefit from being slightly cooler than modern room temperature.

Recommended Serving Temperatures

Serving Temperature Guide
Sparkling wines
6–10°C. Serve well chilled. Cold temperature maintains the dissolved CO₂ and gives a finer, more persistent mousse. Prestige cuvées and vintage Champagne can be served at the warmer end (8–10°C) to allow their complexity to show.
Light, sweet white wines
6–8°C. Serve cold. The chill balances the sweetness and keeps the wine feeling fresh rather than cloying.
Light, dry white wines
7–10°C. Serve cold. Think Muscadet, Pinot Grigio, Vinho Verde. These wines rely on freshness, and cold temperature enhances their crisp acidity.
Full-bodied white wines
10–13°C. Serve lightly chilled, not ice cold. Think oaked Chardonnay, white Burgundy, white Rhône blends. These wines have more weight and complexity that gets suppressed if too cold.
Rosé wines
7–10°C. Similar to light whites. Freshness is the priority.
Light-bodied red wines
13–15°C. Serve slightly cool. Think Beaujolais, Valpolicella, young Pinot Noir. A slight chill preserves their fresh, fruity character and prevents them from feeling flabby.
Medium to full-bodied red wines
15–18°C. Serve at cool room temperature. Think Bordeaux, Barolo, Rioja, Napa Cabernet. Warmth allows their complex aromas to emerge, but above 18°C, alcohol starts to dominate and the wine loses definition.
Fortified wines
Varies by style. Fino and Manzanilla Sherry: 7–10°C (serve cold to emphasise freshness). Tawny Port: 10–14°C (lightly chilled). Vintage/Vintage Port: 16–18°C (room temperature to allow complexity). Sweet styles: 10–14°C.
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Exam Tip

The exam may describe a service scenario and ask what went wrong. If a red wine tastes “hot and alcoholic,” the first suspect is serving temperature, it’s probably too warm. If a full-bodied white tastes “closed and flavourless,” it’s probably too cold. Always consider temperature before blaming the wine.

Decanting

Decanting is the act of pouring wine from its bottle into another vessel (a decanter or carafe) before serving. There are two reasons to decant, and they serve opposite types of wine:

Reason 1: To Remove Sediment (Older Wines)

As red wines age, colour pigments and tannins bind together and fall out of the liquid as sediment, a fine, dark, gritty deposit that collects at the bottom of the bottle. Sediment is harmless but unpleasant to drink (it’s bitter and has a gritty texture).

How to decant for sediment:

  • Stand the bottle upright for 24–48 hours before opening, so sediment settles to the bottom
  • Open the bottle carefully without disturbing it
  • Pour slowly and steadily into the decanter, with a light source (candle or torch) behind the shoulder of the bottle so you can see the sediment approaching
  • Stop pouring as soon as you see sediment reaching the neck
  • Serve promptly, old wines are fragile and can deteriorate quickly with too much air exposure
Critical point: Old wines should be decanted gently and served relatively quickly. Extended aeration can cause a fragile old wine to fall apart, the fruit fades, the colour goes brown, and the wine tastes hollow and dried out. Decant for sediment removal, pour, and drink.

Reason 2: To Aerate (Young Wines)

Young, tannic red wines can taste tight, closed, and aggressive when first opened. Exposing them to air (aeration) allows volatile compounds to blow off and encourages the wine to “open up,” softening the tannins and releasing more aromatic complexity.

How to decant for aeration:

  • Pour the wine vigorously into the decanter, splashing it against the sides to maximise air contact
  • Let it sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving, depending on how tight the wine is
  • Taste it periodically, when the aromas open up and the tannins soften, it’s ready

Which wines benefit most from aeration: Young Barolo, young Bordeaux, young Napa Cabernet, young Northern Rhône Syrah, young Ribera del Duero, essentially any young wine with high tannin and concentrated fruit.

When NOT to Decant

  • Old, fragile wines should only be decanted briefly for sediment, not for extended aeration
  • Light, delicate wines (Beaujolais, light Pinot Noir, Muscadet) gain nothing from decanting, aeration strips away their delicate fruit character
  • Sparkling wines should never be decanted, as decanting releases the dissolved CO₂ and kills the bubbles
  • White wines are rarely decanted, though some full-bodied whites (aged white Burgundy, white Rhône) can benefit from brief aeration in a carafe

Glassware

The shape of a wine glass affects how aromas are delivered to your nose and how the wine flows onto your palate. While the exam won’t ask you to identify glass brands, it may ask about the general principles.

Key Glass Features

Bowl shape: A larger, wider bowl allows more surface area for the wine to interact with air, releasing more aromas. A narrower, tulip-shaped bowl concentrates aromas at the rim, directing them toward your nose. The ISO tasting glass (used in WSET exams) has a tulip shape designed to focus aromas.

Stem: Holding the glass by the stem (not the bowl) prevents your hand from warming the wine and keeps fingerprints off the bowl so you can assess colour clearly.

Rim: A thin, fine rim delivers wine more precisely to the palate than a thick, rolled rim. Professional tasting glasses have thin rims.

Size: A glass should be large enough that you can pour a standard tasting measure (about 50–75ml) and still have plenty of room to swirl without spilling. A glass that’s too small restricts swirling and aroma release.

Sparkling Wine Glasses

The traditional coupe (wide, flat bowl) looks elegant but is terrible for sparkling wine, the large surface area causes the bubbles to dissipate quickly and aromas to scatter. A tall, narrow flute preserves the mousse better but restricts aroma development. The current professional preference is a tulip-shaped glass that combines the flute’s height (preserving bubbles) with a wider bowl (allowing aromas to develop). For the exam, know that glass shape affects how quickly bubbles dissipate.

Practical note: Glasses should be clean and free of detergent residue, which can destroy the mousse in sparkling wines and taint aromas. Rinse glasses thoroughly and dry with a lint-free cloth. If a glass smells of anything, detergent, cardboard from storage, musty cupboard, it will affect the wine.

Opening and Serving Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine bottles are under significant pressure, approximately 5–6 atmospheres, which is roughly three times the pressure in a car tyre. A flying cork can cause serious injury. The exam may test you on the correct opening procedure.

Safe Opening Procedure

  1. Chill the bottle to 6–10°C before opening. Cold temperature reduces the internal pressure and makes the cork less likely to fly.
  2. Remove the foil covering the cage and cork.
  3. Keep your thumb on top of the cork while you untwist the wire cage (6 half-turns). Do not remove the cage entirely, leave it loosely draped over the cork for grip.
  4. Hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, pointed away from people and breakable objects.
  5. Grip the cork and cage firmly in one hand. Turn the bottle, not the cork, with the other hand. Rotating the bottle gives you more control.
  6. Ease the cork out slowly, allowing the gas to escape gradually. You should hear a gentle sigh, not a loud pop. A controlled release preserves more CO₂ in the wine.
  7. Pour gently, tilting the glass and pouring down the side to preserve the mousse.
Why no loud pop? A dramatic pop looks impressive but wastes CO₂, sprays wine, and can be dangerous. In a professional setting, the goal is a quiet, controlled release. On the exam, this detail shows you understand proper service technique.

Wine Faults Customers May Encounter

In a restaurant or retail setting, customers may encounter wines with faults. Being able to identify these faults is both an exam skill and a professional one. The main faults were covered in Chapter 1 (SAT), but here’s a service-context summary:

Common Faults and Service Response
Cork taint (TCA)
Wet cardboard, mouldy smell. The wine should be replaced immediately, it is defective and the customer is not at fault. Affects ~1–3% of cork-sealed bottles.
Oxidation
Bruised apple, flat aromas, brownish colour in whites. May indicate poor storage or a failed closure. Replace the bottle if it’s clearly faulty.
Reduction
Struck match, rotten egg. Mild cases may improve with vigorous swirling or decanting. If the smell persists after 10–15 minutes of aeration, offer a replacement.
Heat damage
Cooked, jammy fruit; sometimes a sticky residue around the capsule. Indicates the wine was exposed to excessive heat during storage or transport. Replace the bottle.
Volatile acidity (VA)
Vinegar or nail polish remover smell. At mild levels, some wines naturally show a touch of VA. At high levels, the wine is faulty and should be replaced.
Brettanomyces
Barnyard, Band-Aid, sweaty saddle. Some drinkers accept low levels as part of a wine’s character (especially in some Old World styles). High levels are universally considered a fault.
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Exam Tip

The exam may ask you to distinguish between a wine fault and an intentional style. Key example: oxidation is a fault in a fresh young Chablis, but deliberate oxidative ageing is a feature of Fino Sherry or Vin Jaune. Context determines whether a characteristic is a fault or a style choice.

Wine Preservation After Opening

Once a bottle is opened, oxygen begins to degrade the wine. How quickly this happens depends on the wine style and how much air it’s exposed to. Preservation methods slow this process, extending the useful life of an opened bottle.

How Quickly Does Wine Deteriorate?

As a general rule:

  • Sparkling wines: Lose their fizz within hours. Best consumed the same day they’re opened.
  • Light white and rosé wines: 1–3 days in the fridge with a stopper.
  • Full-bodied white wines: 2–3 days in the fridge.
  • Red wines: 3–5 days, stored cool with the cork replaced or a stopper. Tannic reds last longer than light, delicate reds.
  • Sweet wines: 1–2 weeks in the fridge. High sugar and acidity act as natural preservatives.
  • Fortified wines: 2–8 weeks depending on style. Fino and Manzanilla Sherry deteriorate within days; Tawny Port and Oloroso Sherry can last several weeks because they’ve already been exposed to oxygen during production.

Preservation Methods

Re-corking or stoppers: The simplest method. Replace the cork or use a rubber/silicone stopper. Store the bottle in the fridge (even reds, cold slows oxidation). Effective for 1–3 days.

Vacuum pumps: A small pump removes air from the bottle through a rubber stopper, reducing (but not eliminating) oxygen contact. Extends shelf life by a day or two beyond simple re-corking. Not universally trusted by wine professionals, some believe the vacuum strips delicate aromas along with the air.

Inert gas systems (e.g., Coravin, Private Preserve): These work by blanketing the wine with an inert gas (argon or nitrogen) that is heavier than air. The gas displaces oxygen, protecting the wine surface. Coravin goes further by allowing you to pour wine through the cork without removing it, a needle pierces the cork, and argon fills the space left by the poured wine. The cork reseals when the needle is withdrawn. These systems can keep wine fresh for weeks or even months.

Sparkling wine stoppers: A specially designed clamp stopper that seals a sparkling wine bottle and maintains internal pressure. More effective than a standard cork or stopper, but the wine still loses fizz over time. Best to consume within 1–2 days.

By-the-glass service: In restaurants, by-the-glass programmes create a specific preservation challenge. A standard 75cl bottle holds roughly 5 standard glasses (150ml each) or 6 smaller pours (125ml). If the bottle takes more than a day to sell through, preservation becomes critical. This is why many restaurants use Coravin or gas systems for premium wines by the glass, and why they tend to limit by-the-glass options to wines that sell quickly.

Wine Closures

The type of closure on a bottle affects its storage requirements, ageing potential, and risk of faults. The exam may ask you to compare closure types.

Closure Types Compared
Natural cork
Traditional, allows very slow oxygen exchange that can aid ageing. Risk of cork taint (TCA). Requires horizontal storage to keep cork moist. Best for wines intended for long ageing.
Screwcap (Stelvin)
Provides an airtight seal with no risk of TCA. Ideal for wines meant to be drunk young and fresh. Increasingly used for premium wines, especially in Australia and New Zealand. No need for horizontal storage.
Synthetic cork
Made from plastic or plant-based polymers. No TCA risk. Can be harder to extract and re-insert. Less elastic than natural cork, so may not provide as reliable a long-term seal. Mainly used for entry-level wines.
Glass stopper (Vino-Lok)
An elegant glass plug with a silicone ring. No TCA risk, airtight seal. More expensive than other closures. Used primarily by some German and Austrian producers for premium wines.
Crown cap
Used during secondary fermentation of sparkling wines (traditional method). Airtight, cheap, reliable. Replaced by a cork and wire cage before the wine is sold.

What the Exam Expects You to Know

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Short Answer Strategy

Storage and service questions are often practical and scenario-based: “A customer complains that their red wine tastes hot and unbalanced. What might be the cause, and how would you address it?” Answer with a clear chain: symptom → likely cause → solution. In this example: “The wine is likely being served too warm, which emphasises alcohol and makes it taste hot. I would recommend chilling the bottle briefly (15 minutes in an ice bucket or 5 minutes in the fridge) to bring it down to 16–18°C.”

Aroma Kit Integration

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Temperature Experiment (20 min)

Pull these from your kit: apple, citrus peel, toast, brioche, dried fruit. Smell each one, then open a wine and pour two glasses: one served cold from the fridge (6–8°C) and one allowed to warm to room temperature (~20°C). Compare how the aromas change. You’ll notice the cold glass smells muted and the warm glass releases more aromas, but may also feel softer and less vibrant.

Wine drill: Serve one wine at two temperatures: fridge-cold and room temperature. Write a SAT note for each. Pay special attention to perceived acidity, aroma intensity, and body. This is the single most effective way to understand why serving temperature matters.

Decanting experiment: Open a young, tannic red wine. Pour one glass immediately and set the rest aside in a decanter. Taste the first glass, then taste the decanted wine 30 minutes later, 1 hour later, and 2 hours later. Note how the tannins and aromas evolve. When does it taste best?

Common Exam Traps

Active Recall Prompts

Close this page and try to answer these from memory: