You chill white wine and serve red wine at room temperature ... right? Well, not exactly. The taste and bouquet of wine can be significantly affected by its temperature, so it's worth taking a few minutes to make sure you're serving the wine at the best temperature.

At what temperature should I serve wine?

Ideal serving temperature for most white wines is 10° - 14° Celsius. Most red wines should be served a little below room temperature, 18° -20° Celsius.

Chill wines in the refrigerator as follows:

• 10 mins: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Baco Noir
• ½ hour: Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, Rose.
• 1 hour: White and sparkling wines (A fuller bodied white, such as oaked Chardonnay, may be served closer to room temperature to allow the rich flavours and aromas to come forward

If you're surprised that Red Wines should be slightly chilled, it's because the old adage "room temperature" originated in Europe many years ago when room temperature was around 15 degrees Celsius, not the 18 to 20 degrees it is today. The slight chilling of red wine helps improve the taste and bouquet of the wine as it warms after serving.

What about wine glasses?

If you have red and white wine glasses so much the better, but if you're relying on a universal glass make sure it is stemmed with a bowl broader than the rim. The shape of the glass helps to capture the aroma and the stem ensures your hand is not touching the bowl and warming the wine.

How do I pour the wine?

Pour the wine without touching the rim of the glass. But don't overfill! The aromas of the wine will be fully released if the glass is only filled to the bulge of the bowl. The wine will be able to breathe and you'll be able to comfortably swirl the glass and enjoy the bouquet.

How do I taste the wine?

Start by holding your glass by the stem. It might seem pretentious, but it actually keeps you from warming up the wine with your hand (and avoids fingerprints on the glass).

Wine is enjoyed through three senses: sight, smell, and taste. First, evaluate the look by holding the glass up to a white background (like a tablecloth or wall) and looking for a clear and intense colour. Colour can vary from pale straw to rich amber for whites (many whites deepen in colour as they age) and translucent cherry to deep ruby for reds ( reds become more muted in colour - mahogany or brick - as they age).

Next, move on to the smell of the wine. Usually, we think the taste is what we enjoy most. But in reality, our tongues only recognize four tastes (sweet, sour, bitter and salt) but our nose can identify thousands of different smells. To smell the wine, swirl it in the glass and take a few short sniffs. As you swirl, the wine mixes with the air to release the bouquet. Words often used to describe the aromas in wine are: apple, melon, citrus, berry, vanilla, grass, butterscotch, and chocolate, to name a few.

Finally, it's time to taste the wine. Take a sip and keep it in your mouth. Try to notice both the taste and texture. Feel the "body" (or weight) of the wine as either light bodied (less alcohol) or medium or full-bodied (higher alcohol). Then swallow, and note the finish (the kind and length of taste) of the wine.

What's the best way to save what's left?

Opened, unfinished wines should be re-corked and placed in the refrigerator. Generally, white wines have a life span of up to four days and reds, two days.

Where's the best place to store Ontario Wine:

Unopened wine, if stored correctly, can last months or even years depending on the varietal.

Do

• store wine in a cool (14 - 16 degrees Celsius), dark, dry place away from vibration and direct sunlight. At home, this could mean the basement or a closet.
• lay bottles on their sides so the corks don't dry out.

Avoid

• storing unopened wine in the fridge. This can make the wine taste flat over time, and some whites can even be over-chilled.
• storing wines in a cabinet beside or on top of the fridge. The vibrations and heat will harm a wine over time. In general, avoid any heat source.