FROM WINE BY THE GLASS TO OXIDIZED WINE
CUSTOMERS ARE INCREASINGLY ORDERING WINE BY THE GLASS INSTEAD OF BOTTLES, BUT WHAT THEY GET IN THEIR GLASS IS SOMETIMES OXIDIZED. HOW TO UNDERSTAND IT AND WHAT TO DO
>Wine by the glass and oxidized wine Tagliata di cinta senese – Fattoria del Colle Trequanda Toscana
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino
I order wine by the glass, especially if it’s an opportunity to try new things and share a glass with friends. However, restaurants often aren’t equipped for this type of service. They don’t have nitrogen systems or even oxygen extraction pumps. You might see bottles served by the glass displayed on the counter, corked, with the original cork, so besides being too warm, they’re almost certainly oxidized.
WINE BY THE GLASS IS ATTRACTIVE, BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO CHOOSE AND STORE IT
At a certain point, it’s worth making a sacrifice and ordering a whole bottle, hoping the manager will have a bag to take it home and finish it at leisure.
And yet, wine by the glass is on the rise. Many, like Andrea Gori, believe it is the best way to stem the decline in consumption. And, all things considered, it’s also very profitable for restaurants and wine shops. For still wines, a bottle is good for five glasses, and by the third glass, the manager has already pocketed the full retail price. Obviously, this is possible if the service is intelligent, offering the right wines: established brands alongside authentic rarities waiting to be discovered, but above all if the storage equipment is adequate.
