Top 10 Beginner WINE Mistakes | Beginners Wine Guide

Are you new to the world of wine? Or are you not quite sure what wine etiquette entails? Well, not to worry, because today we're going to go over the top ten wine beginner mistakes. I'm Olivia. And I'm Ken. And we're Wine Therapy. So today, we're going to go over the top ten beginner wine mistakes that we've encountered on our wine journey. But first, if you're new to our channel, consider subscribing. We make weekly videos to help any level of wino learn more about the world of wine. So without further ado, let's get into it. Man, I don't know about you, but that is one of the most cringeworthy things I see. And I know we've done it before, other people that we've hung out with have done it before, but it's really not a good idea when you're drinking wine. When you put ice in your wine, it really waters down the flavors and it makes your experience less enjoyable. As the ice in your wine melts, it can hide those subtle flavors that you might find if you didn't put ice in it. So rather, you can throw your wine bottle in the freezer if you like it really chilled. And make sure not to leave it in there too long, maybe about just five, ten minutes tops, so it doesn't get overly cool either. So just to keep it short and simple, sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, which is just outside of Paris. So if in doubt, if you have a sparkling wine, refer to it as sparkling wine. Unless you know that it came from the Champagne region of France. Even so, there are some more rules that go along with it. So just to be on the safe side, refer to it as sparkling wine. Generally speaking, and depending on the type of wine it is, a bottle of wine usually lasts between one and two days. Unless you get a wine saver, then it can last up to three to four days. And again, it generally depends on whether the wine's a red wine or a white wine. In our experience, we think that red wines typically go bad quicker than white wines. But even with white wines, if you open them up and try them the next day, sometimes they can taste just a little off. When you pour too much wine in your wine glass, you can't smell it as well, and the wine doesn't get exposed to as much room air to let it breathe. So wine glasses are designed with two main purposes. The first is to expose the wine to an appropriate amount of air to let the wine breathe. And the second is to encapsulate and keep in the scent so that it's easier for you to smell. If you want to learn more about wine glasses, we made a previous video on it. Check it out up here. Although it may seem more popular to hold your wine by the bowl, it's actually more important to hold it by the stem. Because when you hold it by the bowl, it warms up the wine and it can change the flavor, and it's not as enjoyable when it gets warmer. And if you go to any wine tastings or anything like that, you're bound to see people walking around holding their wine glass by the bowl. That doesn't make it right. The only time you should do that is if you have a port wine. Otherwise, hold the glass by the stem. We have another video talking all about wine tasting tips, so make sure you check it out up above. So you definitely want to chill your wine before you drink it so that you can enjoy it better. To do this, follow the 30-minute rule. You want to take your white wine out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving it, and you want to put your red wine into the fridge 30 minutes before pouring a glass. So number four, storing your wine in a warm spot. So number one rule for wine is never keep it in the car. Cars can warm up really quickly, and that can make your wine go bad. Also, a popular place to keep wine is in the kitchen. You don't want to do that. Kitchens can typically get really warm with the oven, with the stove on, and you don't want that. Again, it's just going to make your wine taste off. So try and store your wine in a different location outside of the kitchen, kind of like we do with our wine cabinet. Before we get to number three, don't forget to like this video and subscribe to our YouTube channel. It really helps us out so that we can get content to you every week. Number three, smelling the wine cork. So when you go out to eat or go out to a wine bar and you order a bottle of wine, typically the sommelier will go through the ritual of opening up the bottle, and they'll take the cork and place it next to you. A lot of people like to take that cork and smell it and base their opinion on the wine based off of how the cork smells. You don't want to do that. It's really difficult to tell how a wine's going to taste overall based off of how the cork smells. And it just looks like a bit of a beginner move. Number two, not letting your wine breathe. Have you ever noticed that as you drink a glass of wine and get towards the bottom, the wine tastes better? Well, that's because it's aerating as it sits out. As you let the wine aerate, it brings out flavors and scents that you may not notice at the beginning. A good way to do this is to use an aerator or to use a decanter and let it sit out before you pour it. And we know, especially from our own experience, on multiple occasions, we've poured a glass of wine and we've been trying to taste the different flavor characteristics within it and compared our comparisons to what we find online. And sometimes we're like, oh man, that just seems a little bit off. We don't totally taste that. However, as we get towards the bottom of the glass and the wine is aerated a bit more, we can start to taste those more complex and subtle flavors within the wine glass. Aerating can even make a cheap bottle of wine taste more expensive. If you want more information on that, check out the video up above. All right, and last but not least, number one on the top ten list of beginner wine mistakes is, drumroll please. Picking a bottle of wine with a screw on top means it's a cheap wine. So bottles with a twist-off cap, like this one, are actually preserved better than they would be if they had a regular cork in them. And I know that may sound weird because I know even I myself enjoy natural corks better just because they're more old school and traditional. However, the twist-off caps on wine, as well as the synthetic corks, overall help to preserve the wine a lot better. Mind blown, right? I know mine was when I found that out. And there you have it, the top ten beginner wine mistakes. What are some typical wine mistakes that you've seen people doing? Let us know in the comments below. And don't forget to like this video and subscribe to our channel. It really helps us out. And again, be sure to subscribe to make sure that you don't miss out on next week's video. We'll see you then. Cheers!