Breathe, Bottle, Breathe

With a wine portfolio of over 4,500 bottles and private wine lockers, we take our wine seriously at Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster. It is important to know the essentials of wine — specifically, aeration. When pouring wine, a fundamental aspect is often forgotten: allowing wine to breathe. More flavors and aromas are brought out when wine is allowed to mix with the air and oxidize. Who wouldn’t want better tasting wine? Different wines require different amounts of time for breathing. This is all dependent on the region, the age, and the type. A general rule of thumb is that younger red wines need more time to breathe than older red wines. Generally, red wines under the age of eight years old require 1 to 2 hours to aerate compared to mature red wines over the age of eight years old that only require 30 minutes if at all. Red wines usually gain the most benefits from breathing, but some white wines do, too. You might be asking, “Well, how do I properly aerate wine?” Lucky for you, we’ve got an easy way! First, choose a red wine glass with a large bowl. Then, pour some wine into the glass and stop when it’s at the widest part of the glass. Doing this allows more wine to come in contact with air. Set the wine aside for a few minutes and then swirl the glass gently. Take a sip to taste test, and viola! Perfectly aerated wine.

For informational purposes only.