Many novice wine enthusiasts are a little surprised to find out that the flavor of their bottle of wine can be greatly affected by how it is poured. For so many it is common to just pop the cork and pour the wine into their glasses and begin to enjoy their purchase. But to truly bring out the absolute best flavor of that bottle of wine it should follow the proper steps from the time it is uncorked until the time it is placed into the glass to be consumed.
Temperature has a huge impact on the flavor and should be carefully monitored to ensure that it is not too warm or too cool. For red wines and older vintages wine decanters are essential for not only removing the sediment build up but also aerating the wine to promote the best flavor.
Once the wine is the proper temperature and has had the right amount of time to aerate for the best flavor it should be carefully poured in quality wine glasses. For still wines the pour should go right down the middle of the glass while for sparkling wines it should be along the side to keep too many bubbles from forming. And of course a wine glass should never be too full in order to allow room for swirling the wine before drinking.