How to improve any red wine in 33 minutes.

So you have probably re-read the title of this blog once, maybe twice and are now asking yourself, "How can a wine be improved in 33 minutes?".

Well, a common misconception about red wine in Australia is that it must be consumed at room temperature. This is true, if you live in Europe where the climate is much cooler than ours. The result of drinking room temperature red is you end up with a soupy, undefined and 'alcoholic' tasting drink. Not very appealing and really, drinking room temperature red is something best left behind for the Monks in their Monasteries in the Medieval Ages.

With that said, what can you do about it?

Try leaving it in the fridge for half an hour. This will take the 'warmth' out of the wine and bring definition to it again. I say for half an hour because generally when cooling down a product like a wine bottle, a rule of thumb is 1 degree will drop every 7-10 minutes which will bring it to around 19 or 20 degrees celsius. With that extra few minutes, decant the wine. Decanting can be as simple as pouring the contents into your glass and letting it sit for a little while. This will allow the wine to 'breathe' and develop extra characteristics that it is now in contact with oxygen.

You can also apply this to when you go dining out, just ask for a bucket of ice to put it in. If the Sommelier pulls a face at you for it, well then they don't know their job too well.

This process can be applied to any red wine, whether it is a bottle under $10, or something for a special occasion.