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From the biblical times to the present, a glass of wine has been celebrated across cultures to mark happy occasions and love. Wine is the elixir of life and an aphrodisiac. Without wine, poets could not have loosened their minds and tongues to write and deliver moving poetry.

Enjoying Your Bubbly?

Cheers greet the familiar sound of the cork popping out of the champagne bottle. The festive mood gets merrier and the drinking ensues. But do you know that champagne and other bubblies have their whims and caprices? To serve up the best tasting drinks, there are some practices to observe so you can enjoy your wine.

Sparkling wine must be poured properly into tall and thin flutes. Don't pour into the center of the glass because you'll disturb the bubbles. For non-bubbly wines, decant it into the center of the glass. For both wines, don't fill the wine glasses to the brim, but only about a fourth or a third from the top of the glass. White wine like Riesling is served in tulip glasses, while red wine like sherries are served in rounded glasses with large bottoms.

When the drinks are served in their proper glasses, your guests can enjoy the flavors and the aromas of the wines. This enhances their drinking pleasure and yours as well. Don't forget, though, to fill up glasses when everything has gone up a decibel higher - music, laughter and conversation.

Wine Temperature

Older wines taste better when chilled and decanted before serving. Decanting makes sure that cork sediments are not included when you serve a drink. Did you know that cork sediments affect the wine's flavor and aroma? Use cheesecloth when you pour the wine into the decanter just to make sure that no cork sediment is present and do this before the guests arrive.

Not all wines have to be cooled to get the best flavors out. Vintage wines are warmed because the aged flavor comes out best. You can always have a drink from it from one of those liquor flasks. Sparkling wines and roses are best served when cooled to 45 degrees Fahrenheit and sherry at 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooled wines taste better and smell better, otherwise it would be too unpleasant to drink. Don't worry, though, if you don't have time to chill the wines before the guests arrive. A 10-minute chill in the refrigerator will be good enough.

Secrets From the Vineyard

Red grapes produce the famous Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon, and Zinfandel, but they all taste differently, each with their kind of seduction. These grapes were grown in France, Spain, and Argentina. These will, however, have a shared distinction of the fruit.

But how do these red grape wines differ from one another? Cabernet has the flavors of plum, black cherry, and currant and strong tannins. Zinfandel is a stimulating drink spiced with wild berry and pepper, while a Sauvignon Blanc has a bit of herbal kick to it. The Muscat is spicy.

Vintners guard their trade secrets tightly, passing on the secret only to the next generation who will manage the vineries and the business. The hapless Fortunato in Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado was a connoisseur of wine and the Medoc, a French red wine, was his downfall. But for all wine lovers and tired imbibers, wines will always be an elixir and the source of the heart's fountain of youth. So toast to the wines that make the world go round.