On wine: Everything you always wanted to know about wine

Folks ask me questions about wine all the time: how to serve it, what to serve it with, how to order it out. Here are my answers.

Opening bottles - A lot of people find it challenging to use a corkscrew. Of all the many types of cork removers, I find the compact, double-hinged “waiter’s key” (also known as “waiter’s friend”) the simplest.

Use the knife at one end to remove the top of the bottle’s foil; hold the bottle steady on butt end and insert the corkscrew’s “worm” slightly off-center into the cork. Screw straight down until only one curl of the worm shows, then use the hinge’s two steps, first to pull up the top one-half of the cork, then all of it.

Wine serving temperature -In general, Americans serve white wine too cold and red wine too warm. At either extreme, no one will enjoy the wine at its best.

Most white wines taste their liveliest and freshest at 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly warmer than the average refrigerator.

All red wines taste best below 70 degrees, which is chillier than most any American room.

Try light red wines at 55-60 degrees; bigger bodied red wines at 60-65 degrees. You can get there by placing a bottle that is at room temperature inside the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes or more.

Selecting wine at a restaurant - If it falls to you to choose the wine from a list the size of the Manhattan White Pages, I say bag it. Ask for a recommendation from the wine server. Pondering a wine list for 15 minutes or more away from the company of your tablemates is too high a price to pay.

But if you have time to plan ahead because you know where you’re dining, consult the wine list that is more frequently online. Also, call your restaurant to ask if it offers “corkage,” a fee exacted by the restaurant for wine brought in by the diner. Some do; many do not. But it’s a great way to save money on wine at table.

Other down and dirty ways to save money on restaurant wine lists:

Buy the second-least expensive wine in your chosen category. The least expensive wine is there for less-savvy buyers; the second-least is there because the proprietor thinks it’s a cool wine for the money and the menu.

Buy a grape variety that you cannot pronounce; chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir and cabernet are there because everyone expects them to be. Wines in demand are often over-priced. Odd wines are listed for the same reasons above.

The best glass - The best way to appreciate all that wine is in a large-bowled glass with a rim turned inward, made of clear, thin glass.

Glassware stains - If, after many uses, the bottoms or bowls of your crystal wine glasses or decanters sport a pinkish red-wine stain, here’s how to restore their brilliance.

Hand wash them in hot water and a mild detergent. The trick is to add a spoonful or two of uncooked rice grains as well as a small dollop of white vinegar to the glass or decanter.

Vigorously swirl that around and the combination will scour away the stains. Be sure to use uncooked rice.

Saving leftover wine - Apart from expensive gas-replacement systems, the easiest way to keep half-filled bottles of wine from oxidizing and spoiling is to pour any leftover wine into smaller bottles, thus decreasing the amount of air in contact with the wine.

Keep any leftover wine, red or white, in the refrigerator rather than merely atop the counter.

The best values - I look for the most number of “happies” in a bottle of wine for the least number of dollars. Happies are the layers of flavor and aroma and the way they invite me back for more.

If the wine delivers those with finesse, has good acidity and has a sense of place, those are happy plusses.

By and large, the most happies for the least amount of money - with the lowest occurrence of failure in the transaction - today come from Portugal, Spain, Chile, Argentina and southern France.

Storing wine - The best way to store wine is the best way to manage a teenager: keep it downstairs, on its side, cool, in the dark and free of vibration.

No downstairs? Bottom of a closet (never the kitchen). No cool? Bottom of a closet (never the refrigerator).

No teenager? Lucky you.

Bill St. John has been writing and teaching about wine for more than 40 years. He is based in Denver.