It is 32 C on deck. You pull the red the guest asked for from a locker beside the engine room, pour it into a chilled tumbler because the correct glass is in the wash, and the guest takes one sip and puts it down. Nothing was wrong with the wine when it was bottled. Everything went wrong between the case and the glass.
Storing wine
Wine is fragile. Four conditions protect it:
- Cool - a steady 10-15 C. Heat ages wine prematurely and can cook it.
- Constant - swings in temperature are worse than a warm-but-steady store. Never store near the galley, engine room or in direct sun.
- Dark - light, especially sunlight and fluorescent light, damages wine. This is why bottles are green or brown.
- Still and humid - vibration disturbs wine; humidity around 70% stops corks drying out.
Store cork-sealed bottles on their side so the cork stays wet and airtight. A dried cork shrinks and lets air in. Screwcap bottles can stand upright.
Most wine is made to be drunk young. Only a minority - concentrated, tannic or high-acid wines - improve with years.
Serving temperature
Temperature changes the taste more than most guests believe. Too warm and a wine tastes alcoholic and flabby; too cold and it tastes of nothing, while tannin turns harsh.
| Style | Serve at | Rough guide |
|---|---|---|
| Sparkling | 6-10 C | Ice bucket, 30 min |
| Sweet wines | 6-8 C | Well chilled |
| Light, crisp whites and rose | 7-10 C | Fridge, 2 hours |
| Full-bodied / oaked whites | 10-13 C | Fridge, 1 hour |
| Light reds (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais) | 13 C | Fridge, 20-30 min |
| Medium and full reds | 15-18 C | Not room temperature |
An ice bucket with half water, half ice chills far faster than ice alone - the water carries the cold to the whole bottle.
Glassware
- Clear, plain, stem. No cut patterns or colour - the guest must see the wine.
- Tulip shape: bowl wider than the rim, so aromas gather and concentrate.
- Whites get a smaller bowl (keeps them cool); reds a larger one (lets aroma open).
- Sparkling: a flute or, better, a narrow tulip - preserves bubbles and still shows aroma.
- Sherry: a small copita - essentially a small tulip.
- Fill to the widest part of the bowl, roughly a third. Space is where aroma lives.
Hold the stem, not the bowl - warm hands warm the wine and smear the glass. Polish with steam and a clean, lint-free cloth; store glasses upright in a dry rack, never upside down on a cloth, which traps stale smells.
Onboard Notes
- Rig one locker as the wine store and defend it: away from heat, engine noise and light. Log what is in it.
- Chill everything a little colder than you want it served - it will warm in the guest's hand within minutes on a hot deck.
- If a guest wants their red "cold," give it to them cold. Your job is their enjoyment, not your correctness.