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Whether you rarely drink wine, or you adore it, we can guarantee you’ll find something useful in this list of hacks.
Dan Murphy’s launched their Decoded Wine Awards on Wednesday, in which they brought together 12 of their most passionate wine experts, and all the panel members shared their best wine hacks – these are our favourites.
1. Use a vase as a decanter
“If you don’t own a decanter, then use a vase – well cleaned, of course It’s all about creating surface space for oxygen to work its magic and open up the wine.” – Malisa Caroselli, Wine Merchant (Carine, WA)
2. Swirl your wine, but not your bubbles
“Swirling your wine before smelling and tasting it is important as it opens all the aromas. However, avoid swirling your glass when drinking sparkling wine as you will shake the bubbles out!” – Tamara Grischy, Wine Panel & Head of Auctions at Langton’s
3. Put all wines in the fridge
“Put all of your wines in the fridge, full bodied red wine included! They are far more refreshing served cold and you get the added benefit of experiencing the wine evolve and change flavor and aroma as the wine warms up in the glass. The fridge is also the best way to store an opened bottle of wine; it helps slow down the oxidation of the wine, so you get to enjoy it for longer.” – Mark Samaha, Wine Buyer
4. Remove red wine stains with salt
“Unfortunately, I know from experience how hard it can be to get red wine stains out of clothing, but your best chance is to first blot the stain with a piece of dry paper towel. Then cover the stain in salt and let it sit for 45 minutes. Finally, press gently on the stain with a cloth soaked in boiling water and et voila! Stain gone.” – Andrew Shedden, Head of Fine Wine
5. Keep an empty half-bottle handy
“Don’t throw away your empty piccolos (200ml) or half wine bottles (375ml) with a screw top, as these will come in handy if you’ve got leftover wine that you don’t want to waste.”
“Fill the empty smaller bottle up to the rim with wine to keep as much oxygen out as possible and screw the top down. Oxygen is wine’s biggest enemy, so by eliminating most of it, the wine will keep for weeks! Half size wine bottles (375ml) are popular at the moment, so you will be able to find them at your nearest liquor store.” – Gary Braidner, Dan Murphy’s Wine Panel
6. Chill wine quickly with paper towel
“If you have a room-temperature bottle that you want to chill in a hurry, wrap it with wet paper towel and put it in your freezer. The paper towel freezes quickly and because it’s in direct contact with the glass, the bottle will chill down super quick. It will be ready to drink in 15-20 minutes.” – Nick Rose, Assistant Category Manager – Fine Wine
7. Take a photo if you like the wine
“If you love a wine, take a photo of the label and favourite it. If I had a dollar for the amount of customers that come into Dan Murphy’s saying “I had this delicious wine but I don’t remember what it is…” I’d be drinking Dom Perignon every weekend!” – Ben Moroney, Wine Merchant (Hornsby, NSW)
8. Speed up decanting with two jugs
“Decanting can make a huge difference to the enjoyment of young, tannic wine, but it can take some time. You should ideally allow at least an hour for the wine to open up. Speed-up the process by pouring the wine fast and furious into a jug, then pour it multiple times between another. Agitation and aeration are key. Pour a glass without aeration and another with, and compare the difference – it can be remarkable.” – Peter Nixon – Head of Wine Panel
9. Freeze leftover wine and use for cooking
“If, by some remote chance, you have any wine left over in the bottle and you won’t be able to finish it, pour it into ice trays and place in the freezer. Next time you’re cooking and the recipe requires wine, you don’t have to open a new bottle. And no, the freezing of the wine does not impact the taste of it!” Kathy Gertau, Wine Merchant (Norwood, SA)
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