The Perfect Toast

The Perfect Toast
Vino
Magazine: August 2008

How many ways can we look at a glass of wine? As a sommelier noting its finer and weaker points; we can revel in the telling of its story; we can marvel at its therapeutic powers. One thing’s for sure, wine has magical properties to enrich the most treasured moments of our lives and with a little care and attention, we can make these moments even more breathtaking. First of all, we chose the correct wine for our toast. We must also pay careful attention to the serving temperature: for Spumanti this should be cold (6–8°C) but full-bodied reds do better at warm temperatures (18- 20°C). The capsule covering the neck should be cut in a clean and precise way, just below the mouth of the bottle. Then we chose the glass most suited to our wine; either a flute for Spumanti or a balloon for our deep reds, in any case our glasses should be clear, of fine crystal and with an elegant stem. Fill your glasses enough to allow for seven or eight guests. And now we are ready to toast.