Santa Margherita

How should wines be served? Quite apart from ideal pairings with food, there is a precise sequence that should be respected in order to make sure that our taste buds do not get overtired and that important taste sensations do not dominate one another or clash. The sequence for serving should follow these rules:
1.    white wines come before red wines;
2.    less aromatic wines come before those that are more scented and exuberant;
3.    dry wines come before sweet wines;
4.    lighter wines come before more alcoholic ones;
5.    more straightforward wines come before ones with greater structure;
6.    young wines come before more mature ones.

Clearly, each one of these rules – because of the overlap of characteristics within individual wines – has some exceptions, as outlined below:

1.    sweet white wines follow dry red ones;
2.    less aromatic but very well-structured wines follow ones that are aromatic but light;
3.    dry wines follow those that are very slightly sweet, when the latter are served as an aperitif;
4.    less alcoholic but very well-structured wines follow those that contain slightly more alcohol;
5.    light but very aromatic follow those that are more neutral;
6.    young wines thar are very full-bodied and alcoholic follow those that are slightly more mature.

Quite apart from the rules and exceptions above, another important element in the sequence for wines - if not indeed the most relevant – is that of matching them with food (see chapter 7). A first course that is very highly-scented calls for a wine that is particularly aromatic, and this can therefore precede a less aromatic wine but one that is more suitable for accompanying the dish that is to follow.
Fundamentally speaking, to get the sequence right you need to know the rules but also to use a little creativity: big sports stars or great artists, too, create extraordinary performances by using their fantasy and imagination, but only after they have put in years of hard work and practice learning the rules and the basics in their particular chosen field.