Wine is made by crushing grapes to extract the juice, which is allowed to ferment. During the fermentation the grape sugar turns into alcohol and the juice becomes wine. Here are some tips on storing and serving wine.

There are two main categories of wine. Table wines and fortified wines. Table wines are drunk with a meal. Fortified wines, to which a spirit, usually brandy, has been added, are served before a meal.

Wine should be placed in a dry, dark place, such as a cellar, which has a temperature of 50-60 degrees F. Table wine should be stored lying down, this keeps the corks moist. A dry cork can allow the entry into the wine of organisms which spoil the wine.

Moist fortified wines are not affected by the air in the same way as table wines, so they can be stored in an upright position.

Before serving red wine, stand it upright and leave it to reach room temperature gradually. A red wine should be opened to allow it to breathe. This helps to develop and release the bouquet, or smell and taste of the wine.

Most young strong wines should be opened a few hours before serving. A red wine throws a harmless deposit, or sediment, to the bottom of the bottle so it is best decantated. This involves carefully pouring off the wine through a filter leaving the sediment behind .