Top 3 preconceived ideas about wine

The world of wine is a fertile ground for popular beliefs. Some are charming, others downright far-fetched. Between proverbs, serving rituals, and so-called tasting rules, we’re sorting fact from pure fiction.

1. “The older the wine, the better it is” False (or almost)

Age doesn’t always mean quality. Most wines produced today are made to be enjoyed within five years of bottling. Great wines for aging are the exception: they come from concentrated grapes, carefully vinified and matured to evolve beautifully over time.

A wine that’s too old can lose its fruit, oxidize, or even turn bitter. A wine that’s too young may lack roundness. The key lies in balance: every wine has its ideal moment. Enjoying it at the right time is the best way to honor it.

2. “White on red, nothing to dread; red on white, you’re in for a fright” Meaning reversed!

This well-known saying often trips people up. It’s commonly misunderstood as advice to drink red before white, but in fact, it means the opposite.

“White on red, nothing to dread” means you start with a white wine, then move on to red.
“Red on white, you’re in for a fright” warns that if you reverse the order, your palate will protest.

Why? Because the tannins in red wine coat the palate. Tasting a more acidic white afterward can feel harsh and unbalanced.

From an oenological point of view, it follows the golden rule of tasting: move from lighter to fuller-bodied wines, from fresher to more structured ones, in other words, from white to red.

3. “You should open wine long before serving so it can breathe” Not always

The image of grandpa uncorking a bottle at lunch for dinner later is persistent, but often ineffective. Oxygen barely enters through the neck of an open bottle, so the wine doesn’t really “breathe.”

To truly let a wine open up, you need to decant it: pour it into a wide carafe to increase its contact with air. But be careful, not every wine appreciates this treatment. Fragile older vintages can collapse within minutes of exposure to oxygen.

• Young, powerful wines benefit from decanting to soften their tannins.
• Older wines are better opened gently, right before serving.

 What to remember

Wine doesn’t care for dogmas or absolute truths. Behind every “rule” lies a story, sometimes right, sometimes outdated. The best advice is this: trust your palate, not the proverbs.

FAQ - Wine myths

Does wine really get better with age?

Not necessarily. Most wines made today are meant to be enjoyed within five years of bottling. Only wines for ageing, from concentrated grapes with the right maturing, truly benefit from waiting. Past its peak, a wine loses its fruit and can turn oxidised or bitter.

Should you serve white wine before red?

Yes. The saying "white on red, nothing to dread" advises starting with white, then moving on to red. Red tannins coat the palate, so a more acidic white served afterwards feels unbalanced. You always move from lighter and fresher to fuller and more structured.

Do you really need to open a bottle early to let the wine breathe?

Simply pulling the cork does almost nothing: very little air reaches the wine through the narrow neck. To aerate a wine you need to decant it, pouring it into a wide carafe to increase contact with air. Some fragile wines, however, do not need it.

Which wines should you decant?

Young, powerful wines benefit from a spell in the carafe, which softens their tannins. Fragile older vintages, on the other hand, can collapse within minutes of exposure to air, so they are better opened gently just before serving.

How long can you keep a bottle of wine?

Most wines are best enjoyed within five years of bottling. Great wines for ageing are the exception and can evolve for far longer. Every wine has its ideal moment: too young it lacks roundness, too old it turns bitter.