What is the ideal temperature for wine?

Whites: chilled (45°-55° F) for a few hours in the refrigerator.
Reds: slightly cooler than room temperature (about 65° F); Younger fruity reds benefit from chilling.
Sparkling Wine: thoroughly chilled; refrigerate several hours or the night before serving.
Dessert Wine: room temperature. Chilling tones down the sweetness of wine. If a red wine becomes too warm, it may lose some of its fruity flavor.

Should I ever use a decanter for my wines?

A decanter is used mainly to remove sediment from older red wines. Also, it can be used to open up young red wines. Otherwise, wine will "breathe" enough in your glass and decanting is not necessary.

Why should I swirl wine in my glass before I drink it?

By swirling your wine, oxygen is invited into the glass, which allows the aromas to escape.

Is the technique of grape stomping still used today?

Foot treading of grapes is still used in producing a small quantity of the best port wines.

What is the best way to pick out a bottle of wine as a gift for a friend?

It is nice to choose something that you consider special and that you have tried and feel comfortable with. If possible, find out if the friend has any specific wine preferences (e.g., white vs. red, dry vs. sweet). That will help you choose a wine they will enjoy.

What is the difference between Sparkling Wine and Champagne?

Sparkling Wine is any wine that contains carbon dioxide gas, a natural bi-product of the fermentation process. The term is not necessarily an indication of quality, it simply means that the wine contains bubbles. Champagne is a sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of Northern France. The sparkling wines from there are considered the world's best. By international law, it is the only place with the legal right to call their sparking wines "Champagne".