Rules to serve wine properly

Wine is traditionally served by the host, who must a few drops in his own glass before
serving the guests (this is to check that wine does not taste like cork).

Then, of course ladies should be served first.
Glasses should never be filled more than half, as well as they should never stay empty.
Host must keep an eye on all glasses on the table and refill right away when one is empty.

It is recommended to uncork a good bottle some time before dinner (half an hour should be fine) ;
in fact vintage wines need to "breath" before expressing all their qualities.
Some even need to be gently poured in a decanter for a few hours.

Wine must be served before the dish arrives on the table, so that guests can taste it.
The bottle is left on the table, so that it can be looked at. You can use a specific "bottle holder".
Or course, never put ice in any type of wine.

As a general rule, white wine and Champagne must be served cold, but not frozen.
You should think about putting them in the fridge a few hours before drinking.
On the contrary, red wine is supposed to be served to room temperature : "chambré".
But be careful, this was the room temperature of our Grand-parents, before heating systems !
Which means this ideal "room temperature" is actually 16°C to 18°C...

For details on each type of wine, see "detailed temperatures".