Wine Rules You Can Break

We all know a troublemaker; the one who says, "Rules are made for breaking." Well, there seems to be a ton of rules related to wine. I mean, people will gasp in horror if you throw an ice cube in your chardonnay on a hot day. Here are a few of wine commandments you can break that won't get you sent to hell.

Screw Top Wines are Crap
  Can we just bury this one, America?

Don't Age Chardonnay
  A number of chards have enough of an acid backbone (a preservative) to allow aging for several years if stored correctly. Some of these wines are even better after a few years in the bottle. This goes for some other white wines, too, including sparkling wines

Decanting Wines Improves Them
  Some folks will want to decant almost any red wine. Decanting aerates the wine, adding oxygen, to smooth out, and essentially age, the wine. Some wines don't need this. Big, young reds can certainly be better decanted. Otherwise, it's likely to be a bad idea.
  Lots of people mistakenly decant old reds to try to keep the sediment out. Well, if you can keep it out by slowly pouring most the bottle into a decanter you can do that same pouring into glasses. Maybe decant the last glass from the bottle or pour it through cheesecloth if there's a ton of sediment. The thing is you don't want any more oxygen in older wines. You are hurting your aged bottle you've been saving for this special occasion.
  The best idea is probably to pour a couple ounces into a glass after opening then try it and see if you think it would improve from decanting. You can't tell if it would be better decanted? Then don't.

You Need Six Different Styles of Wine Glasses
  Glass makers Riedel, and a lot of experts, say you need a different glass for every kind of wine. Yes, there can be a difference in the nose with different sized openings. Maybe one glass with a bit narrower opening and one with a wide one. I mean, if you're drinking zinfandel out of a glass supposedly made for riesling the world isn't going to end.

You Need Sparkling Wine Glasses
  There are several versions of Champagne glasses available. The bubbles can be fun to watch in a flute, but the wine is just as good from a regular ol' wine glass.

Sparkling Wine is for Celebrations
  You open the bubbles for weddings and holidays, but not for other dinners? There are lots of foods that go well with sparkling wines because of their high acidity. And besides, why can't a Tuesday meatloaf be a good reason to celebrate?

There's a Proper Serving Temperature for Each Kind of Wine
  My God, you'll hear serve sauvignon blanc at 42 degrees, chardonnay at 52, cabernet at 64, blah blah. Who the hell is gonna stick a thermometer in their wine bottle? (Hint, don't use a rectal thermometer). For total blasphemy you can chill your reds on a warm day. You might have a place to store your reds at an optimal "cool room temp" for serving, but probably not. If you have a cellar bring them out hours before serving. If you don't then chill them down a bit in the fridge.
  If you want to worry about this then just remember, most whites at fridge temp, chardonnay at cellar temp, reds at a cool room temp. Just don't be afraid to warm up some whites before drinking or chill some reds to whatever temp seems best for you.