Ritual

How to enjoy wine while watching hockey 7:00 pm puck drop

Hockey WineUp will provide Team Members with a Wine Pairing list for a series of games throughout the course of the week to help you make decisions about the wine you drink with the game you watch.

It is important to decide on your wine pairing in advance so that you can learn more about the wine and focus on your pre-game ritual.

*Hockey WineUp Team Members are able to request Wine Pairings for games that are not included in the weekly WineUp.

6:00pm Open wine + Decant

Are you one of those people that enjoy arriving to a hockey game early to be able to see the fresh ice sitting there undisturbed?

By opening your wine and pouring it into a decanter 1 hour before the game starts you can replicate this experience. This is a passive first step to your in-game wine experience and will provide you with a nice visual as you finish up other things you need to do before sitting down and watching the game.

If you are drinking white wine or something bubbly that requires to be chilled you can start the Hockey WineUp Ritual 30 minutes earlier by placing the bottle in an ice bucket. Feel free to refrain from decanting until 20 minutes prior to puck drop. There is no need for decanting a bottle of bubbly as you will want to keep the bubbles in the bottle as seen in this Wine Folly video.

Pre-game Warm-Up

The pre-game warm-up is exciting. Two full teams on the ice. 60 pucks being used for breakouts, warming up the goalies, stickhandling, passing, and going bar down on an empty net. The sights and sounds of hockey are multiplied during the pre-game warm up.

Remember – the pre-game is not the game.

This will be one of the most difficult steps to start implementing into your pre-game WineUp routine, but it is one of the most important. Refrain from taking your first sip of wine during the pre-game because the pre-game is not the game!

Most TV pre-game shows start 40 minutes before puck drop. This is a great opportunity to start engaging with your wine and listen to the insights of hockey experts.

• Use the 30 minute pre-game show to do the following:
  • Pour your first glass – this should be a 3 – 4 oz pour.
  • Do not taste or drink the wine yet!
  • Swirl your wine
  • Look at the wine in your glass and in the decanter
  • Notice the smell of the wine as you swirl it (no need to stick your nose in the glass yet)
  • Leave your glass on the table and look at it some more
• Repeat this as you enjoy the pre-game show.

Opening Ceremonies

Are you ready?

Your levels of anticipation should be peaking… It is almost game, but there are a few more opening rituals.

In the arena you will hear the starting line-ups, the national anthems, and the last blast of noise before the puck gets dropped.

This is your chance for some very intentional actions: the opening ceremonies is your chance to take a final look, listen, feel, and smell of the wine in your glass after giving it a swirl.

• Look – tilt your glass slightly and look at the wine. Try to do this against a white backdrop. Make a mental note of the intensity of the colour in the middle and at the edges.
• Listen to sounds of the opening ceremony, the anthem, the commentators.
• Feel the emotion of the game. Think about the wine in your glass, give it another swirl, and as you swirl your wine think about what you have experienced during the pre-game ritual.
• Smell – for the first time in the pre-game ritual stick your nose into your glass and take a deep sniff of the wine. Have a second sniff of the wine. What do you think of the smell?

Repeat the opening ceremonies steps leading up to puck drop.

Game Time

Try to time your opening ceremonies routine so that you take a final sniff of the wine just as the opening face off occurs.

Once the puck is dropped take your first mouthful of wine.

Be sure to get the most out of your first mouthful by:

• Swishing it around your mouth so it coats your tongue and gums
• Let the wine hit your cheeks on both sides of your mouth
• “Chew your wine”
• Allow the wine to sit over your tongue before swallowing.

As you watch the first few shifts of the game think about the wine you just tasted. Refrain from rushing into your next sip, rather think about the taste that you have just experienced.

Try not to drink more than two glasses of wine during the first period (approx. 6-8 oz).

Assessment

At the conclusion of the first period you will have some decisions to make. Here’s a list of assessment questions to think about.

• How much more wine am I going to drink during the game tonight?
• What has been happening in the game so far?
• Do I like this wine?
• Who played well in the first period?
• When have I experienced a wine like this one?
• Will I buy this wine again?
• What do I think is going to happen in the second period?
• Which player in the game tonight reminds me of this wine? Why?

If you choose to continue drinking the wine that you opened be sure to repeat the steps found in the “Game Time” section.

Don’t feel like drinking the rest of the wine tonight?

Here are a few steps to make sure you have wine for tomorrow!

• Pour the remaining wine from the decanter into a measuring cup. If you don’t have a large measuring cup you can repeat these steps as many times as you need.
• Place a funnel on the mouth of the wine bottle
• Pour the wine from the measuring cup into the funnel and back into the bottle
• Use the twist cap or cork to close off the bottle
• Place the bottle into the fridge. Most wines will be good to drink for another few days.
• If you return to a bottle of red wine, remember to give it sometime to warm up prior to drinking it again.

How to enjoy wine while watching hockey 7:00 pm puck drop

Hockey WineUp will provide Team Members with a Wine Pairing list for a series of games throughout the course of the week to help you make decisions about the wine you drink with the game you watch.

It is important to decide on your wine pairing in advance so that you can learn more about the wine and focus on your pre-game ritual.

*Hockey WineUp Team Members are able to request Wine Pairings for games that are not included in the weekly WineUp.

6:00pm Open wine + Decant

Are you one of those people that enjoy arriving to a hockey game early to be able to see the fresh ice sitting there undisturbed?

By opening your wine and pouring it into a decanter 1 hour before the game starts you can replicate this experience. This is a passive first step to your in-game wine experience and will provide you with a nice visual as you finish up other things you need to do before sitting down and watching the game.

If you are drinking white wine or something bubbly that requires to be chilled you can start the Hockey WineUp Ritual 30 minutes earlier by placing the bottle in an ice bucket. Feel free to refrain from decanting until 20 minutes prior to puck drop. There is no need for decanting a bottle of bubbly as you will want to keep the bubbles in the bottle as seen in this Wine Folly video.

Pre-game Warm-Up

The pre-game warm-up is exciting. Two full teams on the ice. 60 pucks being used for breakouts, warming up the goalies, stickhandling, passing, and going bar down on an empty net. The sights and sounds of hockey are multiplied during the pre-game warm up.

Remember – the pre-game is not the game.

This will be one of the most difficult steps to start implementing into your pre-game WineUp routine, but it is one of the most important. Refrain from taking your first sip of wine during the pre-game because the pre-game is not the game!

Most TV pre-game shows start 40 minutes before puck drop. This is a great opportunity to start engaging with your wine and listen to the insights of hockey experts.

• Use the 30 minute pre-game show to do the following:
  • Pour your first glass – this should be a 3 – 4 oz pour.
  • Do not taste or drink the wine yet!
  • Swirl your wine
  • Look at the wine in your glass and in the decanter
  • Notice the smell of the wine as you swirl it (no need to stick your nose in the glass yet)
  • Leave your glass on the table and look at it some more
• Repeat this as you enjoy the pre-game show.

Opening Ceremonies

Are you ready?

Your levels of anticipation should be peaking… It is almost game, but there are a few more opening rituals.

In the arena you will hear the starting line-ups, the national anthems, and the last blast of noise before the puck gets dropped.

This is your chance for some very intentional actions: the opening ceremonies is your chance to take a final look, listen, feel, and smell of the wine in your glass after giving it a swirl.

• Look – tilt your glass slightly and look at the wine. Try to do this against a white backdrop. Make a mental note of the intensity of the colour in the middle and at the edges.
• Listen to sounds of the opening ceremony, the anthem, the commentators.
• Feel the emotion of the game. Think about the wine in your glass, give it another swirl, and as you swirl your wine think about what you have experienced during the pre-game ritual.
• Smell – for the first time in the pre-game ritual stick your nose into your glass and take a deep sniff of the wine. Have a second sniff of the wine. What do you think of the smell?

Repeat the opening ceremonies steps leading up to puck drop.

Game Time

Try to time your opening ceremonies routine so that you take a final sniff of the wine just as the opening face off occurs.

Once the puck is dropped take your first mouthful of wine.

Be sure to get the most out of your first mouthful by:

• Swishing it around your mouth so it coats your tongue and gums
• Let the wine hit your cheeks on both sides of your mouth
• “Chew your wine”
• Allow the wine to sit over your tongue before swallowing.

As you watch the first few shifts of the game think about the wine you just tasted. Refrain from rushing into your next sip, rather think about the taste that you have just experienced.

Try not to drink more than two glasses of wine during the first period (approx. 6-8 oz).

Assessment

At the conclusion of the first period you will have some decisions to make. Here’s a list of assessment questions to think about.

• How much more wine am I going to drink during the game tonight?
• What has been happening in the game so far?
• Do I like this wine?
• Who played well in the first period?
• When have I experienced a wine like this one?
• Will I buy this wine again?
• What do I think is going to happen in the second period?
• Which player in the game tonight reminds me of this wine? Why?

If you choose to continue drinking the wine that you opened be sure to repeat the steps found in the “Game Time” section.

Don’t feel like drinking the rest of the wine tonight?

Here are a few steps to make sure you have wine for tomorrow!

• Pour the remaining wine from the decanter into a measuring cup. If you don’t have a large measuring cup you can repeat these steps as many times as you need.
• Place a funnel on the mouth of the wine bottle
• Pour the wine from the measuring cup into the funnel and back into the bottle
• Use the twist cap or cork to close off the bottle
• Place the bottle into the fridge. Most wines will be good to drink for another few days.
• If you return to a bottle of red wine, remember to give it sometime to warm up prior to drinking it again.

© 2025 Nicholas Shalagan and Hockey WineUp. All rights reserved. Hockey WineUp is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NHL or its teams.