Drinking Wines

Having invested possibly hundreds of dollars in your latest bottle of vintage wine (ah well, we can but dream), the next important decision is where to store this prized possession?

The main issue when it comes to storing wine is that it needs to be maintained at a cool temperature of between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius. Shoved under the bed won’t do.

Many modern wines do not need to be aged over a great period of time; therefore extensive cellars are often unnecessary. Having said this, if you have the time, space and resource to excavate a cellar, your wine will surely benefit. A purpose built cellar is not normally an option for most households and so suitable alternatives must be explored.

Ideal areas for storage include a corner of a garage, garden shed, an unused fireplace or a cupboard that is against an outside wall.

Wherever you choose to store your wine, a few basic criteria are worth keeping in mind.

Choose an area that is less likely to be subjected to fluctuating temperatures caused by household heating systems.

Wines benefit from being kept in dark conditions. Although this is not always practical, wine should certainly be stored in an area that is not exposed it to direct sunlight.

As a final point, always store your wine bottles on their side. Corks are designed to be kept moist, so that they remain airtight and do not crumble when a corkscrew is inserted.

Bear in mind that some wines do not benefit from being stored at all. If you have poor or no storage facilities available, consider purchasing wine that matures quickly such as most white wines or new technology reds or, possibly, a new Beaujolais.

Move wine as little as possible once it has been placed in storage, unless of course it is being moved into a glass!

If you have a particularly special wine collection, it may be worth engaging a specialist company to store your wine for you (Oops, I’m dreaming again). Good storage has been recognized as vital for many wines and as such, many companies now provide storage facilities. Of course, this does not come cheap and is best reserved for those very special bottles or for those experts who are considering selling their wine on, at a future date.

Since Neil Best first investigated the history of wine he’s been recording his findings at Good Glug. This article is part of the free Good Glug Wine Appreciation Mini Course. Visit now and get your copy.

Many boomers are very serious about their wine collections and want to protect their investments. Many are looking to have wine cellars built or wine coolers installed in their kitchens. A good bottle of wine usually never lasts long in my hands, but I figured I’d pass along some wine storage tips for those planning to start a wine collection:

Keep Wine Temps Down

Make sure the wine bottles are stored at a consistent temperature (usually between 53 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, with 55% to 75% humidity.) Keeping temps constant is a key. One of your best bets is a wine cellar in your basement or a wine fridge in your kitchen. Without those options, don’t rack the wine in a warm, bright area - keep them in a dark place, low to the ground.

If you have a cellar installed, make sure they put the lights on a timer so that the heat from the lamps don’t interfere with temperatures.

Store the Wine on it’s Side?

Yes. I usually keep myself on my side after I’ve stored a lot of wine…

Age is Relative

How long to age the wine? Depends on your taste. If you prefer a bold, flavorful wine you can open it right away. However, if you prefer a more mature, mellow flavor, you can age a bottle for five, 10, and even 15 years to get taste you’re looking for.

Re-cork Open Wine Bottles

If you’re like me, the wine never lasts long enough to stick a cork back in it. But if you’ve opened up any old bottle of Chardonnay or what-have-you, and can’t finish it, re-cork it. Put it in your fridge. Since any type of wine - red, white, rose - will flatten, make sure you finish it off within 3 days of opening it.

How Long to Age?

Red wines usually age best. The flavor will mature when the acidic tannins fade. Ask your wine shop about how long to keep it on ice. Some wines should be finished off immediately and some (depending on the grape, vintage, etc.) should be stored for years. If the shop doesn’t know, you can check with the maker of the wine - they usually have the details on their websites. They are the source and they know when their grapes will peak.

Mahogany?

You’ve heard mahogany is the best wood to use in a wine cellar? You’ve heard right. It’s a great hardwood that is durable and helps protect the wine. Pine, birch, and oak can retain water and start to rot after an extended period. Some of the best cellars in the world use mahogany.

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Keeping a wine bottle sealed is probably the most important factor when it comes to maintaining a good wine.

A cork is essential, as it keeps oxygen out of the wine bottle. If a bottle of wine is not airtight then it may become oxidized and undrinkable

Traditionally, the only corks worth considering were those actually made of cork. Recently, however, many wine experts have recognized that cork may actually cause more problems than it solves.

Cork, due to its malleable nature may have imperfections; these can result in the seal of the bottle not being as airtight as it could be and the wine being spoilt. In an attempt to avoid this problem, modern cork manufacturers may treat the cork with a chemical called TVA. Unfortunately, this chemical can cause the wine to taste and smell a little damp and musty.

Having said this, cork is able to expand to fully fill the neck of the bottle, which therefore, still makes it the preferred option for special wines that need to be stored, over a long period of time.

Plastic corks are becoming increasing popular, of late. One of the main problems associated with traditional corks is that the wine becomes ‘corked’. Plastic corks prevent this occurring. Great! I hear you say. However, there can be minor irritations with plastic corks. A plastic cork can sometimes be difficult to extract from the bottle and virtually impossible to fit back into a half drunk bottle.

Another recent development is the widespread use of screw-top bottles. Until recently, this type of seal was used for only the cheapest of wines. Wine producers across the globe are now recognizing the benefits that screw tops provide. This type of seal ensures that wine is kept fresh; there is no chance of the wine becoming ‘corked’ and the bottle can be easily resealed. In reality, the only reason that screw tops are not more popular is because of the ingrained snobbery associated with this method of sealing a bottle.

No matter which type of cork you choose, it is important that you are able to recognize whether the wine has been properly sealed or not. A useful test is to see whether the top of the cork is level with the top of the bottle; if it isn’t, then that particular bottle of wine is probably best avoided.

If a traditional cork breaks when you are removing it - don’t panic! Use a corkscrew to attempt to ‘dig out’ the remaining cork. If this fails, simply push the remains of the cork down into the bottle. Contrary to popular belief, this will not destroy the wine’s flavor. You may have to fish out a few bits of cork, but the taste of the wine should remain unaffected. However, you’d be wise to finish the whole bottle, under these circumstances!

When choosing your wine, base your decision on the wine itself and not the type of cork. Resist the temptation to be a cork snob; a screw top bottle may just give you a pleasant surprise

Since Neil Best first pondered the question, Who made the first wine anyway? he’s been recording his findings at Good Glug. This article forms part of the new and free Good Glug wine appreciation mini course. Visit now to get your copy.

Serving wine
? Your everyday red wine doesn?t need special treatment before serving ? just make sure it comes to room temperature before drinking (that?s about 14-18?C degrees).
? Finer red wine should be brought to room temperature slowly before opening, so if you have stored it somewhere cool, take it out the day before opening (but obviously don’t open it).
? If you are going to order an expensive fine wine in a restaurant, it?s worth calling the day before to let them know (you will probably have to pay for it in advance too). It means that they can bring it to room temperature and open it and allow it to breathe properly before you arrive. We regretted not calling a posh restaurant once when we were going for lunch and planned to drink a bottle of Opus One. We had to fill in the time waiting for it to breathe with a glass of white burgundy which took the edge off the experience a little. If you are spending that kind of money on a bottle, it makes sense to have it managed perfectly from the bottle to the glass. (Both wines were worth it, if only for the decadent experience.)

Corkscrews
? Corkscrews date back to the Romans in the 17th century.
? A collector paid over ?18,000 for an 18th century silver pocket corkscrew at Christies.
? There are lots of different corkscrews ? it’s better to pay for a good one as the cheap ones eventually break off into the cork. If you don’t want to strain your muscles, get one that almost removes the cork itself.

Allowing the wine to breathe
? You let the wine breathe to ?open? it so the aromas and the full qualities of the wine are released (if you had been stuck in a bottle for a good while you would need some air too).
? For your average wine, there is no need to allow it to breathe for too long (you may even spoil it).
? Pouring wine into the glass and letting the air get at it is better than leaving it in the bottle to breathe (how much air is going to get into that small aperature anyway).

Decanting
? You decant a wine, that is pour it from the bottle into a decanter or carafe, to separate a wine from its sediment. It also aerates the wine as more of the surface of the wine is exposed to the air.
? You only really need to decant good red wines, mature clarets and vintage port though sometimes you?ll find sediment in strong reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah in a lower price bracket.
? To decant, leave the bottle of wine to settle for a day or two so the sediment is definitely sitting on the bottom, then pour the wine carefully into a spotlessly clean container leaving the sediment in the neck of the bottle. Don?t be tempted to pour the last bits through a sieve to squeeze a bit more wine out of the bottle! Leave a little wine with sediment at the end or there is a danger that you will undo all your good work and taint the wine.
? Decanter magazine found that decanting too long in advance was ?not that beneficial?. Their conclusion was that the best option is ?just to open and serve?. It?s up to you. They also suggest that decanting wines that normally don?t require it can help the wine to bloom and ?attain a stage of development that normally requires years of ageing?.
? You usually don?t decant white wines (except for sweet whites) but oaked whites like Chardonnay can benefit.
? People have been known to use decanters to cheat their guests of the best wine. The snobbery attached to it means that people often assume that a wine that has to be decanted is expensive. If you want to show off in a good restaurant, order an average red and ask for it to be decanted. Everyone will assume you have spent a fortune. Of course, if you are President Nixon you would have Ch?teau Margaux served to you in your decanter, and the rest of your guests would be served a less celubrious wine in theirs.

Temperature
? Drink white wine at about 11?C so you can taste everything with the exception of light whites and sparkling wines which should be drunk at 8-9?C.
? Reds are at their best between 14-18?C. Beaujolais and the lighter reds can be drunk chilled.

Glasses
? Wine glasses: Austria?s Riedel are the wine glass maker ? it?s worth looking them up to see the variety of glasses they offer, nearly one for each grape and style of wine. They believe tht glass has an effect on the wine drinking experience and that the shape of a wine glass enchances the pleasure of drinking wine.
Riedel believe that the curve on the lip of some of their glasses guides the wine to the centre of your tongue so you balance the fruit and the acidity and get the best enjoyment from each wine. We leave that one for you to test personally. Have fun!
? Lead crystal glasses help to create bubbles in champagne and make wine look particularly brilliant.
? Wine tasting glass: for wine tasting you will need the ISO (International Standards Organisation) glass. You?ll find one in any good wine shop. Sometimes you get them as part of the fee of a wine course.
? Champagne: use a flute, not a wide open coupe which makes the bubbles dissipate and causes the champagne to go flat. Lead crystal helps to create bubbles.
? Washing: According to Riedel, you wash a wine glass in warm water, then steam it carefully over boiling water, and polish it using two linen tea towels. Hold the glass by the base and polish, using your left hand to hold the bowl gently while you polish it with your right hand. Never twist the base and the bowl. And that?s you finished. (Well, except now you have to do the rest of them. It serves you right for not being a lone drinker.)
? Don?t use washing up liquid or put your wine glasses in the dishwasher ? the residue it leaves taints the wine and it takes about 12 washes to get the stuff off properly.

Storing wine
? Keep wine in the dark, in a cool place at about 10?C. Check the humidity to keep the seal of the wine cork in good nick. Eurocaves, effectively refridgerated units for wine ? are made specially to look after every aspect of your fine reds and whites. You?ll find suppliers on the internet.
? Store wine on its side to keep the cork moist, except for sparkling wines which should be kept upright.
? When you buy fine wines by the case, make sure you get the original wooden box and store the bottles in it. It is important to have the box if you wish to auction or sell them privately later.

Squeezing every last drop from the bottle
? If you seal your wine properly you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week and it will still be drinkable.
? We use the simplest plastic tube wine sealer that you buy in the supermarket or wine shop which pumps the plastic stopper back into the bottle. It works fine for everyday wines.
? Reds have a longer life if resealed and kept in the fridge than whites, but you can certainly use the white to cook with if it is not as fresh after a few days. You can use a sealer with a plastic cork or press the cork back in tightly.
? You may want to buy something more sophisticated for fine wines. Your fine wine seller can recommend the best one.
? The trick with saving wine is to reduce the amount of air that can get at it. Transfer half finished bottles of wine into clean half bottles and recork/reseal.
? Resealing a bottle with a screwcap won?t save the wine for later, so the only thing to do is buy a wine sealer or recork with a new cork.
? Though some people think this is sacriligous, you can freeze leftover wine in an icecube tray. When it is frozen, put the wine cubes into a freezer bag and tie off. Use white cubes for risotto and red for beef or lamb casseroles. You can also add fresh chopped herbs to each wine icecube before freezing for herby wine cubes. (With apologies to purists.)

Anne Kennedy works as a food writer based in Ireland who has a great love and appreciation for wine and demystifies it at every opportunity. As Managing Editor of http://www.greatfood.ie, Ireland’s food and wine website, she is delighted to share recipes, tips, cooking and wine knowledge with people from all over the world.