Dec
30
In Search for a Perfect Wine Rack
Filed Under Self Help | Leave a Comment
Melanie Hudson asked:
Wine connoisseurs and those casual wine lovers will put much effort in finding that perfect wine rack. A fine wine rack will always raise the atmosphere in the room. A well chosen wine rack will add to the overall value of one’s home and it will bring out that special flair of luxury. Buying a wine rack is almost certain to raise some questions. Questions like why you should need a wine rack or which material to choose for a rack will come up.
More than one dilemma is going to cross your mind before you actually go into action.
Why should one buy a wine bottle storage rack? Perhaps you are a wine lover that wants to manifest his passion and it just does not feel right to store those fine bottles anywhere else.
As much as the right storage of bottles is important a beautiful wine rack will also become a real eye-catcher when friends come to visit you. A quality wine rack still emits that special aura of exclusivity. Wine bottle rack is still a strong statement of wealth and a healthy life style.
Which material should I choose for my wine rack?
Besides classic materials like wood or metal, a custom made wine rack can satisfy one’s wildest imagination concerning the choice of different materials. Despite the great selection of different materials, metal and wood still dominate the market. Regarding wood, nowadays every serious wine rack producer offers at least 5 different wood sorts to choose from. Metal wine racks offer the choice of all kinds of metal that will match most sophisticated taste of any true wine lover.
Which wine rack will keep its value for a longer time?
The first step should be to decide what kind of a rack you need in terms of different racking types: a wall mounted wine rack, a free standing one, handing rack or a table top wine rack. Afterwards you will be able to estimate the limits of your budget when thinking of purchasing middle- to upper class wine rack. A decision that rarely brings any disappointment is a decision to buy a hardwood wine rack. Short but bulletproof advice.
Does it matter where I put my wine rack?
In a small to mid-size apartment a wine rack would traditionally find its place in the kitchen or in a dining room. People who consider themselves as burning lovers of wine colleting will scarify almost any other piece of furniture just to put their beautiful wine rack in living room. Wine rack is never a problematic piece of furniture and it will go along with furniture in any room. Those true wine lovers will tend to have their wine collection displayed in a room where family and friends spend majority of their time.
Is a new wine rack too expensive for me?
Starting price for a middle size wine rack storing up to 100 bottles will begin at 50 to 60 USD. Quality wood wine rack storing 60-70 bottles will cost you over 200 USD. Wrought iron wine racks are much more expensive than those entry models of hardwood racks. 350 to 400 USD is the price to count with.
It does not matter whether it is a hanging wine rack in the kitchen or a wall mounted wine rack in a dining room, carefully chosen wine rack will fit any furniture and any special taste of its owner. Wine racks are that additional piece of classy furniture that nobody really needs, but everyone passionately wants to own one.
Rose
Wine connoisseurs and those casual wine lovers will put much effort in finding that perfect wine rack. A fine wine rack will always raise the atmosphere in the room. A well chosen wine rack will add to the overall value of one’s home and it will bring out that special flair of luxury. Buying a wine rack is almost certain to raise some questions. Questions like why you should need a wine rack or which material to choose for a rack will come up.
More than one dilemma is going to cross your mind before you actually go into action.
Why should one buy a wine bottle storage rack? Perhaps you are a wine lover that wants to manifest his passion and it just does not feel right to store those fine bottles anywhere else.
As much as the right storage of bottles is important a beautiful wine rack will also become a real eye-catcher when friends come to visit you. A quality wine rack still emits that special aura of exclusivity. Wine bottle rack is still a strong statement of wealth and a healthy life style.
Which material should I choose for my wine rack?
Besides classic materials like wood or metal, a custom made wine rack can satisfy one’s wildest imagination concerning the choice of different materials. Despite the great selection of different materials, metal and wood still dominate the market. Regarding wood, nowadays every serious wine rack producer offers at least 5 different wood sorts to choose from. Metal wine racks offer the choice of all kinds of metal that will match most sophisticated taste of any true wine lover.
Which wine rack will keep its value for a longer time?
The first step should be to decide what kind of a rack you need in terms of different racking types: a wall mounted wine rack, a free standing one, handing rack or a table top wine rack. Afterwards you will be able to estimate the limits of your budget when thinking of purchasing middle- to upper class wine rack. A decision that rarely brings any disappointment is a decision to buy a hardwood wine rack. Short but bulletproof advice.
Does it matter where I put my wine rack?
In a small to mid-size apartment a wine rack would traditionally find its place in the kitchen or in a dining room. People who consider themselves as burning lovers of wine colleting will scarify almost any other piece of furniture just to put their beautiful wine rack in living room. Wine rack is never a problematic piece of furniture and it will go along with furniture in any room. Those true wine lovers will tend to have their wine collection displayed in a room where family and friends spend majority of their time.
Is a new wine rack too expensive for me?
Starting price for a middle size wine rack storing up to 100 bottles will begin at 50 to 60 USD. Quality wood wine rack storing 60-70 bottles will cost you over 200 USD. Wrought iron wine racks are much more expensive than those entry models of hardwood racks. 350 to 400 USD is the price to count with.
It does not matter whether it is a hanging wine rack in the kitchen or a wall mounted wine rack in a dining room, carefully chosen wine rack will fit any furniture and any special taste of its owner. Wine racks are that additional piece of classy furniture that nobody really needs, but everyone passionately wants to own one.
Rose
Dec
27
Enhance Your Wine Cellar With a Quality Handcrafted Wine Room Door
Filed Under Furniture | Leave a Comment
Ben Adams asked:
A wine cellar needs temperature and humidity control. Good insulation, a vapor barrier and a climate control system are all major components, but a big part of climate control comes in selecting the right wine room door. The wrong choice can force your wine cellar refrigeration system to work more and allow undesirable warm air inside your wine room, nullifying the rest of your cautious wine room construction and design.
The correct wine cellar door maintains a seal on the entryway when the door is closed, allowing the wine cellar cooling unit to circulate temperature and humidity-controlled air through the total wine room without battling with air leaking into the room from outside the door. Whether you buy a pre-made standard door, or have one built to your desired specifications, all good wine doors have specific qualities that make them perfect for the climate control demands of your wine storage room.
Wine Cellar Door Construction
Custom wine cellar contractors recommend using exterior grade wine doors, which are powerful enough to withstand temperature fluctuations and keep outside air from trickling in. An excellent exterior grade wine cellar door should be weatherproofed and acclimatized to the level of temperature and humidity in the environment where it will be used; the humidity factor should not be ignored when picking a door. The recommended humidity for a wine room falls roughly between 50% and 80%, with 70% being the target level. If a wine room door can’t survive 70% humidity without warping or additional issues, it isn’t worth the money you paid for it.
Wooden wine doors should have rock-hard construction; by no means use a cavernous door as the entrance for your custom wine cellar. If you use a glass wine cellar door, it should be double-paned to help keep exterior air out. The recommended thickness for wine room doors varies according to who you ask, but the bare minimum you should install for your wine cellar is one and three-quarter inches. If your wine cellar door is accessible to children or if you just want some extra security for your wines consider adding a lock to your door specs.
Wine Room Door Materials
Wine cellar doors are available in a variety of materials; wood, glass, even wrought iron. Options consist of standard doors, carved wood doors or carved wood and glass. You can also get beveled glass doors or wine cellar iron doors.
When purchasing a wine cellar door, the condition of your wine cellar may dictate your purchase to a certain point. Is the wine room already built? Do you need to buy a door to fit your existing entryway? Or do you need a complete set with the door, doorjamb, weather stripping included in a package? Wine cellar doors may come in “door-only” versions or as pre-hung doors. A pre-hung wine room door comes to you installed into a frame which you set up into the entryway. Pre-hung doors speed up the installation process if you are doing the work yourself, but you may need an extra set of hands to help get the door in position and correctly attached.
Some wine cellar doors contain optional wrought-iron attachments which are set up on top of your door once it has been installed in the opening, but these don’t have anything to do with climate control issues in your cellar; the wrought iron add-ons are purely decorative. If you add these ornamental designs, it is vital to fasten them securely to the door to eliminate the potential for damage to the lacquer finish of the wood.
Wine Cellar Doors vs. Entryways
Many wine cellar door manufacturers offer custom-designed and built entryways. What’s the difference between an entryway and a wine room door? With a custom entryway you are having the entire section of door, doorjamb and related construction included in the package. This can allow for the construction of a more stylish look for your cellar and offer some additional custom options for the area. If you order the door only, you can set it up in your existing entryway, which is helpful for situations where you are already happy with the surrounding wine cellar construction.
Miscellaneous Concerns
Wine cellar doors should come with a threshold, door sweep and perimeter seal. These seals permit the door to be weather-stripped on all three sides to keep out drafts when the door is shut. Weather stripping is a necessity for the entrance to your wine room, or else your wine cooling system works less efficiently and your climate controlled air will move into the area outside the wine cellar.
Are you buying a custom wine room door? You will need measurements of your door jamb or entryway and you must decide whether you want handles or locks. Some vendors will not supply locks or pre-drilling. If you want to install a lock in these cases you will have to do the job yourself based on the design specifications of an exact lock.
Sometimes the direction your doors open might be an issue. When deciding which way your wine room doors should hinge, think about the placement of your wine racking or accessories around the doors, and how wide you need to open the doors should you need to add in a crate or case of wine bottles. If you need more clearance than the inside of your wine room can provide, make sure your doors can swing open to the outside, and don’t forget a doorstop or additional add-on to prevent the doors from striking the wall.
A wine cellar door is a significant part to your wine room. Selected wisely the doors can help your wine cellar work properly and create a great first impression to your visitors.
Charles
A wine cellar needs temperature and humidity control. Good insulation, a vapor barrier and a climate control system are all major components, but a big part of climate control comes in selecting the right wine room door. The wrong choice can force your wine cellar refrigeration system to work more and allow undesirable warm air inside your wine room, nullifying the rest of your cautious wine room construction and design.
The correct wine cellar door maintains a seal on the entryway when the door is closed, allowing the wine cellar cooling unit to circulate temperature and humidity-controlled air through the total wine room without battling with air leaking into the room from outside the door. Whether you buy a pre-made standard door, or have one built to your desired specifications, all good wine doors have specific qualities that make them perfect for the climate control demands of your wine storage room.
Wine Cellar Door Construction
Custom wine cellar contractors recommend using exterior grade wine doors, which are powerful enough to withstand temperature fluctuations and keep outside air from trickling in. An excellent exterior grade wine cellar door should be weatherproofed and acclimatized to the level of temperature and humidity in the environment where it will be used; the humidity factor should not be ignored when picking a door. The recommended humidity for a wine room falls roughly between 50% and 80%, with 70% being the target level. If a wine room door can’t survive 70% humidity without warping or additional issues, it isn’t worth the money you paid for it.
Wooden wine doors should have rock-hard construction; by no means use a cavernous door as the entrance for your custom wine cellar. If you use a glass wine cellar door, it should be double-paned to help keep exterior air out. The recommended thickness for wine room doors varies according to who you ask, but the bare minimum you should install for your wine cellar is one and three-quarter inches. If your wine cellar door is accessible to children or if you just want some extra security for your wines consider adding a lock to your door specs.
Wine Room Door Materials
Wine cellar doors are available in a variety of materials; wood, glass, even wrought iron. Options consist of standard doors, carved wood doors or carved wood and glass. You can also get beveled glass doors or wine cellar iron doors.
When purchasing a wine cellar door, the condition of your wine cellar may dictate your purchase to a certain point. Is the wine room already built? Do you need to buy a door to fit your existing entryway? Or do you need a complete set with the door, doorjamb, weather stripping included in a package? Wine cellar doors may come in “door-only” versions or as pre-hung doors. A pre-hung wine room door comes to you installed into a frame which you set up into the entryway. Pre-hung doors speed up the installation process if you are doing the work yourself, but you may need an extra set of hands to help get the door in position and correctly attached.
Some wine cellar doors contain optional wrought-iron attachments which are set up on top of your door once it has been installed in the opening, but these don’t have anything to do with climate control issues in your cellar; the wrought iron add-ons are purely decorative. If you add these ornamental designs, it is vital to fasten them securely to the door to eliminate the potential for damage to the lacquer finish of the wood.
Wine Cellar Doors vs. Entryways
Many wine cellar door manufacturers offer custom-designed and built entryways. What’s the difference between an entryway and a wine room door? With a custom entryway you are having the entire section of door, doorjamb and related construction included in the package. This can allow for the construction of a more stylish look for your cellar and offer some additional custom options for the area. If you order the door only, you can set it up in your existing entryway, which is helpful for situations where you are already happy with the surrounding wine cellar construction.
Miscellaneous Concerns
Wine cellar doors should come with a threshold, door sweep and perimeter seal. These seals permit the door to be weather-stripped on all three sides to keep out drafts when the door is shut. Weather stripping is a necessity for the entrance to your wine room, or else your wine cooling system works less efficiently and your climate controlled air will move into the area outside the wine cellar.
Are you buying a custom wine room door? You will need measurements of your door jamb or entryway and you must decide whether you want handles or locks. Some vendors will not supply locks or pre-drilling. If you want to install a lock in these cases you will have to do the job yourself based on the design specifications of an exact lock.
Sometimes the direction your doors open might be an issue. When deciding which way your wine room doors should hinge, think about the placement of your wine racking or accessories around the doors, and how wide you need to open the doors should you need to add in a crate or case of wine bottles. If you need more clearance than the inside of your wine room can provide, make sure your doors can swing open to the outside, and don’t forget a doorstop or additional add-on to prevent the doors from striking the wall.
A wine cellar door is a significant part to your wine room. Selected wisely the doors can help your wine cellar work properly and create a great first impression to your visitors.
Charles
Dec
26
Sarah Martin asked:
A common wellspring of confusion is wine literature. Many excellent wine books are currently available to lay readers. Most of them praise the vintages of individual regions, debate wine’s subtle food harmonies, or relate pleasant sojourns among the vineyards enjoyed by the authors.
Although always delectable reading, they rarely spare space to rehearse the ABC’s of wine. When an occasional writer does discuss the subject in grade-school terms, he leaps so abruptly to the post-graduate level that the novices among his readers are left completely befogged. Wine volumes heretofore published have thereby helped to create the need for the present one.
From the various sources available, largely gourmets and writers in Great Britain, but also in recent years from those of the United States, have also come many of the rules which surround fashionable wine selection and service. These rules did not come from the wine countries of Europe, where the average citizen consumes his wine as freely as most Americans gulp their ice water. The ordinary Frenchman, Italian, Spaniard, or Portuguese, to whom wine is among the staple necessities of life, is happily ignorant of its abracadabra, and if he ever were told that red wine should not be served with fish, would regard it as so much nonsense.
American winegrowers have done little to clear up the maze. Most of them would be happier if their product could be freed of the enigmas and paradoxes which hinder its broader sale. Yet few would be willing to strip wine of its noble traditions and its undeniably valuable romantic atmosphere. Half-hearted attempts have occasionally been made to depart from the time-honored, but ambiguous, wine-type nomenclature inherited from Europe, only to be frustrated because the Old World wine names have become permanently anchored in the English language. And European vintners, whose principal customers already know how to buy and enjoy their merchandise, lack any motive to change their perplexing labels.
All of this confusion helps to make wine more intriguing than if it were simple. It also helps to account for the growing numbers of wine snobs. For on a subject as tangled as wine, almost anybody can expound safely, because hardly anyone else knows what is right or wrong. What is wine snobbery? Let’s first get the terms straight by distinguishing among wine experts, wine connoisseurs, and wine snobs.
A genuine wine expert is one who can readily distinguish among the world’s principal wines without reading the labels-a Tocai, http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Tocai/, from a Trebbiano, http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Trebbiano/. The number of such people is surprisingly few. You can become one, if your senses of taste and smell are keen, by sampling a sufficient number of wines with an open mind and a retentive memory, and by learning, at the same time, about the principal wine grape varieties and how wines are made.
To be a wine connoisseur, it is not necessary to be such an expert. Surely you are already a connoisseur (that is to say, a critical judge) of steaks, roasts, coffee, cheese, and also, perhaps, of liquor and cigarettes. In fact, we are all connoisseurs of the things we especially enjoy in food, drink, and entertainment. We are not shy about discussing our likes and dislikes among such items. Why be suddenly shy about our likes and dislikes among wines? Your taste is unique just as your thumb print is. You alone are the judge of what pleases your discriminating palate. It should be maintained that you are a connoisseur of wines when you have sampled enough of them to know which ones please you and which do not.
You are a wine snob, on the other hand, if (a) you look for a wine’s faults instead of its virtues, if (b) you behave like an expert when you are not, if (c) you are influenced by a wine’s price instead of by its flavor, if (d) you turn up your nose at bottles that lack famous names or vintage dates, if (e) you belittle wines simply because they do not come from Europe, or, in general, if you drink the label instead of the wine, whether it be a Merlot or a Viognier. More information on these grape types can be found at http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Merlot/ and http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Viognier/.
From the above distinctions it is readily apparent that while wine snobs are not necessarily experts or connoisseurs, you are likely to find many connoisseurs and some experts behaving like wine snobs.
Yet there is no particular harm in wine snobbery. In fact, it is fun, and might even be recommended as an easily acquired mark of gentility. Other cultural endeavors get welcome support from art snobs, book snobs, and music snobs, to name a few kinds. All of them enjoy themselves and derive benefit there from.
Nathaniel
A common wellspring of confusion is wine literature. Many excellent wine books are currently available to lay readers. Most of them praise the vintages of individual regions, debate wine’s subtle food harmonies, or relate pleasant sojourns among the vineyards enjoyed by the authors.
Although always delectable reading, they rarely spare space to rehearse the ABC’s of wine. When an occasional writer does discuss the subject in grade-school terms, he leaps so abruptly to the post-graduate level that the novices among his readers are left completely befogged. Wine volumes heretofore published have thereby helped to create the need for the present one.
From the various sources available, largely gourmets and writers in Great Britain, but also in recent years from those of the United States, have also come many of the rules which surround fashionable wine selection and service. These rules did not come from the wine countries of Europe, where the average citizen consumes his wine as freely as most Americans gulp their ice water. The ordinary Frenchman, Italian, Spaniard, or Portuguese, to whom wine is among the staple necessities of life, is happily ignorant of its abracadabra, and if he ever were told that red wine should not be served with fish, would regard it as so much nonsense.
American winegrowers have done little to clear up the maze. Most of them would be happier if their product could be freed of the enigmas and paradoxes which hinder its broader sale. Yet few would be willing to strip wine of its noble traditions and its undeniably valuable romantic atmosphere. Half-hearted attempts have occasionally been made to depart from the time-honored, but ambiguous, wine-type nomenclature inherited from Europe, only to be frustrated because the Old World wine names have become permanently anchored in the English language. And European vintners, whose principal customers already know how to buy and enjoy their merchandise, lack any motive to change their perplexing labels.
All of this confusion helps to make wine more intriguing than if it were simple. It also helps to account for the growing numbers of wine snobs. For on a subject as tangled as wine, almost anybody can expound safely, because hardly anyone else knows what is right or wrong. What is wine snobbery? Let’s first get the terms straight by distinguishing among wine experts, wine connoisseurs, and wine snobs.
A genuine wine expert is one who can readily distinguish among the world’s principal wines without reading the labels-a Tocai, http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Tocai/, from a Trebbiano, http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Trebbiano/. The number of such people is surprisingly few. You can become one, if your senses of taste and smell are keen, by sampling a sufficient number of wines with an open mind and a retentive memory, and by learning, at the same time, about the principal wine grape varieties and how wines are made.
To be a wine connoisseur, it is not necessary to be such an expert. Surely you are already a connoisseur (that is to say, a critical judge) of steaks, roasts, coffee, cheese, and also, perhaps, of liquor and cigarettes. In fact, we are all connoisseurs of the things we especially enjoy in food, drink, and entertainment. We are not shy about discussing our likes and dislikes among such items. Why be suddenly shy about our likes and dislikes among wines? Your taste is unique just as your thumb print is. You alone are the judge of what pleases your discriminating palate. It should be maintained that you are a connoisseur of wines when you have sampled enough of them to know which ones please you and which do not.
You are a wine snob, on the other hand, if (a) you look for a wine’s faults instead of its virtues, if (b) you behave like an expert when you are not, if (c) you are influenced by a wine’s price instead of by its flavor, if (d) you turn up your nose at bottles that lack famous names or vintage dates, if (e) you belittle wines simply because they do not come from Europe, or, in general, if you drink the label instead of the wine, whether it be a Merlot or a Viognier. More information on these grape types can be found at http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Merlot/ and http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Viognier/.
From the above distinctions it is readily apparent that while wine snobs are not necessarily experts or connoisseurs, you are likely to find many connoisseurs and some experts behaving like wine snobs.
Yet there is no particular harm in wine snobbery. In fact, it is fun, and might even be recommended as an easily acquired mark of gentility. Other cultural endeavors get welcome support from art snobs, book snobs, and music snobs, to name a few kinds. All of them enjoy themselves and derive benefit there from.
Nathaniel
Dec
19
The Sophistication of Wine
Filed Under Food And Beverage | Leave a Comment
Caroline Silverstone asked:
What makes wine add such a touch of sophistication to just about anybody? Is it the jewel-like color or the fancy glasses we drink it from? Is it because it represents special occasions for many of us? Is it because we associate it with formal events and celebrations? Maybe it is because we don’t really understand wine very well and feel that those who do have a little extra touch of sophistication about them.
Language
The language of wine gives us wine drinkers the image of sophistication. Often those who do not drink wine are not familiar with wine terminology like tannin, body, acidity, oak, fruitiness, legs and aromas. Wine lovers often debate the different types of wine, the right or wrong way to serve it, whether to decant or not and the flavors and aromas detected in it. They also discuss where wines are from, good years versus bad ones and so much more. It definitely can lead non-wine drinkers to think that we are more sophisticated than the norm. It can also make people think we’re a little pompous!
Reputation
Wine is, by and large, the drink of choice for many special events and for celebrations. Therefore people have come to associate it with people enjoying themselves. When you add wine to just about any occasion, suddenly things are more joyous and people feel like it is a special event. Wine’s reputation makes it sound like a sophisticated choice to drink, unless of course it comes in a box!
Rules
Now most wine drinkers know that there are no hard and fast rules for enjoying wine. However, wine has the reputation of having rules about what temperature to serve it at or what wines go with what foods. Yet in reality, it is all about your taste. Some people serve their red wines chilled or even with an ice cube in it because they simply cannot palate room temperature wine. Others simply enjoy their favorite wine with whatever meal they prepare, regardless of pairing suggestions. It is all about what you like.
Discovery
One of the things that adds to the mystery and sophistication of wine is that there is always something new to try and learn about. There are new wines, different vintages and wines from different regions or different producers to explore. The variety of wine is endless. For many people who enjoy wine immensely, life can be all about discovering new favorites, visiting wineries, making wine at home or learning about wine.
It is a complex subject. For anyone who wants to learn more about wine, there is much written about it. There are books, magazines, web sites and more. Although one of the best ways to explore new wines and learn about them is through wine tasting. Whether you do a wine tasting at home or go to an event, trying it yourself and talking with other wine lovers is the best way to make wine discoveries.
Wine is a sophisticated drink. It is very complex, but can nonetheless be enjoyed by anyone. Whether you have the desire to understand it or not, wine is a wonderful way to relax, enjoy a meal or just liven up a get-together.
Ruben
What makes wine add such a touch of sophistication to just about anybody? Is it the jewel-like color or the fancy glasses we drink it from? Is it because it represents special occasions for many of us? Is it because we associate it with formal events and celebrations? Maybe it is because we don’t really understand wine very well and feel that those who do have a little extra touch of sophistication about them.
Language
The language of wine gives us wine drinkers the image of sophistication. Often those who do not drink wine are not familiar with wine terminology like tannin, body, acidity, oak, fruitiness, legs and aromas. Wine lovers often debate the different types of wine, the right or wrong way to serve it, whether to decant or not and the flavors and aromas detected in it. They also discuss where wines are from, good years versus bad ones and so much more. It definitely can lead non-wine drinkers to think that we are more sophisticated than the norm. It can also make people think we’re a little pompous!
Reputation
Wine is, by and large, the drink of choice for many special events and for celebrations. Therefore people have come to associate it with people enjoying themselves. When you add wine to just about any occasion, suddenly things are more joyous and people feel like it is a special event. Wine’s reputation makes it sound like a sophisticated choice to drink, unless of course it comes in a box!
Rules
Now most wine drinkers know that there are no hard and fast rules for enjoying wine. However, wine has the reputation of having rules about what temperature to serve it at or what wines go with what foods. Yet in reality, it is all about your taste. Some people serve their red wines chilled or even with an ice cube in it because they simply cannot palate room temperature wine. Others simply enjoy their favorite wine with whatever meal they prepare, regardless of pairing suggestions. It is all about what you like.
Discovery
One of the things that adds to the mystery and sophistication of wine is that there is always something new to try and learn about. There are new wines, different vintages and wines from different regions or different producers to explore. The variety of wine is endless. For many people who enjoy wine immensely, life can be all about discovering new favorites, visiting wineries, making wine at home or learning about wine.
It is a complex subject. For anyone who wants to learn more about wine, there is much written about it. There are books, magazines, web sites and more. Although one of the best ways to explore new wines and learn about them is through wine tasting. Whether you do a wine tasting at home or go to an event, trying it yourself and talking with other wine lovers is the best way to make wine discoveries.
Wine is a sophisticated drink. It is very complex, but can nonetheless be enjoyed by anyone. Whether you have the desire to understand it or not, wine is a wonderful way to relax, enjoy a meal or just liven up a get-together.
Ruben
Dec
12
Randy T. Slabey asked:
The pleasure people get from wine is an ageless joy that has been enjoyed for centuries. Whether you have enjoyed with your meals, alone with that special someone, in social situations, a great wine is remembered by the drinkers even after the bottle is gone. The romance that we have with wine has been apart of our existence since the dawn of time. Our history of winemaking shows that wine has been around from at least 8000 years and archeologists have found evidence that man has been making mead (a honey based wine) around 10,000 years ago. When you are learning How to Make Homemade Wine you need to know that throughout history wine has been an important part of life for many peoples.
The truest form of wine is those made from the fruit called grapes, its juice is fermented and bottled with great care. In the world there are many types of grapes, however by far the highest quality wines are made from the European wine grape Vitis Vinifera. It has the delicate balance of flavors, sugar, aromas and other great qualities needed for a good wine are available in this type of grape. The grape is thought to have been found in the Caucasus region of Europe. The area is surrounded by the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains and is located in the modern nations of Georgia and the southern part of Russia. Vitis Vinifera has been cross bred with many hundreds of grape varieties, each suited to the geography of it location and produced to have its own distinct types of wine.
The art of viticulture (growing grapes) and the art of viniculture (growing grapes for wine) are many thousands of years old. In Mesopotamia, now modern day Iraq, which sits between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River were the very first civilizations in history to cultivate grapes and where viniculture was fist practiced, some thousands of years ago, In the Code of Hammurabi, is the earth’s first written law that contains the laws governing how wine should be made and sold over 4000 years ago.
We may never find out how the men learned how to make wine from grapes. The ancient Greeks have stories that tell us that Dionysus, the Greek God of wine and vegetation taught the ancient Greeks how to grow grapes and what process was needed to make wine. The Greeks became the first people in recorded history to plant vineyards for commercial use and to market those grapes to people of other countries over 3500 years ago.
Wine was a very popular drink for the ancient civilizations and was also held to be sacred as well. Wine was a part of many religious rituals and celebrations. The Greeks with their love of sea travel spread the news about growing grapes throughout the Mediterranean basin. They taught many other peoples the art of making wine, and how to grow grapes which is evident in the planted vineyards that showed up in lands from the Black Sea in the East to the East side of Spain in the west.
Wine drinkers of today would have been disappointed in the Greek wine of yesterday. The wine was stored in such a way that the flavor tasted more like turpentine than the wine of today, this is due in part to the fact that the storage vessel were lined with a resin substance that mixed into the wine to give it this awful taste. In addition to that, they flavor the wine with many different spices, herbs, flowers and even some perfumes; they also cut the wine with water before drinking it.
Then the Romans came along and borrowed some of the Greek culture for growing grapes when they conquered this civilization. Viticulture moved from the Greek to the Romans. When the Roman Empire expanded, viticulture expanded as well, vineyards were planted in many different areas all over Europe, in places that would later become France, Germany, Italy and England. The many vineyards under the Roman rule are still producing grapes for wine today.
Around 476 AD, the Romans fell at the feet of the German invaders. Europe settles a setback in political and scientific areas, with the institutions of learning stopping for a while. Viticulture survived the ravages of this problem because the Christian Religion picked up the making of wine, these early monks helped to preserve the method of wine making and even took over the vineyard that were necessary to practice them. The monks taught each other how to make homemade wine for sacraments and other religious reasons.
The renaissance in Europe along with the many travels of Columbus brought a revival of trade, science and as well as many other areas. The Europeans expanded to the New World, they took along wine making and by the 1500’s viticulture was introduced to the South Americans in Chile and in the 1800’s Spanish missionaries were growing grapes in California.
In North America, Leif Eriksson, stumbled upon the abundance of grape vines growing, on his voyage in 1000 AD, he called the area he found Vineland. Even though there were many grapes, they were not suitable for wine making. The species of grapes was called Vitis Lambusca, which thrives in New England all the way to Indiana and all the way down to Georgia. Good wine from these native grapes was almost impossible to make. The European wine would not grow on the soil and in the climate of North America, The viticulturalists from France went to Delaware to try and turn the Vitis Lambusca wine into good wine, they were unsuccessful.
A gentleman named John James Dufour was the one to have the first success in viticulture with these grapes in the 1800s. From the work that Dufour did, others took up his work and started the process of crossbreeding, nourishing and cultivating until they had the very first good grapes. From these efforts many different types of grapes emerged, places like Concord, Niagara, and Delaware were getting the American East their start in the wine industry. Ohio, New York and New Jersey developed even more important wine producing regions. About this time wines from California appeared, it was discovered that the European grapes could grow in these areas, because of the climate and the type of soil found there.
Then the bottom fell out of the European wine industry, with the introduction of the eastern American root louse, phylloxera, to the vineyards of Europe. The insect destroyed most of the European varieties in Europe, Australia and even in California. Almost all of the worlds stock of the Vitis vinifera was destroyed. However there were some American varieties that were unaffected by the parasite, and the European grape was saved by grafting the European variety of grapes with the American rootstocks. The European vineyards recovered from the disaster and were on the comeback all in the middle of the 19th century.
Today wine is produced everywhere and is drunk by millions of people In North America the grapes are hybridized by crossing them with European and American varieties have completely changed how wine tastes and is produce throughout Eastern United States. This study of the history of wine is great for learning what made the wine that you drink or make tastes so good.
Roland
The pleasure people get from wine is an ageless joy that has been enjoyed for centuries. Whether you have enjoyed with your meals, alone with that special someone, in social situations, a great wine is remembered by the drinkers even after the bottle is gone. The romance that we have with wine has been apart of our existence since the dawn of time. Our history of winemaking shows that wine has been around from at least 8000 years and archeologists have found evidence that man has been making mead (a honey based wine) around 10,000 years ago. When you are learning How to Make Homemade Wine you need to know that throughout history wine has been an important part of life for many peoples.
The truest form of wine is those made from the fruit called grapes, its juice is fermented and bottled with great care. In the world there are many types of grapes, however by far the highest quality wines are made from the European wine grape Vitis Vinifera. It has the delicate balance of flavors, sugar, aromas and other great qualities needed for a good wine are available in this type of grape. The grape is thought to have been found in the Caucasus region of Europe. The area is surrounded by the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains and is located in the modern nations of Georgia and the southern part of Russia. Vitis Vinifera has been cross bred with many hundreds of grape varieties, each suited to the geography of it location and produced to have its own distinct types of wine.
The art of viticulture (growing grapes) and the art of viniculture (growing grapes for wine) are many thousands of years old. In Mesopotamia, now modern day Iraq, which sits between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River were the very first civilizations in history to cultivate grapes and where viniculture was fist practiced, some thousands of years ago, In the Code of Hammurabi, is the earth’s first written law that contains the laws governing how wine should be made and sold over 4000 years ago.
We may never find out how the men learned how to make wine from grapes. The ancient Greeks have stories that tell us that Dionysus, the Greek God of wine and vegetation taught the ancient Greeks how to grow grapes and what process was needed to make wine. The Greeks became the first people in recorded history to plant vineyards for commercial use and to market those grapes to people of other countries over 3500 years ago.
Wine was a very popular drink for the ancient civilizations and was also held to be sacred as well. Wine was a part of many religious rituals and celebrations. The Greeks with their love of sea travel spread the news about growing grapes throughout the Mediterranean basin. They taught many other peoples the art of making wine, and how to grow grapes which is evident in the planted vineyards that showed up in lands from the Black Sea in the East to the East side of Spain in the west.
Wine drinkers of today would have been disappointed in the Greek wine of yesterday. The wine was stored in such a way that the flavor tasted more like turpentine than the wine of today, this is due in part to the fact that the storage vessel were lined with a resin substance that mixed into the wine to give it this awful taste. In addition to that, they flavor the wine with many different spices, herbs, flowers and even some perfumes; they also cut the wine with water before drinking it.
Then the Romans came along and borrowed some of the Greek culture for growing grapes when they conquered this civilization. Viticulture moved from the Greek to the Romans. When the Roman Empire expanded, viticulture expanded as well, vineyards were planted in many different areas all over Europe, in places that would later become France, Germany, Italy and England. The many vineyards under the Roman rule are still producing grapes for wine today.
Around 476 AD, the Romans fell at the feet of the German invaders. Europe settles a setback in political and scientific areas, with the institutions of learning stopping for a while. Viticulture survived the ravages of this problem because the Christian Religion picked up the making of wine, these early monks helped to preserve the method of wine making and even took over the vineyard that were necessary to practice them. The monks taught each other how to make homemade wine for sacraments and other religious reasons.
The renaissance in Europe along with the many travels of Columbus brought a revival of trade, science and as well as many other areas. The Europeans expanded to the New World, they took along wine making and by the 1500’s viticulture was introduced to the South Americans in Chile and in the 1800’s Spanish missionaries were growing grapes in California.
In North America, Leif Eriksson, stumbled upon the abundance of grape vines growing, on his voyage in 1000 AD, he called the area he found Vineland. Even though there were many grapes, they were not suitable for wine making. The species of grapes was called Vitis Lambusca, which thrives in New England all the way to Indiana and all the way down to Georgia. Good wine from these native grapes was almost impossible to make. The European wine would not grow on the soil and in the climate of North America, The viticulturalists from France went to Delaware to try and turn the Vitis Lambusca wine into good wine, they were unsuccessful.
A gentleman named John James Dufour was the one to have the first success in viticulture with these grapes in the 1800s. From the work that Dufour did, others took up his work and started the process of crossbreeding, nourishing and cultivating until they had the very first good grapes. From these efforts many different types of grapes emerged, places like Concord, Niagara, and Delaware were getting the American East their start in the wine industry. Ohio, New York and New Jersey developed even more important wine producing regions. About this time wines from California appeared, it was discovered that the European grapes could grow in these areas, because of the climate and the type of soil found there.
Then the bottom fell out of the European wine industry, with the introduction of the eastern American root louse, phylloxera, to the vineyards of Europe. The insect destroyed most of the European varieties in Europe, Australia and even in California. Almost all of the worlds stock of the Vitis vinifera was destroyed. However there were some American varieties that were unaffected by the parasite, and the European grape was saved by grafting the European variety of grapes with the American rootstocks. The European vineyards recovered from the disaster and were on the comeback all in the middle of the 19th century.
Today wine is produced everywhere and is drunk by millions of people In North America the grapes are hybridized by crossing them with European and American varieties have completely changed how wine tastes and is produce throughout Eastern United States. This study of the history of wine is great for learning what made the wine that you drink or make tastes so good.
Roland
Dec
5
subpoprecords asked:
“Naked as we Came” by Iron and Wine from the album Our Endless Numbered Days. Sam Beam directed this video himself.
Diane
Nov
29
When There are Quality Monthly Wine Clubs, are You Missing Out?
Filed Under Wines And Spirits | Leave a Comment
Stuart Jay asked:
Monthly wine clubs introduce you to the world of wine in a unique way that is appreciated by both novices looking to their first introduction as well as experienced wine connoisseurs. Quality wine clubs are a great way to learn about wine and sample the best wines from around the world every month. A quality online wine club offers something for every level of appreciation.
As a member of a quality wine club, you enjoy the benefits of having your own personal enologist and wine merchant to take you on a journey of wine discovery. The world of wine is brought right to your door at terrific prices. You experience great wines to which you otherwise would not have access.
Allen
Monthly wine clubs introduce you to the world of wine in a unique way that is appreciated by both novices looking to their first introduction as well as experienced wine connoisseurs. Quality wine clubs are a great way to learn about wine and sample the best wines from around the world every month. A quality online wine club offers something for every level of appreciation.
As a member of a quality wine club, you enjoy the benefits of having your own personal enologist and wine merchant to take you on a journey of wine discovery. The world of wine is brought right to your door at terrific prices. You experience great wines to which you otherwise would not have access.
Allen
Nov
29
Wine Gum Experiment
Filed Under Comedy | 4 Comments
charlieissocoollike asked:
I think if you live in a country with Wine Gums then this will interest you greatly.
I think if you live in a country without Wine Gums you will laugh at my passion for a simple gummy treat.
Either way, thanks for watching 
Set the juice loose:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho7gIb91Jc0
Troy
Nov
20
Ben Adams asked:
If you have a growing collection of wine, it may be time to consider constructing a wine cellar. Some time ago the custom wine cellar was a rarity; today more and more wine lovers are learning about wine cellar construction or contracting the work out to those who know how to do the job correctly.
Wine cellar rooms are more than a dark, cool place to hold an assortment of wine bottles. Today’s custom wine cellar is a controlled environment where humidity and temperature are regulated to allow wine to correctly age without harm to corks, labels or the wine itself.
There are two styles of wine cellars. One is a room that has been particularly constructed to store wine in the perfect environment and the other is a stand-alone unit that mirrors those conditions. A stand-alone wine cellar is not as valuable as a custom-built version, but some people desire the aesthetics of a small cooled refrigerator over a custom wine cellar. Those who do choose a custom cellar have three simple considerations for proper design.
Temperature Control and Venting
A wine cellar room is used to hold and age the wine in the bottle rather than keeping it at a serving temperature. (A stand-alone wine fridge is excellent for bringing wine out of the cellar to store at serving temperatures.) Aging wine is a balance of time, temperature and the chemical reactions that occur as an outcome of the two.
Wine should be aged in conditions ranging between 55 and 65 percent humidity and a solid 55 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take one degree. Wine stored at higher temperatures will age quicker and wine experiences chemical reactions at higher temperatures that devalue the flavor over time.
In some areas of the country, homeowners with basements often find that conditions are right for basic wine storage, but seasonal temperature and humidity variations should be avoided. The best storage solution is a custom-built or DIY-construction wine cellar with climate and humidity control using a wine cellar cooling component to maintain the temperature at a stable 55 degrees.
These units come in a variety of sizes and the dimensions of your wine cellar will control what size you need to purchase. In no way select a wine cooling system too small for your room; you most likely will never get an accurate, optimal storage temperature and the cooling unit will become overtaxed trying to keep up.
Wine cooling units demand proper venting, and your wine cellar construction job requires either a hole in the wall to permit venting outdoors or enough vent space to move warm air out of the room. Check the specs of your wine cooling unit; most require a venting space at least two times as large as the wine cellar space itself.
Electrical power is also an issue. Custom wine cellar builders recommend a devoted power source to run a wine cooling unit. Those who want to use a shared power source frequently find the system overloading with blown fuses and other electrical issues.
Insulation and Vapor Barriers
The wine cooling unit is only part of your climate control plan for a custom wine cellar; you also need a vapor barrier made of plastic sheeting used on the “hot” side of the wall. Some people cover the interior of the wine cellar previous to placing the insulation, leaving the plastic loose so that insulation can be positioned between the studs in the wall. Wrap the ceiling and the walls, or your vapor barrier will be incomplete. After the barrier is installed, the insulation will come next.
Good wine cellar construction requires the right kind of insulation for your walls and ceiling. For example, if you are building a 2×6 wall, R19 insulation is recommended, but if you have a smaller wall of 2×4, R13 may be your best bet. (The “R” designation represents the heat resistance of the insulation.) Ceilings need R30. Custom wine cellar builders should never set up the insulation loose without packing the material into the sections, as this lessens the insulation’s effectiveness.
The next step is to install a kind of drywall called green board, which is moisture-resistant, making it a bit more expensive than normal drywall. Install an exterior-grade door to the wine cellar and your climate control plan is finished.
Lighting and UV Exposure Control
Wine is destroyed by UV exposure, which is why the bottles are usually made out of dark glass. Avoid putting in fluorescent bulbs in the wine cellar room, as they give off UV radiation. Control the brightness by using recessed lighting on a dimmer and avoid shining light directly on your wine bottles for long periods of time. Some wine racks are constructed with compartments that hide bottles from the light which can help reduce exposure, but if your bottles are stowed in clear view, try to avoid the “spotlight” effect on your bottles.
Other Concerns
Just about any kind of flooring can be used in your custom wine cellar. If your home is big enough for a tasting room to complement your cellar, you may want to give them both a matching look, but by no means use carpet and rugs in the cellar area. They simply can’t hold up to the required humidity levels without giving away to mold. Mold growth will spoil your wine, as can any powerful odor from chemicals or cheeses. A wine cellar should be used only to hold wine; store food in a separate area.
At all times check the temperature and humidity in your wine cellar with an external sensor or gauge. Never assume that the wine cooling component will always function properly. A quick look at the external gauge can offer you early warning if the wine cooling system is having difficulties, or if the unit is showing a wrong readout because of a bad sensor or other technical problems.
Making a custom wine room may ask for some attention to the design demands of good wine storage, but once correctly built, you may realize that your collection grows rapidly; it’s simple to invest more money in wine when you know it will be held securely for maximum delight.
Vincent
If you have a growing collection of wine, it may be time to consider constructing a wine cellar. Some time ago the custom wine cellar was a rarity; today more and more wine lovers are learning about wine cellar construction or contracting the work out to those who know how to do the job correctly.
Wine cellar rooms are more than a dark, cool place to hold an assortment of wine bottles. Today’s custom wine cellar is a controlled environment where humidity and temperature are regulated to allow wine to correctly age without harm to corks, labels or the wine itself.
There are two styles of wine cellars. One is a room that has been particularly constructed to store wine in the perfect environment and the other is a stand-alone unit that mirrors those conditions. A stand-alone wine cellar is not as valuable as a custom-built version, but some people desire the aesthetics of a small cooled refrigerator over a custom wine cellar. Those who do choose a custom cellar have three simple considerations for proper design.
Temperature Control and Venting
A wine cellar room is used to hold and age the wine in the bottle rather than keeping it at a serving temperature. (A stand-alone wine fridge is excellent for bringing wine out of the cellar to store at serving temperatures.) Aging wine is a balance of time, temperature and the chemical reactions that occur as an outcome of the two.
Wine should be aged in conditions ranging between 55 and 65 percent humidity and a solid 55 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take one degree. Wine stored at higher temperatures will age quicker and wine experiences chemical reactions at higher temperatures that devalue the flavor over time.
In some areas of the country, homeowners with basements often find that conditions are right for basic wine storage, but seasonal temperature and humidity variations should be avoided. The best storage solution is a custom-built or DIY-construction wine cellar with climate and humidity control using a wine cellar cooling component to maintain the temperature at a stable 55 degrees.
These units come in a variety of sizes and the dimensions of your wine cellar will control what size you need to purchase. In no way select a wine cooling system too small for your room; you most likely will never get an accurate, optimal storage temperature and the cooling unit will become overtaxed trying to keep up.
Wine cooling units demand proper venting, and your wine cellar construction job requires either a hole in the wall to permit venting outdoors or enough vent space to move warm air out of the room. Check the specs of your wine cooling unit; most require a venting space at least two times as large as the wine cellar space itself.
Electrical power is also an issue. Custom wine cellar builders recommend a devoted power source to run a wine cooling unit. Those who want to use a shared power source frequently find the system overloading with blown fuses and other electrical issues.
Insulation and Vapor Barriers
The wine cooling unit is only part of your climate control plan for a custom wine cellar; you also need a vapor barrier made of plastic sheeting used on the “hot” side of the wall. Some people cover the interior of the wine cellar previous to placing the insulation, leaving the plastic loose so that insulation can be positioned between the studs in the wall. Wrap the ceiling and the walls, or your vapor barrier will be incomplete. After the barrier is installed, the insulation will come next.
Good wine cellar construction requires the right kind of insulation for your walls and ceiling. For example, if you are building a 2×6 wall, R19 insulation is recommended, but if you have a smaller wall of 2×4, R13 may be your best bet. (The “R” designation represents the heat resistance of the insulation.) Ceilings need R30. Custom wine cellar builders should never set up the insulation loose without packing the material into the sections, as this lessens the insulation’s effectiveness.
The next step is to install a kind of drywall called green board, which is moisture-resistant, making it a bit more expensive than normal drywall. Install an exterior-grade door to the wine cellar and your climate control plan is finished.
Lighting and UV Exposure Control
Wine is destroyed by UV exposure, which is why the bottles are usually made out of dark glass. Avoid putting in fluorescent bulbs in the wine cellar room, as they give off UV radiation. Control the brightness by using recessed lighting on a dimmer and avoid shining light directly on your wine bottles for long periods of time. Some wine racks are constructed with compartments that hide bottles from the light which can help reduce exposure, but if your bottles are stowed in clear view, try to avoid the “spotlight” effect on your bottles.
Other Concerns
Just about any kind of flooring can be used in your custom wine cellar. If your home is big enough for a tasting room to complement your cellar, you may want to give them both a matching look, but by no means use carpet and rugs in the cellar area. They simply can’t hold up to the required humidity levels without giving away to mold. Mold growth will spoil your wine, as can any powerful odor from chemicals or cheeses. A wine cellar should be used only to hold wine; store food in a separate area.
At all times check the temperature and humidity in your wine cellar with an external sensor or gauge. Never assume that the wine cooling component will always function properly. A quick look at the external gauge can offer you early warning if the wine cooling system is having difficulties, or if the unit is showing a wrong readout because of a bad sensor or other technical problems.
Making a custom wine room may ask for some attention to the design demands of good wine storage, but once correctly built, you may realize that your collection grows rapidly; it’s simple to invest more money in wine when you know it will be held securely for maximum delight.
Vincent
Nov
19
Properly Transport Your Wine and It’ll be as Good as it Should be
Filed Under Wines And Spirits | Leave a Comment
Bill Garlough asked:
Perfect Pairings
July 14, 2007 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun
By Bill Garlough
What started my interest in wines some 20-plus years ago were several memorable meals where the wine was the star. While the nuances of the food-wine pairings were certainly evident, the wine moved me.
My recent moving experience was more literal as my wife and I just completed our household move. Along with the furniture, cookware, foodstuffs and countless boxes was my personal wine collection. It’s amazing how a collection can build if, during your travels, your souvenir from a trip is a couple bottles of wine. I have several hundred bottles of wine on hand as it is fun to experience the varied wines of the world and share the experience with friends over dinner.
Back in the day
As far back as 4000 BC, wine has been transported from wine producing regions to other markets, in the form of early trade. The evolution of shipping containers went from wine skins to amphora terra cotta jars to large glass bottles and eventually to large wooden casks. Wooden casks were advantageous as they could store wine for longer periods of time. Bulk wine had its drawbacks, as unscrupulous merchants substituted inferior wine or even added water to increase profits. Baron Phillipe de Rothschild is credited with bottling wine (in the current size bottle) on premise to control quality and protect the winery’s good name.
Today, wine is exported in cases with glass bottles in refrigerated containers. Domestically, wine is shipped from the winery to the consumer in sturdy corrugated boxes, with the wine housed in Styrofoam inserts. Depending on the nation’s temperature, arrangements can be made for delivery in either two- or four-day increments via UPS or other common carriers.
One of the considerations for a wine collection is that wine is a living beverage that will have its peak and begin to deteriorate over time. White wines tend to be consumed young while reds, with more tannins, can last longer. However, improperly stored wine will speed up the aging process, and negatively affect the flavor of the wine.
Environment is key
Important considerations for properly storing wine include:
Darkness: Store wine out of direct sunlight. Excessive light breaks down molecules, and the wine loses flavor.
Temperature: Store wines between 50 and 60 degrees. While colder temperatures slow down the aging process, this also allows the wine to age properly. Higher temperatures (70 to 80 degrees) cause premature aging.
Humidity: The ideal humidity level is between 60 to 80 percent. A low humidity level dries out the cork, which affects the seal. Oxidation of wine can occur if the cork loses its seal.
Your home’s basement offers the best solution to these storage considerations, as it is typically dark, offers a cool, consistent temperature and tends to have a higher humidity level than the rest of the house. If you do not have a basement, a dark closet on the first floor would be your best bet.
The biggest challenge in moving your wine collection or properly storing it is temperature stability. When transporting wine, it is best to make direct trips with wine and place it in a temperature and (ideally) humidity-controlled environment as soon as possible.
Fluctuations in temperature affect the cork’s seal, as it is the give point. When wine warms up, the wine and air in the bottle expands and can trigger the cork to move. When wine is in a colder environment, the wine and air contract inside the bottle, drawing air into the bottle. As we know, oxidation leads to accelerated aging and quality loss.
Lastly, when wine is transported, it should be allowed to settle for three to seven days before consumption.
Please consider these practical tips when you purchase and transport your wine. Try not to leave it in a hot car or moving van as it will affect the flavor and its ability to age long term
While my collection was moved and returned to my wine cabinet in only 24 hours, it still went from 58 degrees to over 70 degrees. While care was taken, time will tell on my moving experience.
For more from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.
Jared
Perfect Pairings
July 14, 2007 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun
By Bill Garlough
What started my interest in wines some 20-plus years ago were several memorable meals where the wine was the star. While the nuances of the food-wine pairings were certainly evident, the wine moved me.
My recent moving experience was more literal as my wife and I just completed our household move. Along with the furniture, cookware, foodstuffs and countless boxes was my personal wine collection. It’s amazing how a collection can build if, during your travels, your souvenir from a trip is a couple bottles of wine. I have several hundred bottles of wine on hand as it is fun to experience the varied wines of the world and share the experience with friends over dinner.
Back in the day
As far back as 4000 BC, wine has been transported from wine producing regions to other markets, in the form of early trade. The evolution of shipping containers went from wine skins to amphora terra cotta jars to large glass bottles and eventually to large wooden casks. Wooden casks were advantageous as they could store wine for longer periods of time. Bulk wine had its drawbacks, as unscrupulous merchants substituted inferior wine or even added water to increase profits. Baron Phillipe de Rothschild is credited with bottling wine (in the current size bottle) on premise to control quality and protect the winery’s good name.
Today, wine is exported in cases with glass bottles in refrigerated containers. Domestically, wine is shipped from the winery to the consumer in sturdy corrugated boxes, with the wine housed in Styrofoam inserts. Depending on the nation’s temperature, arrangements can be made for delivery in either two- or four-day increments via UPS or other common carriers.
One of the considerations for a wine collection is that wine is a living beverage that will have its peak and begin to deteriorate over time. White wines tend to be consumed young while reds, with more tannins, can last longer. However, improperly stored wine will speed up the aging process, and negatively affect the flavor of the wine.
Environment is key
Important considerations for properly storing wine include:
Darkness: Store wine out of direct sunlight. Excessive light breaks down molecules, and the wine loses flavor.
Temperature: Store wines between 50 and 60 degrees. While colder temperatures slow down the aging process, this also allows the wine to age properly. Higher temperatures (70 to 80 degrees) cause premature aging.
Humidity: The ideal humidity level is between 60 to 80 percent. A low humidity level dries out the cork, which affects the seal. Oxidation of wine can occur if the cork loses its seal.
Your home’s basement offers the best solution to these storage considerations, as it is typically dark, offers a cool, consistent temperature and tends to have a higher humidity level than the rest of the house. If you do not have a basement, a dark closet on the first floor would be your best bet.
The biggest challenge in moving your wine collection or properly storing it is temperature stability. When transporting wine, it is best to make direct trips with wine and place it in a temperature and (ideally) humidity-controlled environment as soon as possible.
Fluctuations in temperature affect the cork’s seal, as it is the give point. When wine warms up, the wine and air in the bottle expands and can trigger the cork to move. When wine is in a colder environment, the wine and air contract inside the bottle, drawing air into the bottle. As we know, oxidation leads to accelerated aging and quality loss.
Lastly, when wine is transported, it should be allowed to settle for three to seven days before consumption.
Please consider these practical tips when you purchase and transport your wine. Try not to leave it in a hot car or moving van as it will affect the flavor and its ability to age long term
While my collection was moved and returned to my wine cabinet in only 24 hours, it still went from 58 degrees to over 70 degrees. While care was taken, time will tell on my moving experience.
For more from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.
Jared