12
Wine storage
A well-known characteristic of wine is that it can be stored over time: in
the correct location, white wines can be stored for about two years after
their vintage although ideally they should be drunk within one year. While
light red wines can be stored for up to two years, full-bodied reds will age
well for 10 years and dessert wines even up to twenty years.
When you buy a bottle of wine, transfer it to your wine cellar or other
suitable place immediately.
There are three main factors that weigh on the process from grape
cultivation to harvesting and fermentation: light, humidity and ambient
temperature. To ensure the taste of the wine matures to its peak and the
aroma remains unaltered, it must be stored with the right interaction of
these three factors.
Storage location
Not everyone has a basement suitable for use as a cellar.
Technology has only recently come up with an effective
substitute for a natural cellar. Your new wine cellar is a special
appliance designed specifically to hold and store wines properly.
Indeed, it should only be used for your favourite bottles of
wine, not for fruit, vegetables and tins. In this way, you can
store and age any kind of wine properly even if you don't have a
natural wine cellar.
How to store wine
When storing your wine bottles, one golden rule not to be overlooked is that they must be laid
horizontally or at an angle to ensure the wine keeps the cork wet. Some say that this causes the classic
smell of “cork" in wine. In actual fact, keeping the cork in contact with the wine enhances its elasticity
thereby guaranteeing its continued effectiveness.
Another important factor in storing wine is how the bottles are arranged: the bottles should be arranged
at liberty by place of origin, type of wine, area of production, winery or vintage, using the catalogue labels
provided if desired. Arranging the bottles so that they can be easily identified and selected prevents any
accidental jolts which, like vibrations, can unsettle sediments and alter the visual appearance of the wine
for some time. Hence, try to move your bottles as little as possible, allowing the wine to rest.
Furthermore, don't push the bottles so far back that they rest against the rear wall of the cellar as this
would not only interfere with the automatic defrosting function, the water droplets collected during
defrosting could also ruin the bottle labels.
Bottle racks must be made from wood as this effectively absorbs any vibrations and keeps bottles away
from the wall transmitting heat or cold.
In addition, the bottles of wine must be stored away from substances or places with strong odours which
can be easily absorbed by the wine. To this end, your new appliance has an active carbon filter to absorb
any impurities in the air.
INTRODUCTION TO WINE
501931102010GB:Layout 1 16-04-2009 13:52 Pagina 12
