July
8
2010
In learning how to taste wine and judge its quality there is more to consider that just the “taste”. Wine, especially premium wine, deserves more than just a quick swallow. In fact, tasting the wine is the final step in appreciating it. However, many people dismiss those who have enough wine knowledge to swirl and sniff their wine as pretentious wine snobs. This is not the case; they are simply appreciating what’s in their glass.
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Follow these simple steps to learn how to taste wine.
1. Look - Pour the wine into a clear glass and hold it in front of a white background (a sheet of paper will do). Note the color. From purple and ruby red through to brown for red wines and from pale straw through to brown for white wines.
2. Swirl - Hold the glass by the stem and swirl the wine around your glass. This action mixes the wine with the air, releasing the wine’s fragrance. Visually, it allows you to observe the body of the wine. Does it have legs?—the viscous droplets that form and ease down the sides of the glass when the wine is swirled. Good legs may indicate a denser body and higher alcohol content.
3. Smell - Most of what we taste is actually our sense of smell doing double-duty. After swirling the wine, sniff deeply in the bowl of the glass and enjoy the aromas. Don’t try to taste the wine, yet. Just concentrate on what you can smell. Some common aromas are fruit, flowers, earth, wood, herbs, spices.
4. Taste – Take a little of the wine into your mouth and slosh it around. Concentrate on the flavors; see if you can associate the taste with familiar flavors such as berries, butter, vanilla, oak, tobacco or chocolate. Pay attention to your taste buds. Draw a little air into your mouth (don’t worry if you look silly). Examine the body and texture. You’ll note many flavors that you wouldn’t normally associate with wine. After you swallow, note the aftertaste. How long does the taste last?
* Some experts suggest that after pouring the wine into the glass and, before swirling, you take a sniff and see what is there … then swirl and take another sniff after releasing the volatiles. This will give some idea of the complexity that has been built into the wine. A simple rule of thumb is:
- If there is no change after swirling then it is a simple uncomplicated wine.
- If there are new aromas and characters after swirling, then it is a more complex wine and probably a more expensive wine.
After tasting the wine, take a few moments to evaluate its overall flavor and balance but, most importantly, enjoy the wine drinking experience now that you know how to taste wine.
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July
7
2010
Welcome to the third and final part of our wine bottle cellar video series. Today we are going to talk about choosing the accessories for your custom cellar.
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Wine Cellar Decorative Treatments
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Choosing Your Wine Cellar Doors
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Wine Cellar Ceilings
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For a more in depth look on creating your own custom wine cellar I recommend that you pick up Chris Miley’s ebook “Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar“. It is available for immediate download and you can be reading it within the next 5 minutes!
July
5
2010
This is part two of our video series and we are going to talk about the basic constuction of your custom wine cellar.
Walls and Vapor Barriers
Wine Cellar Cooling Systems
Setting up the Electrical in your Wine Bottle Cellar
For a more in depth look on creating your own custom wine cellar I recommend that you pick up Chris Miley’s ebook “Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar“. It is available for immediate download and you can be reading it within the next 5 minutes!
June
29
2010
Welcome to the Wine Bottle Cellar Video Series. This video is part one of our series and it will help us determine the size of our custom home wine cellar.
As you can see, building a custom home wine cellar can be a daunting task. However, it can be done. Before you begin your project I recommend that you pick up Chris Miley’s ebook “Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar“ It is available immediate download and you can be reading it within the next 5 minutes!
Even if you plan on hiring a contractor to do the work for you, buying this book is a good investment. It will give you the knowledge you need to help you oversee the contractor’s work and make sure that he is building your wine cellar to the proper specifications.
June
18
2010
One of the great joys of wine is being able to select a bottle from your personal collection in your own wine bottle cellar. Perhaps you will select one that you have been storing for several years, draw the cork and enjoy it with friends. Building a wine bottle cellar will allow you to store your wine in ideal conditions for the wine to fully mature and gain complexity as well as having an ideal place to taste wine.
However, wine is an ever-changing thing and how it is stored will directly affect how quickly and how well it ages!
Storing wine is very simple …
It requires a constant temperature, humidity, darkness, stillness and a well-ventilated and clean environment. You must provide these conditions when starting a wine bottle cellar.
All The Information You Need About Starting A Wine Bottle Cellar Is Right Here!
INSULATION
The first essential element is to create a storage environment that provides the basics of stable temprature, no light and no vibration.
In general terms 4″ (100mm) of polystyrene is the equivalent to 3 ft (1 meter) of ground. So if you’re trying to decide between an above ground construction and an underground cavern, you must be prepared to dig deep for the latter.
Your cupboard, indoor space or your outdoor construction must be well shaded, well insulated and with the minimum of air movement in and out.
TEMPERATURE
The objective is to provide stored wines with a constant temperature of between 50 and 59 degrees.
Seasonal changes in temperature will not harm your wine, although fluctuations greater than one degree a week should be avoided.
Wines subjected to temperatures over 77°F (25°C) are in grave danger of rapid deterioration.
Wines stored in less than ideal conditions will age at speeds quite different to those envisaged by winemakers when they offer suggested storage times. A hygro thermometer will provide you with accurate information as to both the temperature and humidity ranges within your cellar.
Before starting a wine bottle cellar it is worth noting that a well-constructed above ground cellar or a well dug underground cellar will require the minimum in additional temperature control although your climate or the position of your cellar may necessitate the use of a cooling device that will provide complete temperature stability.
Another alternative is a temperature controlled wine cabinet. Some of these can hold up to 800 bottles but note that some manufacturers’ suggested bottle capacity can be misleading and the racks may be smaller than you require. Champagne bottles are larger than Riesling bottles! We have a good selection of high quality wine bottle coolers right here on our website.
Regard assembled wine as your best cooling block. A high density of wine bottles will reduce wine temperature fluctuations.
Consider keeping your long-term wines in a professional storage facility if your cellar cannot conform to the optimum temperature ranges. This is also a safe way to store your wine before starting your wine cellar.
Most cities have mulitple storage facilities available, and they’re very easy to locate from home on the web. If you’re thinking of stroring some of your wines in one of these facilities, chances are you’ll find more than one that’s ideal for your needs.
HUMIDITY
A dry atmosphere is an ememy of the natural cork seal. A natural cork is compressed and forced into the bottle as a 100% natural seal.
Low humidity combined with a defective cork results in the wine moving out of the bottle (increasing ullage) and air naturally moving into the bottle.
Moderate humidity is important to keep the cork in good resilient condition and prevent it from shrinking. Screw capped bottles do not require humidity.
Excessive humidity will not harm the wine but can cause the labels to go moldy. The ideal humidity for your cellar is 70%, however anywhere between 50–80% is acceptable.
DARKNESS
Light will prematurely age a bottle of wine. Clear bottles are the most susceptible to this problem, but ultraviolet light will penetrate even dark colored glass.
Ultraviolet light will damage wine by causing the degradation of the otherwise stable organic compounds, especially the tannins found in wine. These organic compounds contribute to the aroma, flavor and structure of the wine. Without them your wine would appear flat and thin.
So, when starting a wine bottle cellar, remember that exposure to ultraviolet light results in unfavorable and irreversible changes in your wine.
Sparkling wines require extra care as they are more sensitive to light than other wines.
LAY IT DOWN!
Store your wine bottles horizontally so the wine is in contact with the cork. This will keep the cork wet. If the cork dries out and shrinks it will let air get to your wine. Store it with the label facing up. This will help in three ways:
1. You can easily see what the wine is. You don’t need to disturb the bottle to see what you’ve got in your cellar.
2. The sediment will form on the opposite side to the label and make it easier to see.
3. The label is less likely to suffer damage. If you’re storing wine as an investment, a damaged label will reduce the value.
Follow the tips above and you’ll be on your way to creating a custom home wine bottle cellar where your wine will age to perfection!
June
14
2010
Choosing wine glasses, also known as stemware, is easy with a little knowledge and understanding. The shape, size and color of a wine glass can dramatically affect your perception of the wine that’s contained in it.
The appeal of wine is not just in its taste and smell, but also in its visual aspect. The way light plays on the wine, the “legs” on the inside of the glass when you swirl the wine, and the way aromas are captured within the glass—and presented to your nose while drinking—are things to consider when learning how to choose wine glasses.
Wine glasses with larger, broader bowls are traditionally used for the big red wines, and narrower wine glasses are used to concentrate the more delicate bouquet of lighter white wines.
Champagne is best served in a tall slender flute. Visual enjoyment of the bead (bubbles) is enhanced by the height. The once popular shorter, bowl-style version of the Champagne glass doesn’t present the best visual appeal or concentrate the aromas.
History Of Wine Glasses
Wine glasses have been used since ancient times. Pliny (23–79 A.D.) wrote of gold and silver drinking vessels being abandoned in favor of glass, which was frequently priced as highly as the precious metal versions. Bonifacio Veronese’s sixteenth-century ‘Last Supper’ includes modern style wine glasses with a stem and foot.
The oldest surviving European wine glasses with foot and stem are enameled goblets dated from the fifteenth-century. In Germany, towards the end of the sixteenth century sophisticated engraving was being applied to wine glasses.
The earliest known surviving English wine glasses are diamond-engraved glasses produced towards the end of the sixteenth-century by Verzelini. Plain straight stems became popular around 1740, with air twist stems being introduced around the same time. Ten years later a twist incised on the exterior of the stem gained popularity.
Quality crystal wine glasses were being produced in France by the end of the eighteenth century.
Choosing The Right Wine Glass
If your budget or available space limits you to one size of wine glass look for an all-purpose design that holds eight ounces. When budget and space permit, it is hard to go past Riedel Crystal stemware for full tasting pleasure. Riedel have created dozens of different wine glasses, each designed to bring out the best in a particular style of wine.
Do not feel intimidated by the range of stemware available … remember it is better to drink wine from a paper cup than not to drink wine at all! A simple and inexpensive ISO wine tasting glass readily available at your local wine outlet will do a marvellous job for tasting and drinking wine.
And, finally, when pouring wine do not fill the glass too full—one third to one half full at the most is all that is required. Leave room to capture the bouquet and evaluate and enjoy the color of the wine.
So discovering how to choose wine glasses is not complicated. It shouldn’t be about owning the most expensive glasses or having multiple types of glasses for different wine styles. Keep it simple, have fun and enjoy your wine.
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Please visit our store for a wide selection of Riedel Wine Glasses
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June
14
2010
Is your wine poorly stored and subjected to fluctuations in temperature? Temperature fluctuations can destroy your valuable wine collection by prematurely aging it.
You need a temperature controlled refrigerated wine cooler.
Standard home or commercial refrigeration equipment is not well suited to cooling wine for four main reasons:
It’s designed for food products – standard refrigeration equipment is designed specifically to look after food products, not to store your wines. What works for T-bone and vegetables is not the best thing for your expensive wine.
Designed to cool quickly – commercial refrigeration equipment has to cool things quickly to stop it spoiling. Usually by blasting cold air to reach a desired temperature. The system then works on a cycle. Once a set temperature is reached, standard refrigeration equipment shuts off. When the temperature rises to a pre-determined point, cold air is blasted in again. This continuous up and down temperature cycle isn’t good for your wines. A refrigerated wine cooler eliminates this problem!
Designed to remove heat and moisture – Standard refrigeration equipment is designed to remove heat and moisture from food products. Heat has to be quickly removed to stop frost and moisture forming that will in turn form mildews. Wine does not give off heat or moisture. So we end up with an environment that’s way too dry for wine. This will cause wine corks to shrink and then air can get in. Once air can get in, wine can get out and your wine is ruined. A refrigerated wine cabinet will not dehydrate the atmosphere. It is designed to retain the ideal level of humidity within the cooler.
Built to a price, not a standard – home refrigeration equipment is designed to be price competitive so vibration, noise and appearance aren’t high priorities. Vibration will eventually destroy a fine wine. A wine cellar is a real conversation piece and you’ll always have people ‘inspecting’ your collection. Something that’s loud, shaking and looking decidedly industrial will detract from the appearance of your wine cellar. Refrigerated wine cabinets can be quite plain in construction but can also be designed as beautiful pieces of furniture.
Remember that the way wine is stored has a direct impact on the way it ages. Wine not stored in ideal temperature and humidity conditions will not develop as the winemaker intended and may age too quickly destroying the taste and beauty of the wine along the way.
So, if you don’t have the space to build your own wine cellar, to properly cool and humidify your wine you’ll require a refrigerated wine cooler or wine cabinet.
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June
13
2010
The ideal wine cellar temperature is between 55ºF and 58ºF (13ºC–15ºC). However, any temperature between 40º–65ºF (5º–18ºC) will suffice as long as it remains constant.
The degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical. A gradual change of a few degrees between summer and winter won’t matter. The same change each day will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.
The most important rule when storing wine is to avoid large temperature changes or fluctuations. You’ll notice damage of this nature straight away from the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the ‘integrity’ of the cork. It’s like having the cork pulled in and out again every day. When this happens, minute quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork (between the cork and the bottle neck) allowing air to seep back in. Once the air is in contact with your wine the irreversible process of oxidation begins and your wine is ruined.
Wine cellar temperature should be between 55º and 58ºF when the wine will age slowly, enabling it to fully develop. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the ageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a temperature above 82ºF for even a month.
At 55°F wines will age slowly and develop great complexity and you will never have to worry about them.
Every wine you buy should be placed in your cellar. Even if you are planning on opening the wine shortly after purchase it will benefit from resting to recover from the shock of traveling.
Before any bottle makes it into your cellar you need to consider the treatment it received before you acquired it.
Every wine lover knows that heat damages wine but how many of us take care to protect our wine at every stage? For example, you buy wine at a shop or winery, but leave it in your hot car all afternoon. You get it home and place it in the ideal wine cellar temperature, but by then you may have already cooked it. Remember that high temperatures can result in undesirable chemical reactions that would not normally take place.
To find out more about the ideal temperature to store wine and how to build your own home wine room I strongly suggest you grab your own copy of Chris Miley’s “How To Build Your Own Wine Cellar”.
Click Here To See What Else Is Covered In This Instantly Downloadable Guide To Building A Home Wine Cellar
June
11
2010
The objective of wine cellar racks is to carry bottles securely in a horizontal position, in as dense an arrangement as possible.
It is important to remember that bottles sealed with corks should be laid on their side for storage to keep the cork moist. Bottles with screw caps can be stored standing upright although this is generally not an efficient use of space.
Champagne and other sparkling wines can also be stored in an upright position. Studies conducted by the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) suggest that Champagne stored upright will age more slowly than Champagnes stored lying down.
Wine cellar racks can be individual cells made from timber, plastic or steel. Simple shelving or diamond-shaped bins can also be useful in a cellar.
Individual wine racks are the most convenient for selecting bottles. Wine racks that are too tight can cause damage to bottle labels; designs vary in bottle density but price variations are more to do with appearance than efficiency.
Wine bins carrying 12 or 24 bottles are ideal when large numbers of the same wine are being stored but bottles in wine bins can be susceptible to destruction if subjected to earthquake movement.
Diamond cubes and rectangular wine bins can be useful for storing wine bought by the case, however, as you drink your way down through the bin you will create more and more wasted space. Mixing different wines within a bin will lead to constant disturbance, as you will have to move the top wines to see which wines are stored below!
When choosing wine racks, wherever possible, use single depth racking. Cellar racking that carries bottles two deep can lead to difficulty in locating some wines and unnecessary disturbance of wines moved to reach the wines behind.
As a rough guide each square meter of racking can carry 100 bottles.
The type of racking used in your cellar is of secondary importance to the temperature and humidity levels which play a critical role in the aging and maturation of your wines.
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Discover How To Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar Click Here For Details
Create a home wine cellar in a basement or a closet and store your wine at the ideal temperature to allow it to age slowly. |
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June
10
2010
Are you a wine buff who has been enticed into the collection of fine wines, only to discover that you have no suitable storage facility? Building a wine cellar in your home can be a frustating experience if you don’t have the proper game plan and know what you are doing.
If you have a passion for wine then you want to make sure that you are storing your bottles in the best possible cellar conditions. Conditions that will allow your wines to age slowly and develop deep complexity.
Check out this video below for more details:
As you can see, building a custom home wine cellar can be a daunting task. However, it can be done. Before you begin your project I recommend that you pick up Chris Miley’s ebook “Build Your Own Home Wine Cellar“ It is available immediate download and you can be reading it within the next 5 minutes!
Even if you plan on hiring a contractor to do the work for you, buying this book is a good investment. It will give you the knowledge you need to help you oversee the contractor’s work and make sure that he is building your wine cellar to the proper specifications.
