So you’ve treated yourself to a few bottles of wine.
Maybe there are one or two you’re keeping for a special occasion, or maybe you’re just getting the bottles in for a dinner or party.
Either way you want to serve them in tip top condition, and a lot of that comes down to how they’re stored. Don’t worry, you don’t need to get the builders in to knock you up an underground cellar – but if you follow this advice you can be sure you’ll be enjoying your wine at its best.
Absolute number one no-no is keeping your bottles in the kitchen for more than a few days. Wine’s pretty delicate stuff, and it doesn’t like big changes in temperature. When you’re cooking up a storm things get hotter and colder all the time, and this will completely wreck the wine’s tasty fruit flavours. Find somewhere dark and ideally cool to hide your bottles until they’re needed. Under the stairs is the cliché, but anywhere that doesn’t change temperature much will do.
If the wine is closed with a cork, try to keep it stored on its side. This is because when the cork dries out it shrinks, which lets air into your wine, removing the fruit flavours and replacing them with pretty nasty ones. Best avoided. Bottles closed with a screw cap are perfectly happy standing up.
Wine won’t tend to last long when you’ve opened it, even if you pop the cork back in or the top back on. You can prolong its life for a few days using a vacuum pump and rubber cork, which are pretty cheap, but it’ll still turn to vinegar fairly quickly. Drink up!
Not all wine gets better with age. Things like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, lots of Chilean Merlot and more or less every Rosé are meant to be drunk as close to the vintage as possible, to make the most of the fresh fruit flavours. Far more wine is drunk too old than too young, so it’s worth keeping an eye on your bottles, and looking online if you’re not sure. There’s nothing worse than opening a special bottle you’ve been saving and finding that it’s passed its best.
Not all white wines are meant to be served super-chilled. Things like rich, buttery Chardonnays – in fact any full-bodied white, only need a little time in the fridge, or their flavours all close up. Your Sauvignons, Muscadets or Pinot Grigios are great as cold as you can get them. Again, it’s worth checking online.
You don’t have to limit decanting to super-fancy bottles, and you don’t have to limit decanting to only red wines. Pretty much all wine will offer bigger, better aromas and flavours if it has a little time to breathe. Don’t worry if you don’t have a decanter – a normal jug will do. In fact its what a lot of wine experts use!
Just a few tips to get you started – but if you follow them you’ll be amazed how much more you might get out of your bottles. Enjoy!
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