Whether you’re drinking your wines in a week or a year, our wine experts have some great tips on the best way to serve and store wines for optimal taste. Both red and white wines will both benefit from careful cellaring. The ideal conditions for long term storage of wines are: -Cool temperatures ranging from 45°F to 60°F -Low light environments -High humidity Many people use wine refrigerators to store wines, giving ideal temperature conditions, but often the air under refrigeration becomes too dry. Light also may become a problem with this method of storage. If you use a wine refrigerator, keep in mind they are most ideal for short term storage, up to 12 months. -Ensure windows are blacked out to avoid sunlight. -New concrete may generate heat during curing; this could be a problem for up to two years. -Large and frequent temperature variations may be harmful. -Keep wines off the floor. -Lay bottles down on their sides to keep to cork moist. -Keep the storage area slightly humid.
Storing Wine
Traditionally these conditions were met by the use of deep cellars in castles or in caves at the wine estates. Today, with little access to deep cellars and secure caves finding the ideal storage conditions can be a challenge. However, careful cellaring will maintain and improve your wine protecting your investment.
If you don’t have a cellar or wine refrigerator, here are a few points to consider when you are choosing a wine storage location:
-Avoid placing wine near a heat source, boilers for example.
Serving Wine
– White wines should be served lightly chilled. The optimum would be 45°F to 50°F. (Often it is noted that we in the USA serve our whites too cold thus hiding much of their complexity.)
– Red wines should be served between 55°F and 65°F, or noticeably lower than room temperature. Some reds will benefit from being served slightly cooler.
– If a wine tastes “boozy” try chilling it to 50°F.
– Serve rosé at the same temperature or cooler than whites (45°F to 50°F).
– Champagne and sparkling wines should be chilled between 50°F and 55°F.
If you want to know the exact temperature of your bottle, try a digital wine thermometer. Most models are like a ‘cuff’ that wraps around the bottle to read the temperature of the liquid inside. Crate and Barrel makes one for $19.99, or there are models available at Amazon.com or Surlatable.com.
Cheers!
Paul
Many people don’t realize there are only four distilleries operating in Ireland today, producing every brand of Irish whiskey you’ll find on the market. An unfortunate history of politics and economic crisis decimated the large population of distilleries over the last few centuries. Bushmills in Northern Ireland is the only one still standing that was around in the 19th century. The other three all came about in recent years. In 1966 Cork, John Jameson, John Power consolidated to form the Irish Distillers Group and set up a distillery called Midleton. Then in 1987, the Cooley Distillery opened, and in 2007 the historic Kilbeggan Distillery reopened. The spirits company William Grant & Sons, which owns Tullamore Dew, recently announced plans to build a new distillery in Tullamore town (the original distillery closed in 1954).
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