Baby it’s Cold Outside
Which is good for wine!
Here are a few wine storage suggestions:
- Heat is an enemy for wine. Temperatures higher than 70° F will age a wine more quickly than what is typically desirable, possibly leading to wine that is “cooked,” resulting in flat aromas and flavors.
- Keeping wines in your refrigerator is fine, but it’s not a good bet for the long term: the lack of moisture can eventually dry out corks, which may damage the wine.
- More important than achieving a perfect 55°F cellaring temperature is to avoid rapid, extreme, or frequent temperature swings.
- Light, especially sunlight, also can be a problem for long-term storage by causing wine to age prematurely.
- 50% to 80% humidity is considered safe, and placing a pan of water in your storage area can improve conditions.
- Bottles are often stored on their sides to keep liquid up against the cork, to prohibit the cork from drying out. It is not always necessary to store this way, but it cannot hurt the wine.
What Wine & Beer Department staff are drinking this month:
Sarah: Señorío de P.Peciña Rioja, Spain 2007. This is what Rioja should be like! Delicate yet concentrated, explosively aromatic, bright and lingering. And the price is unbeatable! $16.99
Jake: Louis-Antoine Luyt, “Pipeño”, Chile 2014. A delicious light, bright red from the oft-overlooked Mission grape. Easy to drink, tasty with or without food, handsome full liter bottle looks good on the table. $16.99
Diane: Domaines Vinet, Clos de la Houssaie Muscadet–Sèvre et Maine, France 2008. This wine showcases how the terms racy and nervy apply to wine. Bright acidity and minerality balanced by creaminess resulting from time sur lies makes you salivate well after the bottle is gone. $14.50
Jacob: Domaine de la Chevalerie “Peu Muleau” Bourgueil, France 2010. Perfect Loire Valley Cabernet Franc—juicy and aromatic with an endless finish. $19.99
We are excited to be nearing our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
Our thanks to each and every one of our guests for your continued support.
We’d love to hear what you are drinking right now! Share it on Twitter (@wine_ecng) or in the shop. And let us know what you’d like to learn more about! We’re happy to research it for the next Wine Words.