The 24-Hour Wine Expert by Jancis Robinson

Author:Jancis Robinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141983639
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2015-12-25T16:00:00+00:00

Most of these are released when they are ready to drink. The principal exceptions are below.

single-quinta vintage port 2–20 years

vintage port 15–40 years

How to store wine

It’s no good keeping wine in any old store cupboard. And it’s an especially bad idea, whatever kitchen designers may suggest, to store wine in a room where the temperature fluctuates as often as it does in most kitchens. Wine is a fragile living thing that needs favourable storage conditions.

They are listed below in declining order of importance:

Temperature should be low:13°C/55°F is ideal, but anywhere between 10°C/50°F and 20°C/68°F will do, with the proviso that the warmer the storage temperature, the faster the wine will age. The temperature should also be as constant as possible; wine doesn’t like dramatic changes.

Light is bad for wine, especially sparkling wine.

Strong smells should be avoided; they might taint the wine.

Humidity should ideally be around 75% relative humidity. If the atmosphere is too dry, corks can start to dry out, shrivel and let in air. If the atmosphere is too humid, the wine will be fine but labels may become mouldy.

All of this means that it can be quite difficult to find a suitable space. A proper cellar is ideal, or a cupboard in a rarely used bedroom might be a reasonable alternative. Garden sheds run the risk of the wine’s freezing. A company called Spiral Cellars can install a series of specially shaped breeze blocks that become a spiral staircase with open compartments for bottles leading off it. I had one put in of our garden but tree roots punctured the all-important rubber bag around it so that it became far too damp. Many people find the safest, but by no means the cheapest nor most convenient, option is to store wine with commercial specialists. You are generally charged per case or part-case per year and incur charges every time you move wine in or out, but such specialists are good at keeping records of your distant cellar.

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