Just like any other natural product, wine will change its characteristics and quality over a period of time. Proper wine storage can make sure the environmental elements might not have an undesirable influence on the high quality of great wines.

Regulating the amount of lighting, moisture, oscillations and variations in temperature in the area where the wine is stored is the only sure way of safely storing wine the right way so that it ages in the manner that the winemaker intended.

Air getting into a bottle of wine will immediately spoil the quality of the wine and it should therefore be stored in a way that air cannot access the wine. The best way to keep air locked out of a wine bottle is by ensuring the integrity of the cork seal by storing the wine bottles on their sides. This will keep the cork moist and prevent it from shrinking.

If the cork shrinks it will allow wine to escape from the bottle and, at the same time, allow air into the bottle. When air gets into the bottle it will oxidize the wine and it will quickly taste like vinegar.

As well as storing your wine bottles on their sides it is important to ensure that the humidity in the room is adequate. This will also aid in preventing the corks from drying out. The suitable humidity for stocking wine is about 70%, though around 50% and 80% is good enough,click here. In the event the storage space or wine storage may get too damp the bottle of wine tags will produce mold. Despite the fact that this won't cause harm to the drinks it is most likely not eye-catching.

Wine ought to be kept in a space where by it can be exposed to no oscillations or activity. The vibrations will typically age the wine too soon that will have an impact on the standard of the wine. Bottles of wine stashed in cartons must be allowed to remain by itself to age, and only carried whether it is prepared to be used and savored.

Each time stocking wine, coldness is one particular external variable which needs to be thought about. Essentially, storing wine settings could range between about 10 to 15 degrees C to be certain that the cork will not likely get smaller and thus just let through air or is not going to result in the wine to age sooner than it ought to. A properly built wine storage should always maintain the necessitated temperatures and that is exactly the very reason most wine enthusiasts have a wine cellar for a storage area. Should you not already have the space or room for getting a wine storage, a refrigerated wine cabinet could also be used to preserve a consistent setting.

The final strategy is to protect your wine from ultra violet light. Being exposed to UV light will likely cause undesirable damage to your bottles of wine and very easily influence the taste. Place your wine down in a darkened storage space and if stacked away in a wine cellar any windows have to be closed. And take much more maintenance with sparkling wines which are significantly more vulnerable to lights in contrast to a lot of wines.




If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the world-famous Bordeaux region of southwestern France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a red Merlot from a internationally renowned producer.

Among France’s eleven wine-growing regions Bordeaux ranks first in acreage with about 50% more land devoted to vineyards than the second-place Rh?ne Valley. But it’s more than just a question of acreage and volume. Bordeaux is widely considered as one of the top wine producing regions of the entire earth and has been for centuries. The wine reviewed below comes from the Pomerol area on the right bank of the Garonne River, which divides Bordeaux in two.

Bordeaux produces over seventy million cases of wine per year, about 85% red, 12 white, and the rest rosé. That works out to more than two million cases of rosé wine per year. I don’t remember ever tasting a Bordeaux rosé. I promise to deal with this problem later in the series. There are more than twenty two thousand vineyards in Bordeaux covering about 280 thousand acres, which works out to somewhat less than 13 acres per vineyard. Approximately half of the vineyards produce wine, and altogether about 6000 properties produce and sell their own wine, the rest selling wine through cooperatives. Bordeaux boasts about 60 different wine appellations ranging from fair-to-middling to world class with plenty in between. Some Bordeaux wine classifications date back to 1855 and have barely changed since, except that Baron Rothschild was able to get his best wine promoted from Second Cru (second growth) to Premier Cru (First Growth). Those in the know say that his Chateau Lafitte definitely deserves this honor. We’ll review some fairly top-notch Bordeaux wines sooner or later, but the wine reviewed below is very affordable. Interestingly enough, its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus, crafted by the same producer with the same grape in the same area holds no prestigious classification. However,nike shox torch 2 Success doesn't always come in one dramatic leap, Chateau Petrus is definitely world class and comes with a price to match, if the wine merchant will even look at your money.

Believe it or not, Merlot is the major red grape in Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon comes in a distant second. We’ll talk about the remaining important Bordeaux red grape varieties elsewhere in this series. The major white grapes are Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pomerol region of Bordeaux is a small, rural area of Bordeaux producing only red wine. Its major grape varieties are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon,nike shox torch 2, and Merlot,click here Many people have thought about a life o.

Pomerol’s main tourist attractions are the wine chateaux. Perhaps surprisingly the world famous Chateau Petrus is not all that special to look at. The most attractive Chateaux are Chateau Nenin and Vieux Chateau Certan but even they are far from spectacular. As the famous phrase goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Of course the Bordeaux region is brimming with sights to see which will be described in the appropriate articles.

Before reviewing the Bordeaux wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Gravette Huitres (Oysters from the Arcachon Bay).
For your second course savor Lamproie au Pomerol (Eels cooked in Red Wine and Chocolate).
And as dessert indulge yourself with Cannelles de Bordeaux (“Portable Crême Brulée),nike shox uk.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Moueix Merlot 2003 12.3% about $13.00

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. No one knows Merlot better than Christian Moueix, owner of the world famous Chateau Pétrus. Year after year, his wines define Merlot. Soft and round with aromas of raspberry, cedar and blueberry, this wine delivers ripe fruit, great balance and a medium long finish. It’s magic with veal medallions and sautéed mushrooms, or baked pasta.

My first pairing was with turkey meatballs, potatoes, and sautéed vegetables in a moderately spicy tomato sauce. This wine was round and full-bodied. It was quite long with pleasant acidity but overpowered the meat. The Merlot tasted better after eating the potatoes. When I finished the glass after the meal, the wine was quite rich and I started tasting blackberries.

My next meal consisted of slow-cooked beef stew and potatoes with a somewhat spicy sauce and two rather spicy side salads. The wine was full-bodied and agreeably acidic, tasting of plums and black cherries. Once again I enjoyed finishing the glass after the meal. The spices were intensified. I can only imagine what its famous cousin,nike shox There are many tools for thesis writing but nothing is more valuable t, Chateau Petrus, would taste like but at forty times the cost (or more), I can only imagine.

The final meal included hamburgers, rice, cauliflower and red peppers in a tomato sauce, once again with Harissa, a Moroccan hot pepper spice that was fairly weak. The Merlot tasted of dark fruits and tobacco with a bit of black pepper. The only downside was that the wine was not long.

As always, the cheese tastings came last. I started with a Palet de Chevre, which is a goat’s milk cheese from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. Honestly, if I didn’t know that it was a goat’s milk cheese I never would have guessed. It simply looked and tasted like a slightly runny Camembert. The combination was almost OK, but deadened the wine’s flavor somewhat. The other cheese was a Swiss Gruyere. The wine bounced back in the Gruyere’s presence, but frankly was too good for the cheese.

Final verdict. No doubt about it; I want this wine again. And should the day come that I’ll buy its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus,nike shox, I’ll still be buying this wine.