If you love to drink wine then you need to know how to choose it and keep it. Storing wine properly is important, whether purchasing it for business or pleasure. We can’t all have fancy wine cellars in our homes, especially those living in small spaces such as apartments. For those situations there are a variety of small wine racks to choose from.
You can purchase a small wine rack in a shop or on the internet. There are many varieties out there and it is important to know where to place your small wine rack to ensure the best environment for your wine.
Here are some things to consider when choosing the spot for your small wine rack:
1. Climate: Wine does not like extreme temperatures. The ideal temperature for wine is between seven and thirteen degrees centigrade. So don’t put your wine rack near a heat source.
It is also important not to put wine where there are large fluctuations in temperature because it can cause the cork to shrink and expand, risking oxidation to the wine. And humidity is better for wine than dry air.
2. Light: Bright or artificial light will damage wine. Light is, however, more damaging to white wines than to red ones. Showing off and displaying your small wine rack may be limited because of this.
3. Movement: Wine does not like to be disturbed. Especially red wines.
The best place you can put your small wine rack is in a cold, damp, dark corner where it will not be disturbed by others.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT BOTTLE OF WINE
Tonights the night. Youve got that special dinner party with friends and you want it to be perfect. Youve got the menu completed but the question is which wine will compliment the meal best? Here are some tips for choosing fine wine.
Lighter foods need lighter wines while heartier foods need full bodied wines. For example, fish is light and thus a wine like Pinot Noir goes very nicely because it is also light.
The way the food is prepared will also influence the type of wine you choose. Whether your meal is grilled or roasted as well as the spices you use will affect your wine choice.
Bitter foods need a fruity wine that will compliment it, such as a Chardonnay or Merlot. Shiraz or some of the other heavy tannic red wines go great with a grilled steak because the fat in the meat tones down the bitterness in the wine.
Foods that are salty or oily go much better with a wine thats higher in acid like Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc. Sweet foods do much better with a slightly sweet dry wine such as Riesling or Chenin Blanc.
Dry wines, both red and white, work well with a wider selection of foods so if in doubt go this route. A general rule of thumb is that you want your wine to offer a nice contrast from your food but you dont want it to clash.
The most important tip to remember is that wine is about taste and its a personal choice so trust your taste buds. Its always a good idea to test a wine before purchasing it, and dont base your wine buying decisions on what your friends or family say. Use your own palate to make your choices.
You should also be patient with yourself because learning to buy good wine has quite a learning curve. The best way to learn is try many different wines and expand your wine cellar. People tend to find a wine they like and then stick with it spending little time experimenting with other wines. Why not explore other wines and find some other great choices?
The price of wine doesnt dictate the quality. Of course many would like you to believe it does but the British Columbia wine industry is proving thats just not so, producing some top quality wines at a fraction of the cost of imported wines. Of course, as with many things, best costs more but there are plenty of excellent choices and it really does pay to shop around.
Always put together your wine cabinet with thought. Think about your budget, the types of food you most often serve, and how much entertaining you do. Set aside the most expensive wines for those special occasions and serve the less expensive, but still delicious, wines for your daily use.
These tips for choosing fine wine will have your wine cabinet looking very healthy in no time and your wines will compliment your meals nicely!