Storing Wine

Four main things to think about here:

Temperature

The key thing is to to have as even temperature as possible - no huge swings. So a kitchen is not a great place to store wine. If you have wine you want to lay down to age then cool is better than warm, since this will encourage proper ageing in a gentle way. Below 5C is not good as this will slow things to a standstill, and above 20C will accelerate things too much.

Light

Light has an adverse effect on wine in storage, hence the reason for a lot of bottles being in dark glass. Red and sparkling wines are worst affected, but it's always best to keep light to a minimum. Wine's a living organism, and everything sleeps better in the dark... Plus too much light may have an effect on temperature.

Humidity

Too dry and over a period of time you may get excess "ullage" - the space between cork and wine in the bottle. So a little humidity is good. Too much may cause mould, but this is the lesser evil. Good ventilation will help preserve a balance.

Angle

All light wine benefits from being stored horizontally. This ensures continued contact with the cork, keeping it moist, and inhibiting penetration of oxygen. With screwcaps this obviously not such an issue, but it's always handy to have a wine lying label up both for identification, and to allow any sediment to settle on the clear side. Keeping the label in good nick also helps if you intend to sell the wine later.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a cellar, but places like understairs cupboards, spare rooms, garages (though insulated is best), unused fireplaces, pantries, or basements can all work well. You can of course invest in a temperature controlled cabinet (there are various sizes from about 16 bottles to 1,000), and for rather more money you can have a specially designed spiral cellar dug in almost any part of your house to store anything from 600 - 1500 bottles.

Alternatives to Sauternes?

There are many. If you love your dessert wine, know your Sauternes, but want to try some options - well here are a few suggestions.

Not a million miles away you'll find Monbazillac, in Bergerac along the Dordogne valley. Similar in style, often outstandingly delicious, and outstandingly good value. And next door to this is Saussignac - increasingly interesting, and also made in the same style with Botrytis (or Noble Rot) and the same grapes - Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. But look a little further afield in France and you'll find gorgeous Coteaux du Layon in the Loire (Chenin Blanc), honeyed and aromatic Beaumes-de-Venises in Vaucluse (Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains), and Jurancon in the South West (Petit Manseng) for example. And these are just some of the white ones. For red you could perhaps try a Maury, Banyuls, or Muscat de Rivesaltes.

Slip across to Italy, and things start to get even more exciting. Some Recioto di Soave in Veneto, or a great Passito from Umbria or Sicily maybe, and a high quality aged Vin Santo can be a real delight. And don't get Moscato d'Asti confused with the inferior Asti Spumante. The real stuff is foamingly aromatic and refreshing, and top notch with various desserts, particularly in summer. Plus lets not forget the sweeter end of riesling wine in Germany, as in Auslese, Beerenauselese, and even Trockenbeerenauslese.

Countries around the globe are producing lovely examples of sweet wines - late harvest Sauvignon from Chile, Muscat from Rutherglen in Australia, and Tokay from Hungary to mention but a very few. There are even good stabs at it in England with grapes such as Siegerrebe, Ortega, and Bacchus. The list could go on, without touching on styles of sherry, port, madeira and so on - encompassing both fortified and unfortified wines.

Throughout all these the key to a great dessert wine is that it must also have a clean and striking vein of acidity. Just sweet and luscious can be overwhelming and unsatisfying - although unctuous stickies like PX sherry have their place poured over vanilla ice cream, say. What you really want is all the richness and sweetness, followed by some mouth-cleansing acidity which will make you salivate, and refresh at the same time. And then you want more. And more....

A Cure For The Morning After?

The morning after a Saturday night session. Bleary-eyed, two odd socks, and a mouth as dry as a Dukes’ martini, you start to think about brunch. Scrambled eggs…smoked salmon...bacon…croissants? And something to put the sun back into Sunday - but what will do it? Many turn to Bucks Fizz (not the band hopefully, unless it was a very bad night), but there are other possibilities. The good old Bellini makes a refreshing change – just mix some quality organic peach juice with some chiselled Prosecco and you’ve got a hangover-smashing wake-me-up. Or go really whacky with something from the Basque country – Txacoli de Getaria. As light as Atlantic spray, brisk, acidic, and lightly foaming, they pour this over their shoulder in Spain to give it the spritz, and drunk chilled it’ll clean your teeth for you in no time. Great with oysters, or salty smoky things.

And there's always the traditional Prairie Oyster - 1 raw egg (yolk unbroken) in a glass, a teaspoon of Worcester Sauce, salt and pepper, and as much Tabasco as you can bear. Sounds revolting? This is how P.G.Wodehouse describes Bertie Wooster's first experience of Jeeves' version after a hard night:

"I swallowed the stuff. For a moment it felt as if somebody had touched off a bomb inside the old bean and was strolling down my throat with a lighted torch, and then everything seemed suddenly to get all right. The sun shone in through the window; birds twittered in the tree-tops; and, generally speaking, hope dawned once more."*

Exactly.

*(Carry On, Jeeves by P.G.Wodehouse)

Wine tips - temperature

White wine drunk too cold will suppress the flavours. Red wine drunk too cold will accentuate the tannins - unless it's a young fruity number meant to be drunk cool, like a Beaujolais perhaps. For reds, room temperature is generally the done thing - but think about it. Room temperature not so long ago was a lot less than many have it now. So about 8C for white, and about 18C for red. Fizz should always be drunk chilled since it's often pretty acidic - and the bubbles taste better that way... Many sweet wines are best chilled, but not all. A red Vin Doux Naturel might be better around 16C for example, likewise a vintage Port. These have ripe tannins, so see above. But try an aged tawny port chilled as an aperitif. Fantastic.

A Glass A Day Keeps The Doctor Away?

Is wine good for your health? Well, I’m in danger of sticking my neck out here, so lets get a couple of things straight first:

1. Everything in moderation (including moderation, if you’re Oscar Wilde).

2. Over-indulgence is bound to be more harmful than total abstinence.

3. I write as a qualified wine person, not a qualified medical person.

Right, that’s that out of the way – now for the fun part. Even the father of medicine himself, good old Hippocrates, was recommending wine for various ailments hundreds of years BC. More recently phenomena such as the “French Paradox” have encouraged quite extensive research into the medicinal properties of wine. This “Paradox” manifests itself in the way the French, many of whom have diets high in saturated fats, nevertheless show a low incidence of heart disease when compared globally. Well they drink a lot of red wine, and subsequent studies have shown that red wine in particular contains flavanoids including (deep breath) oligomeric procyanidin, resveratrol, and quercetin, which can either help to prevent hardening of the arteries, or have the potential to help protect against heart disease. In properly regulated quantities wine can also help to balance cholesterol, which is thought to be down to how wine slows digestion, thus preventing some fatty content from entering the bloodstream. So linger over that glass, and savour that flavour.

There’s more. The flavanoids found in wine (particularly red wine) are believed to function as anti-oxidants, and the subsequent inhibition of some free radicals these cause have been shown to reduce the occurrence of some cancers in certain cases – notably of the digestive tract. The real miracle compound, resveratrol, is also thought to have the ability to activate certain longevity genes known as sirtuins, thus slowing down ageing processes. What? It makes us live longer too? I like to think so… There are cardiologists (I know of one in Swindon of all places) who prescribe a little red wine every day to heart patients, in the belief that it reduces the chance of a second heart attack by some 50%. Cabernet Sauvignon is the best at all this, and the Cab Sav that’s made from very high altitude grapes (such as in Argentina) the best of all. Thinner air, more UV on the skins, longer ripening process, making thicker skins and more anti-oxidants.

I could go on – but lets think about moderation for a minute. Because we have to. You may want to keep an eye on your weekly intake, which the UK government has prescribed as 14 units for women, and 21 for men. It’s fairly simple to calculate a unit of alcohol by using the following formula – alcohol content (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1000. By this method we can figure out that a 750ml bottle of wine at 13% alcohol will contain 9.75 units. In other words one large 250ml glass of wine holds more daily units than even men are supposed to have. Oops. To make it plain you’ll find about one unit of alcohol in each of the following: half a 175ml glass of wine; half a pint of 3.5% ABV beer, lager, or cider; 25ml of spirits; 50ml of vermouth. But where wine’s concerned I think the moral of the story is simply to drink less quantity but better quality, which hopefully should even things out on the purse, and enable you to reap all the best of benefits.

A Magnum Of Solace

So you’ve been dumped by the boyfriend. It all looks bleak, everyone else is having much more fun than you, and you’ve resorted to hugging cushions and talking to the cat. Time for a drop of the good stuff – but what are the options? Well, lets see:

1. Stay dark, brooding, and sad

2. As above, but feel better with comforts

3. Throw it aside and look on the bright side

There are wines to suit all the moods, and here are a few suggestions – not necessarily the cheapest, but this is a time for quality, and you need treats.

Dark and brooding

Here we want something that’s rich, full of mystery, spicy – as red as a bleeding heart. A wine you can really lose yourself in, and makes you feel good while feeling bad. So off to South America (one of the more romantic, and sassy continents) for two possibilities – Malbec from Argentina, and Carmenere from Chile. Both of these produce dark, smoky, fruity customers that will wrap themselves round you like a comfort blanket, and warm your jilted cockles. Good Malbec examples are Crios 2008, Catena 2007 and Soluna Organic Premium, and if you can find it Salentein Reserva. For Carmenere perhaps Mont Gras Carmenere Reserva 2009, Palo Alto 2008 with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah added, and Perez Cruz Limited Edition Reserva 2008. Sink down in those cushions with some Manchego cheese to soften the tannins, and make the flavours silky and delicious.

Comforts

Chocolate and ice cream – they usually do the trick. But what to drink with them? I’ve got two great suggestions, and you’ll need to share them with friends (who can also comfort) because they pack quite a punch… Something dark for the best dark chocolate, where the bitterness of the cocoa bites through the sweetness of the wine, and the two hit it off like lovers on a first date (oops, sorry..). Look no further than Mas Amiel Maury Vintage Rouge 2007- it’s a bit pricey, but you won’t need much, and it’s worth it!. Then on to ice cream – this may sound weird but you’ve got to try it. Get the best vanilla (personally I go for Green & Blacks) and pour over it some PX sherry. This stuff is ultra sweet, made from the Pedro Ximenez grape, and full of figs, molasses, Christmas spice, and nutty lusciousness having worked its way for years through an old solera. Noe PX Sherry, or Don PX Dulce Gran Reserva are both great.

The bright side

Is it that bad? Was he really such hot stuff? You’re a free agent again, so celebrate! Get some mates round and start popping a few corks, and lets make it fizzy. A lovely Prosecco to get you going – Azienda Agricola Bellenda - fruity, zingy and ever so slightly exotic (just like you really). Then a vintage champagne for £20! Yes, Heidsieck Gold Top 2004 is a bit of a steal, and ticks all the right boxes for a decent champers – soft, elegant, with subtle undertones (yes, I know, just like you again..). And for the splash-out come home to England. It’s pink, it’s classy, and it’ll make a hole in your purse, but it’s a joyous mouthful. Hush Heath Balfour Brut Rose 2005 is made in the champagne method with champagne grapes, and is bursting with wild strawberries and creaminess. A winner of medals and hearts this should make the sun shine again. Pour out some foaming glasses, and have with smoked salmon blinis, brie, and loads of strawberries. Now, what was his name again…?