How to store wine?

The spread of wine culture is very important for civilized and spiritual enjoyment of wine. Man has long since learned to make good wine from grapes. The roots of wine production most likely come from Persia. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans liked strong and full wines with a high alcohol content which they had to dilute with water. Wine is mentioned 521 times in the Bible. Dionysius in Greece and Bacchus in Rome were the gods of wine. From ancient, mythological times, the power of wine to exalt man, to give him serenity and the gift of speaking, has made him the drink of the gods in the eyes of men. People liked to peek into the world of divine drinks, so wine often opened the way to women's hearts, but with a divine drop, wars and armistices were announced. Wine celebrates birth, celebrates successes, but it is not just a drink of joy because it is sent off for the last time. Wine has been and remains a prized drink of many civilizations.

One Frenchman said: All fashions pass only wine remains.

Wine - a way of storage

After some time of aging the wine in tanks or barrels, which depends on the type of wine you want to get, the wine is bottled, and the fine physical and chemical characteristics continue to develop slowly in the bottle. Bottled wine requires special storage conditions.

A good cellar for storing bottled wine must meet the following requirements:

the cellar must be dark as this positively contributes to the long and harmonious aging of the wine;

the bottles must be placed in a horizontal position to prevent the stoppers from drying out, which would cause dangerous contact of the wine with the air. In the horizontal position, the cork is soaked in wine, which prevents drying from occurring;

the wine storage temperature is 11 ° C (ideal) although it can range up to 14 ° C. The most important thing is to prevent temperature fluctuations that accelerate the unwanted aging of wine. Wine does not suffer physical shocks such as sudden changes in temperature;

humidity in the basement is extremely important because it directly affects the quality of the stopper; the best humidity is between 65% and 80% which prevents the stoppers from drying out on the one hand, and on the other hand this humidity does not damage the labels on the bottles;

the wine cellar must have a clean smell;

the cellar must be a quiet place, free of vibrations or other physical shocks that would harm the harmonious aging of the wine.

Stoppers and bottles must be carefully monitored during wine aging. Defective and old corks in archival wines need to be replaced. Very rarely in the cellar, insects can attack the stopper and pierce it, which causes wine to leak and very quickly spoil the wine in the bottle. Such stoppers should be changed, and placing capsules over the stoppers serves to deter insects and protect the stoppers.

Wine lovers who have their own wine cellars should have a register in which to enter the ifollowing information for each wine:

wine name and geographical origin,

year of harvest,

manufacturer's name,

place and date of wine procurement,

comments on periodic wine testing,

number of bottles,

This information not only provides good management in the cellar but also ensures that we offer individual wines when they are at the peak of quality.

It should be borne in mind that wines go through stages of youth, maturity (the best balance and developed noise) and declining quality during aging. Wines obtained from good years can be in the phase of youth for several years or even decades, which depends on the locality where the grapes are grown, the type of grapes, the management in the vineyard, the applied technology and of course the climatic conditions. After the youth phase, the wine enters the mature phase when its quality is best and when it should be drunk. The length of this phase also depends on many factors, but it is essential to recognize this phase when the wine is in the best balance, then drink it, not to allow the wine to enter the phase of declining quality.