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this week
The
resting place
By
Georges Meekers
Perhaps a
cavern under a baronial mansion is out of the question, but it
is possible to build a wine cellar without having to re-mortgage.
Indeed, a
small six case collection of wines of all types, and for all occasions,
is well within reach and easy to store too.
Many of us
live in homes that are ill-suited for storing wine, but it’s
easy to find an unused grate that offers wine what it wants: darkness,
little or no vibration, reasonable humidity and a constant temperature.
Most wines
will rest happily on their side in their original case, placed
somewhere near a stack of old Readers Digests and a bucket of
damp sand in a dark boxroom lined with heat insulation.
Storing,
for example, 36 wine bottles priced at Lm1.15 to Lm6.00 each,
allows you to move on from that hand-to-mouth routine of picking
up a single bottle of wine on your way home from work to a point
where you are a little bit more in control.
Before buying,
pencil down if and how often you wish to enjoy a bottle with dinner,
if you drink wine mostly on the weekends when entertaining and
if you wish to lay down a few big wines as well. Also jot down
a small number of sparkling wines for five to six celebratory
events a year.
Then assess
your tastes. Most people who think of cellaring wines think of
reds that age. But if you love Pinot Bianco and aren’t fond
of Claret, by all means adjust your percentages.
Remember
that the white wines within this price bracket are usually meant
to be drunk young.
Buy from
that wine-knowledgeable merchant who helps you discovering your
likes and dislikes, makes recommendations within your preferred
categories of wine and budget, and suggests different wines you
might also like.
Try a single
bottle of a wine before splashing out on a case. If you have bought
a case, open a bottle at leisure to see just how long and fast
it will mature.
Keep a cellar
book and make tasting notes, even if they sometimes read ‘Alas
– Over The Hill’.
On the bright
side, the lesson in cellaring (or rather ‘box-rooming’)
will have cost little and yielded high dividends – at least
for your palate.
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