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| The Course |
| Tasting wine at home |
Cellar rules
No more running out at the last minute to buy a bottle of wine just before dinner.
No more splendid meals accompanied by a mixed collection of bottles (which are
usually good, too) brought by the guests. Now is the time to make a cellar, even
if it is only a small collection it is one which, if there is at least some thought
about the quality and type of wine, will be enough to ensure that your collection
is always ready to accompany the most important gastronomic occasions or to let
you enjoy a simple evening with friends.
Which wines to choose
The most enjoyable moment is choosing the wines to put in your cellar. Always
try to taste the wines you intend to buy and try to buy at least six bottles.
This means you have enough in store and you can uncork another one when your guests
ask for it. It is better not to keep a large store of wine to be drunk young and
which has no potential for ageing. Important wines, which can bear bottle-ageing,
should be regularly checked.
Wine is a living thing - it also has a stage
of youth, maturity and old age, periods which can be short or long and which depend
on many factors. It therefore becomes very important to check to understand when
and how to drink it. It can be a shocking experience to drink a wine which is
too old. Uncorking a bottle which is too young, on the other hand, is only a minor
error and easily put right.
A further note: do not be selfish and only follow
your personal preferences. People who enjoy inviting friends would do better to
have a broad, diverse range of wines, including types of wine suitable for every
occasion and every dish, from the starter to the dessert.
The right
place
It is always better to keep wine underground, but not all cellars
are suitable for this purpose. Mould-covered walls, cobwebs and dust may suggest
an atmosphere of romantic antiquity, but for real wine-lovers they are a clear
sign of excessive damp, which is dangerous because it encourages micro-organisms
which could damage the wine.
Remember that the worst damage to wine is caused
by sudden fluctuations away from the ideal temperature which is around 12-15°C.
Letting light in is just as dangerous, especially sunlight, and excessive vibration.
The ideal cellar should have more running water than wine. This is an old saying
and is still true. A cellar should be very clean. The bottles are taken from their
cardboard packaging and cleaned with a dry cloth and laid down. The wine should
be in contact with the cork, as if this does not happen the cork can dry out and
may no longer guarantee a tight seal. The cork allows at least a minimum of oxygen
to get through, something which is a key factor in the ageing of red wines. Be
careful not to keep the wine near other sources of smells or exhaust fumes. In
the place you use as a cellar you should not hang up cheeses or salami and, above
all, not keep your car or motor bike or your wine may end up with an aftertaste
of petrol. In stacking the bottles the racks available in the shops are very useful.
They are affordable and take up little room. In choosing the wine rack remember
that each bottle weighs about one and a half kilogrammes.
It is normal to arrange the wine with the white wines underneath,
where the temperature is lower and the reds higher up where
it is warmer. This means that the wines are kept at a temperature
which is closer to the temperature at which they should be served.
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