Enjoying Wines

Archive for October, 2009

Where To Start When Building Your Own Wine Cellar

So, you?ve gone out and spent an arm and a leg on all of your favorite wines. You?ve got the common wines and the rare, hard-to-get $135,000 per bottle 1947 Cheval Blanc. But what do you do with it? How do you store it so all that money and fine wine doesn?t go to waste? Simple ? you build a wine cellar, and when it?s done, you open your wine cellar door to show off your fantastic and well-maintained collection to the world!

Conditions Are Key

To be properly stored, wine has to be maintained at a temperature between 45-65 °F. Wine ages more slowly depending on temperature as well ? at 50-57 °F, wine will age normally, but as the temperature goes up, so does their aging. There is also a debate as to whether or not humidity affects wine. Some scientists claim that low humidity will not affect the wine itself, but rather a wine?s cork, which will dry out prematurely. It is recommended that an inch of gravel be covering the floor of your cellar, and that you sprinkle them with water periodically to help maintain humidity.

Where Can I Put It?
You can build a wine cellar almost anywhere in your home, but remember that the cellar?s location will have a huge impact on how much it costs to maintain the cellar on it?s built. A wine cellar should be built in the coolest, most humid place in your home, and you should also try to make sure the cellar is maintained at 55°-58° F, with a humidity of 55-75 percent. The closer you are to those conditions, the smaller the size of the cooling unit you?ll need to buy. For instance, if your wince cellar?s usual temperature is 85°, think of how big a cooling until will have to be just to get the temperature down to an average of 65°! A dry environment will also require more frequent introductions of humidity to maintain the wine.
What Type Do I Need?

There are two types of wine cellars: active wine cellars and passive wine cellars. An active wine cellar is built to be highly insulated, and is the type you?re looking for if you?re choosing to build a wine cellar in your home. Active wine cellars require the specialized cooling systems that maintain the desired temperature you?re looking for. While in drier climates you may also need to artificially humidify the air, but most wine cellars will not need it.

If you choose to build a passive wine cellar, on the other hand, is has to be located in naturally cool and damp areas. You also have to make sure your wine will be exposed to minimal seasonal and diurnal temperature evaluations. If you have a basement that fits those criteria, a passive cellar may be your best bet, as these kinds of wine cellars cost nothing to build or maintain. However, remember that the conditions in passive cellars are less predictable.

Decide And Build!

Taking all that into account, it shouldn?t be too difficult to decide what type of wine cellar you need to build to maintain your wine collection. Make up your mind, get building, and reap the benefits of all those hard-bought wines you slaved for.

While many people have unfortunately gone away from traditional dinner party etiquette, it is still always appropriate to bring a bottle of wine. In fact, not only is it appropriate, it is highly recommended. Bringing wine to a dinner party shows the host or hostess that you appreciate the gesture of an invitation. It also is a sign of consideration, especially if you will be drinking wine for the evening out of the host’s current reserves; your bottle will replace the one that you will be drinking. If there are two of you attending the dinner party, consider bringing two bottles of wine to the host. This way, you are each bringing a bottle to replace any that you consume at the dinner party.

So, if bringing a bottle of wine to a dinner party is the proper thing to do, what type of wine should you bring?

If you know the personal taste preferences of the host, select a bottle within that genre or type. You don’t have to purchase the most expensive bottle available by any means, but select a highly rated wine and if possible, something new or unique. If you are unsure of what to select, ask the expert in the store that you are shopping in as they will be able to point you in the right direction. Also, if there are any notes or references regarding the wine that you purchased, include that with your wine as a gift to the host. It is always nice to be able to read and learn about the wine that you were given.

If you are unsure of the type of wine that your host generally likes, try to choose something more general in taste preferences. If you are bringing either a red or a white wine, you will want to consider something more mild in flavour such as a Merlot or a Chardonnay. If your budget permits it, bring both a white and a red wine to your host so that you are more likely to hit their personal wine preference, rather than guessing with either a red or a white.

Once you figure out what to bring, don’t forget about how your wine will be presented. While it is certainly not necessary, taking the time to add a personalized touch to your gift is preferred. For example, you could tie a personalized wine gift tag onto the bottle, showing that you did more than just run into the wine store at the last minute to grab the first bottle that you saw. Also, a gift tag will ensure that your host knows that you brought the bottle. As guests are arriving it can be challenging for a host to remember who brought which item to the party. In addition to the gift tag, you could also tie any number of wine accessories to the bottle as well, such as a corkscrew, bottle stopper or wine glass markers. Anything that is small can easily be added with a simple ribbon. Have fun and be creative in your embellishment of your wine gift.

If you want to do something simpler, you could place your wine bottle in any number of wine carriers, wine totes or wine bags. You can choose for so many colors and styles. This simple packaging idea is an easy way to make the gift more personalized.

No matter how you decide to personalize your wine gift for a dinner party, the most important thing to remember is to bring a bottle or two as a kind and considerate gesture to your host for inviting you into their home.

The fruit wine making process is one which is quite complex but which can be understood rather easily, if you are willing.  Using a guide like the ultimate fruit winemaker’s guide will help you in your effort

Once you have all the equipment and a recipe book, you can begin your venture to making wine the best you have ever tasted. Home wine making allows you to try different flavor juices or fruits. You will find there are many different types of wines that you can make with a home wine making venture.

In cases of grape wine, this is made from pure grape juice. But for other fruit wines, additional water is needed to dilute the juice prior to the winemaking procedure. This is mainly because of the intense flavor. Secondly, some of the fruits may be high in their acidic property, which in turn makes the wine too sharp in taste if used full strength. Examples include gooseberry and blueberry juices.

Home wine making possibilities are endless when you think about it. You can use any type of fruit that would make a good wine. If you wan to experiment with just about anything, you can do this as well. You do not have to stick with what other people do, you can make your own blend.

You make have heard of people who like a specific fruit mixed with another fruit, well this might just make a great wine as well. If you like a can of fruit cocktail, you might try making a fruit cocktail wine. There are some people that mix fruits and the wine is to die for. It has a taste you cannot find with any other wine around. Home wine making opens up new avenues for wine enthusiasts. If you like wine, you will love experimenting with new tastes.

You can really personalize this process and make it your own as long as you include the basics, and you will have a lot of fun and produce some fantastic wine that you can share with your family and friends. Wine making is a time honored tradition, one that has become incredibly popular in the world of today. If you have not tried making your own wine before then it is definitely something that you should try out sometime in the near future.