What kinds of wine racks are available?
For storing wine in living conditions engineers have created special wine racks (cabinets). They can be used both in a flat and in an office. They make it possible to store wine in right conditions to those people who do not have cellars. It also brings wine to ideal consumption temperature.
Wine racks` homeland is France, which wine cellars are considered to be the richest in quality and in variety of wines. First wine racks appeared in European market in 1976.
In XXI century, wine racks with deaf and transparent doors, which were intended for home and office, were made in many countries of Europe, America and Asia. Wine rack – it is a refrigerator for wine without freezer compartment. The smallest car wine refrigerators with 2 or 6 bottles have thermoelectric cooling and are powered by car storage battery. The overwhelming majority of wine racks have compression refrigeration with feeding from domestic network systems.
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The Magic of Champagne
Only one wine reminds us of good penny-worth and of the most festive events in our life. Just this wine burns the most romantic memories and creates «correct» mood…
The History of Champagne
According to historians, sparkling wine has appeared accidentally. Frigid climate has stopped fermentation, which with the beginning of spring has been resumed. There was a belief that wine feels spring and awakes, echoes to the nature. Wine was bottled, and as warm sets in, wine began fermented repeatedly. Carbon dioxide had no exit, and it was dissolving in wine. Many wine-makers of that time considered sparkling wine sad mistake, and only some of them tried to understand the secret and improved mode of production.
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How to store wine properly
Wine is a very delicate and uncertain product. It is living organism, which because of wrong storing can be irreparable harmed.
If wine is not very old, and its presumptive working life does not exceed one and a half year, admissible temperature is 16-18°С. By such temperature wine will ripen more quickly, but will not improved as at 11-12 ° C. On the other hand, at a temperature below 8-9 ° C wine does not evolve.
If wine-lovers or restaurateurs do not have cellar, they can buy special cooler racks. First, wine racks are convenient because they can be put anywhere, secondly, they are equipped with arrangements for temperature and humidity control.
The ideal wine storage conditions:
- level position (the cork should be completely washed with a wine);
- darkness. The light, especially sun and neon – are bitterest enemies of wine.
- clean, good ventilated room (cellar); wine rack
- absolute rest and silence; vibration is abnormally dangerous for wine
- constant temperature 11-12°С (10-14 ° C is acceptable). High temperature (above 20°С) or too low temperature, as well as its constant variations are not desirable.
- constant humidity 75-80 % (not below 70). By too low humidity corks can get too dry; too high humidity is dangerous for labels. There is also a risk of mould on corks.
- no smells in the repository (especially smells of kerosene, fuel oil, etc.). Corks do not provide full impermeability – otherwise wine in a bottle can not be improved.
How to settle doubt concerning wine quality
Aroma – is everything for wine. True connoisseurs are going crazy with it, like fascinating novel «read» it sommelier and berhyme it. What lies behind the notes of wine symphony? What of them are godlike, and what with alarm signals? Here are some rules, which help you to find out some mistakes.
«Wine with cork» - what does it mean in reality? Is wine spoilt if by opening cork has crumbled and pieces fall into bottle?
As a matter of fact some bits will not spoil the wine: they can be carefully taken out or be filtered through the strainer. Cork’s smack will appear if cork sits in a bottleneck – it caused by mold fungi. For beginners: if some of your guests make a wry face because of cork’s smell, ask him for a wineglass and inhale wine aroma. If you share guest’s opinion, dilute wine (1/3) with water (2/3), then «crock’s mistake» can be easily found out – you will feel strange smell immediately.
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Wine Serving Temperature
Wine should not be served too warm or too cold.
At high temperature even very good wine can smell of ethyl alcohol, and vice versa, at low temperature a lot of flavors` nuances will stay undisclosed.
It’s not of necessity to have a thermometer at home. How can you understand if serving temperature is right: taste it, if wine seems to you rough, probably the temperature is too high. If at first you feel neither taste no aroma, then you have overdone with a cooling. In that case it will be quite enough for some minutes keep wineglass in hands for warming.
The best of all would be cool wine in buckets with an ice. Take a bucket with some water, add there salt, and then ice. It is not advisable to cool wine in freezing chamber.
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History Of Wine Making
There is no exact information who and when produced wine for the first time. Therefore, on the throne claim just several peoples, who apply for myths, legends and results of archeological digs.
Greeks have even some variants - to every taste. According one of them, Dionysus taught Icarius, inhabitant of Attica, to grow grapes and prepare of it wonder-working drink. According to another variant, Orispheus`s dog had pupped with wine bush. Orispheus immediately planted this bush and since then grew grapes. The next legend has it that grapes was found by a sheep, who constantly run away from the flock and returned to sheep-cote the latest. Shepherd Stafilos, observed upon the fugitive and have found that she ate fruits of unknown plants. He gathered these berries and took them to his master Oynos. And this, on his turn, noted that squeezed juice from these berries after some time became a new taste and hoping down qualities.
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In vino veritas!
«In vino veritas», is a well-known phrase of ancient Romans. It means “in wine there is the truth”. I am glad to welcome you to the very wine blog! Before reading I strongly recommend to stock up with a bottle of flavored wine and of wineglass. Accessories would not be out of place: some spicy cheese, a slice of pear and walnuts in honey. If all these are not in the way, accept my deep sympathy, since you are going to make your mouth water.
So, in wine there is the truth, and all truth will come for your eyes on our pages. Even if virtual network Internet opens up little by little ability of smell and taste transmitting, no matter: we are sure that because of your imagination, which is confirmed with an interest and love in the most beautiful drink, you will be able to feel inimitable race of wine in full measure.
It is worth to dig in shelves of my Blog. Red and white, rose and the most delicate blended wines. Our virtual wine-cellar presents exquisite sorts of French and German wines. There are also Spanish, Portuguese, Austrian, Italian and Greek… Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Sherry, Wermut, Tokay and Rhine, Malaga and Madeira, and a lot of others best sorts of wine.