There is a lot of tradition and ritual surrounding wine but the experts agree that there is one simple rule — if a wine tastes good it is good. Once you know what you like, stick with it. Ideally, wine should be allowed to rest after being bought from the store since it never travels well. The length of time it takes wine to get over “travel shock” is arguable, but wait at least a few days before opening a bottle. A longer rest time of up to a week or two should be allowed for older wines.
Some believe that unfiltered and unfined wines also need more rest time. For this reason, it’s good to have somewhere dedicated to wine storage. The bottles should be kept in a cool place, such as a Fisher & Paykel Wine Cabinet, on their sides so the corks don’t shrink and let in air. When it comes to serving wine, again personal taste is the only important guide. However, generally white and rosé wines should be chilled before serving and red wines are best served at room temperature. But when an inexpensive red wine is served, experts believe a slight chill will improve its flavour.
1. CAVE LIKE STORAGE
A wine cabinet provides a stable temperature and humidity environment for your wine collection, no matter what wine variety or colour. To cater for those who need to store both white and red wine, Fisher & Paykel's Wine Cabinets have dual zones that can be set between 5oC and 20oC. The wine cabinets also cater for a range of wine collection sizes, with a range in capacity from 38 bottles to 144 bottles.
DID YOU KNOW the ideal temperature for long-term wine storage is 12oC, based on the temperature of caves in France which have been used as wine cellars for centuries. Fisher & Paykel’s Wine Cabinets have been designed to mimic the environment of these caves.
2.LOW NOISE AND VIBRATION
Good wine storage also requires minimal noise and vibrations. Harsh vibrations can disrupt and speed up the maturation process.
DID YOU KNOW that storing wines in garages or under stairs is not ideal. Fisher & Paykel’s Wine Cabinets use wooden shelves and a low vibration compressor to minimise any vibration.
DID YOU KNOW the standard fridge is generally too cold for white wine and it can lose some of its aromatic flavours as a result. A bottle covered in condensation is a sign that the wine is too cold and losing its flavour.
DID YOU KNOW if storage temperatures are excessively high this can reduce the wines aromatic potential and can speed up maturation. This can cause some wines to take on a ‘spoiled fruit’ flavour. If storage temperatures are excessively low, this can have the opposite effect and stunta wines natural maturation process. This can prevent wine from developing its full flavour potential.
DID YOU KNOW too little humidity may cause corks to dry out, too much causes mould and rot. Fisher & Paykel’s Wine Cabinets are designed to keep the humidity at the perfect storage level.
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Light is known to be damaging to wines, particularly UV light as it creates hydrogen sulphide compounds in wine affecting the tannins and the colour of wine. To help protect the wine from UV light, Fisher & Paykel incorporated some well-considered features into their wine cabinet design. They have UV-tempered glass doors, dark-toned interior and dimmed LED lighting, all designed to minimise UV light penetration.
DID YOU KNOW this is the same principal that winemakers have been using for years, bottling red wine in darker glass to protect the wine from harmful UV light.
4. AIR FLOW
Fisher & Paykel's Wine Cabinets have fan-assisted ventilation control to ensure even air circulation and carbon filters to help remove stale, unwanted odours and replenish the fresh air. The temperature inside the cabinets is constantly monitored and adjusted to ensure a stable environment.
DID YOU KNOW air quality is critical for preserving wine. Stale air can permeate the cabinet and tarnish the wine.
DID YOU KNOW Fisher & Paykel's Wine Cabinets have untreated oak shelves to prevent unwanted odours from transferring into cork-enclosed wine bottles.
To find out more visit Fisherpaykel.com
