Welcome
Welcome to The Wine Room
Wine, the drink of the gods, and pretty much everyone else. The drink of romantic evenings, and lazy summer nights. It's pricing is as diverse as there are classes of people, you can purchase it as cheaply as just a few dollars to hundreds of dollars...this range of pricing is unique to itself...I've never seen a bottle of beer go for hundreds and I doubt I ever will.
Some people collect wine for money…and some
people collect wine
because they have a passion for wine. Irregardless of whether
you’re collecting wine for profit or for pleasure, collecting
wine requires some investment. Enjoying wine is a completely
different thing from collecting wine, bear this in mind.
When it comes to collecting wine, one of the most important thing
to consider is where you’re going to keep the wine. A substantial
portion of your investment towards your wine collection hobby is
in ensuring that there’s a suitable place to store your wine. The
motive is to ensure that the wine collection will increase in
value, not decrease. Believe it or not, the storage and the way
the wine is kept make a world of difference.
Wine that is kept, collected and protected in suitable condition
will age nicely and will turn into vintage wines. However, if
your wine collection is not properly cared for, well, you’ll
know. The quality of the wine collection will deteriorate and a
wine expert will be able to tell that your wine has been
ill-treated.
First of all, do extensive research on the many different types
of wines there are in the market. Some wines are meant to be kept
and stored over a long period of time, some are not. Books on
wine collection should be bought and if you’re at all serious
about wine collection, spend some time reading through them and
understand the different types of wines and the way that they
should be kept. If keeping and reading books on wine is not your
‘glass of wine’, you can do your research on the internet. Either
way, there’s a wealth of information on wine that you can find.
Explore, absorb and remember.
Once you understand the way each type of wine should be kept,
it’s time for you to design and construct the place where your
wine is to be kept. This depends on the kind of wine you intend
to keep there, of course.
And after you’ve built your wine ‘cellar’ (bear in mind,
sometimes, wine cellars are not necessarily built in cellars),
you should start purchasing wine; wine that you like. One basic
thing to remember is that wine is differentiated with the
provenance of the vintage. The better the storage, the better the
quality. The better the quality, the higher the price. Before you
buy wine, ask the seller for an authentic certificate. This may
sound so trivial but it’s important if you want to know and be
sure that you’re purchasing high quality wine. This is especially
important if you’re making a bulk purchase of the wine.
In collecting wine, you would want to strive for a balance
between New Age wine from Australia and Chile and with Old World
Wine from Europe. Bear in mind that ready-to-drink wine is not
suitable for long-term safekeeping. Dessert wine is also best
opened and consumed within a short period of time. Know the
difference before you start collecting wine.
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota
Caudilla
lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of
http://www.creative-cooking.com on which you will find a longer,
more detailed version of this article.
Champagne is without question the finest
sparkling wine made in
the world. Champagne is the name of the wine region located
about 90 miles northeast of Paris.
Champagne can contain up to three different grapes: Chardonnay,
and the red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Vintage
Champagnes are only produced in the very best years; they are
always more expensive than non-vintage Champagnes, but they are
not always better tasting. Most Champagnes are the supreme
expression of the Champagne blender's art, assembled from
numerous vintages, multiple grape types and various selected
vineyards within the Champagne district, then carefully hand
made and fermented in the bottle. By making these blends, the
Champagne winemakers are able to create a consistent ''house''
style and, indeed, each Champagne producer has its own distinct
style.
Finally, there are several important terms you will encounter
on a Champagne label that tell you much about the contents.
From dry to sweet, Champagnes are labeled Brut Absolut, Brut,
Extra-Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux. Blanc de Blanc Champagne
bottlings are made entirely from Chardonnay grapes and tend to
be lighter and more delicate in style. Blanc de Noirs
Champagnes are made from red grapes and tend to be fuller
bodied and richer tasting; Rose Champagnes are dark pink in
color and frequently intensely flavored.
In Champagne, the name and reputation of the producer tells you
more about the wine than any other single factor. Champagnes
combine the complexities of fine grapes grown in some of the
best vineyards in France with the intricate subtleties of yeast
and sometimes even oak elements plus the experience of
tongue-tickling delight from pinpoint bubbles and effervescence
to create one of the most sensual taste experiences in the
world!
About The Author: Wine ratings, wine and winery related
information for the enjoyment of fine wines.
http://www.greatwinesmadesimple.com
Everyone likes a cold fresh one...
Having invested possibly hundreds of dollars in
your latest
bottle of vintage wine (ah well, we can but dream), the next
important decision is where to store this prized possession?
The main issue when it comes to storing wine is that it needs to
be maintained at a cool temperature of between 12 and 16 degrees
Celsius. Shoved under the bed won't do.
Many modern wines do not need to be aged over a great period of
time; therefore extensive cellars are often unnecessary. Having
said this, if you have the time, space and resource to excavate a
cellar, your wine will surely benefit. A purpose built cellar is
not normally an option for most households and so suitable
alternatives must be explored.
Ideal areas for storage include a corner of a garage, garden
shed, an unused fireplace or a cupboard that is against an
outside wall.
Wherever you choose to store your wine, a few basic criteria are
worth keeping in mind.
Choose an area that is less likely to be subjected to fluctuating
temperatures caused by household heating systems.
Wines benefit from being kept in dark conditions. Although this
is not always practical, wine should certainly be stored in an
area that is not exposed it to direct sunlight.
As a final point, always store your wine bottles on their side.
Corks are designed to be kept moist, so that they remain airtight
and do not crumble when a corkscrew is inserted.
Bear in mind that some wines do not benefit from being stored at
all. If you have poor or no storage facilities available,
consider purchasing wine that matures quickly such as most white
wines or new technology reds or, possibly, a new Beaujolais.
Move wine as little as possible once it has been placed in
storage, unless of course it is being moved into a glass!
If you have a particularly special wine collection, it may be
worth engaging a specialist company to store your wine for you
(Oops, I'm dreaming again). Good storage has been recognized as
vital for many wines and as such, many companies now provide
storage facilities. Of course, this does not come cheap and is
best reserved for those very special bottles or for those experts
who are considering selling their wine on, at a future date.
Since Neil Best first investigated wine history he's been
recording his findings at http://www.goodglug.comThis article is
part of the free Good Glug Wine Appreciation Course. Visit
http://www.goodglug.com/free-wine-course.php now and get your copy
Disclaimer
To the best
of our knowledge these are all from either the public domain or free to
use, and a link either has been or will soon be placed on our link page
whenever possible to credit the sources of the photos and tips.
If for some
reason we have inadvertantly placed a photo or image or article that is
not freely
available we will be glad to remove it upon request.
We hope you enjoy these photos and tips.