PROPER WINE STORAGE
By Leslie-Ann Sheppard
More and more people are taking an interest in wine, and there is an increasing number of personal wine cellars in private homes. Is it necessary to store and/or 'save' wine? I am often asked for recommendations on the proper storage of wine.

The function of a wine cellar is to provide a stable environment to allow the wine to mature. Keeping wine at a cool or cold temperature will slow down the rate at which the product will change. A cool temperature and a relative high humidity will keep the wine alive for a longer period of time than standard interior room conditions allow.

Opinions vary, but it is commonly agreed upon that 55° is the 'best' temperature for storing wines for the long term. This makes storing wine underground a natural choice.

Cellars were dug out of the earth long before refrigeration was an option, and have the timetested proof of the value of constant cool temperature. Most underground cellars maintain this temperature naturally.

Higher humidity is also important when storing wine. It will keep corks from drying out, which will also prevent oxygen from entering the bottle, and from spoiling the wine. Storing wine on its side will also keep the cork moist.

If you can't dig out a natural cellar or have a home without a basement, there are manufactured alternatives that compensate. A staggering number of refrigeration options exist that try to duplicate the conditions of a natural cellar, and they are certainly adequate.

But back to the important question of which wines to store. The bottom line: inexpensive wines are meant to be consumed right away. Expensive wines will improve with age. Even in wine, the adage holds true: Location, location, location. Fine wines usually cost more because of their real estate. The terrior of certain vineyards provides more structure and complexity in the wines, and these will benefit from aging.

This past winter while snowed in, my husband and I opened a bottle of 1996 Chassagne-Montrachet 'La Romanee,' from Domaine Maltroye. It was exquisite. It is also a fairly rare, fairly expensive bottle. The chardonnay fruit was picked eleven years ago. It tasted clean, with notes of apple, toasted coconut, and lemon custard. By comparison, I wouldn't recommend waiting eleven years to crack open a bottle of chardonnay wine that cost $10 retail, because most will have lost their fruit and taste cooked. Wines that undergo a full malo-lactic fermentation (the big, buttery, oaky chardonnays, for example) are more susceptible to losing their redeeming qualities with age.

Red wine is suggested for aging much more often than white wine. In addition to the location of the vineyard, the tannin in red wine is responsible for this recommendation. Tannin is an organic substance found in the seeds, stems, and skins of grapes, and also in the oak that wine barrels are made from. Tannin contributes a kind of 'woody' texture to wine, and this tends to mellow out as a wine is allowed to mature.

For this reason, certain wines are known to improve over time. They include the classic Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Also ageworthy are many Italian reds, particularly from the cooler northern regions such as Piedmont. Again, if it's a fine wine, it has the opportunity to improve. If it's an everyday, inexpensive, easy-going wine, chances are that it's as good as it will get.

And there's nothing wrong with that. I

Leslie-Ann Sheppard is the owner of The Cellar, a creative wine and cheese shop on Surfside Road. The Cellar houses its own instore cellar, for proper wine storage of the finer wines sold at The Cellar.