Wine Yeast Information Blog

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2008 - Petite Syrah

Today's Petite Syrah Article

Under Counter Coolers: The Modern Wine Cellar


Not too many years back if you heard the term wine cooler, your thoughts automatically went to Bartles & James and if someone told you about their wine collection you pictured a dusty underground vault, where bottles lined the walls in orderly rows, slowly aging to perfection. Your average person that lived in your average suburban home could enjoy a good glass of wine when out on the town, but seldom had the capacity to store wine in optimal conditions at home. With the advent of under counter coolers, a wine cellar is no longer a necessity in order to be a collector of fine wines. In fact, anyone can turn their kitchen into modern day wine cellar.



Fine wines are expensive and they are only worth the money if you have a place to store them. Wine is alive, constantly changing according to its environment. Lots of things affect what changes a wine, including temperature, humidity, darkness, calm, ventilation and the angle at which it is stored. A good wine cooler will take these things into account. You always want your wine to be stored so that it is horizontal, at the lowest, stable temperature possible, in a place that is free of vibration, and away from places where you store items that have a strong odor.



The ideal conditions for storing wine are at 50 -55 degrees and 70% humidity. A wine refrigerator or wine cooler is ideal for this task. Unlike regular refrigerators, wine coolers run a little warmer maintaining the optimum temperature for wine. Because they are electronic, their temperature never fluctuates, helping the wine to maintain its constant flavor. They also offer storage options so you can lay the bottles down, allowing the wine to always stay in contact with the cork. An under the counter wine cooler, built into your kitchen also offers extra protection from the natural light in your house.



When you go out shopping for a wine cooler, there are some things to look for. You want to make sure that the door of the cooler is dark. Try to avoid clear glass coolers. They may look fabulous when they are filled with rows of wines glittering under the fluorescent lights of your kitchen, but all of the light that will seep in the bottles will ruin your wine. When wine is exposed to too much light it creates a condition called being ?light struck.? The result of this condition is that the wine ends up tasting like dry cardboard.



Another consideration when you purchase an under counter wine cooler is the location where you plan to install it. Stand in the middle of your kitchen and take a minute to observe each spot under your counters that the cooler could potentially be placed. Make sure you don?t install it near a stove or oven, which could affect its temperature. Stay away from the refrigerator and the dishwasher because vibrations from both of these appliances will over time, ruin your wine. Placing an under counter wine cooler near the sink also puts if too close to vibrations as water runs through the pipes. If you have an island that has no appliances situated on it you have found the perfect location for your under counter wine cooler.



With the installation of an under counter wine cooler, you can serve wine to guests that came from your own ?cellar? Since a cooler will maintain the perfect conditions for storing your wine, your guests will never know you didn?t trek down a flight of stars into a darkened basement, sift through row after row of fine pinots to choose the perfect vintage, and chill the bottle to perfection just for


About the Author:

Danie Smith writes about Home Appliances and Saving on Home Appliances



Thoughts about Petite Syrah

Under Counter Coolers: The Modern Wine Cellar


Not too many years back if you heard the term wine cooler, your thoughts automatically went to Bartles & James and if someone told you about their win...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Petite Syrah Products we recommend

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Headlines on Petite Syrah

Wine tasting: Matching wine with rich Southern cheese grits and bacon-wrapped shrimp (Dallas Morning News)

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:42:33 PDT
This month, the Taste wine panel brought the grill out from hibernation for a Southern-inspired menu: bacon-wrapped shrimp served with cheese grits. Once considered a down-home breakfast dish, decadent versions of grits now flank sophisticated entrees at some upscale American restaurants.

Fine’s Cellar pairs well with the Scottsdale dining scene (Phoenix New Times)

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:21:05 PDT
The wine industry's on an upswing thanks to so many Americans drinking more vino. And if you think you've heard that factoid before, well, you have — for 14 years running. According to a 2007 report from the Wine Market Council, adult per capita wine consumption in the U.S. has been steadily ...

Chewing the fat with Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford of Clif Bar Family Winery

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:35:14 PDT
Last Thursday night at the Wine 2.0 Spring Fling at Crushpad in San Francisco (photoessay here), I chanced to meet Linzi Gay, Marketing Director of Clif Bar Family Winery. I was glad to meet her and get an advance taste of the Clif Bar wines she was about to pour. After all, I had just days before received four bottles of wine from this winery, plus an invitation to schedule an interview with Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, the husband-and-wife team who own Clif Bar Family Winery. A quartet

Meeting New Wines

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:57:54 PDT
On our second day in Sonoma, we were lucky enough, as I've mentioned before, to have Patrick of Iridesse Wines showing us around. The second stop of the day was to a group of wineries who share space in the same building complex that I likely would never have found without his guidance. We had intended to go to several of the wineries in the space, but after the first, got a phone call and took a detour for a private tasting over at Michel Schlumberger. Prior to knowing of our detour, Patrick di

Exploring new, unusual wines worth risk (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Sat, 03 May 2008 05:22:27 PDT
After writing this column for more than four years, most people think of us as wine experts, a label we resist.

Wine of the Week

Sun, 04 May 2008 08:06:33 PDT
The label of the Clayhouse Vineyard Adobe Red 2006, Central Coast, tells us that the wine is intended for “that rebellious, hedonistic red wine lover inside of you.” Well, yeah, I guess that’s me all over, always the rebel, though while I don’t detect anything exactly rebellious about the wine, it is absolutely drinkable and delicious. You wouldn’t find a blend of grapes like this anywhere in the world except in California — 58% zinfandel, 17% syrah, 13% petite sirah and 12% malbec; the inspir

Wine Time: Ed Murray (Pensacola News Journal)

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:57:31 PDT
Slowly rising wisps of fragrant smoke, splattering fat hitting hot coals, thick juicy steaks sizzling on


Blueberry Wine
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7:36 AM

Monday - Fresno Wine

The Best Articles on Fresno Wine

Wine lovers, how tasty is your wine?(What you need to know).



For all those wine lovers out there who would like to know everything about wine, (but are afraid to ask) here is a quick reference, a must for any connaisseur. Several minor problems can inhibate your favourite beverage being enjoyed to the full. All to often wine is drunk at the wrong temperature, be it too warm, not warm enough, to cold or not cold enough.


Below is a guide to keep you right, on the correct sevring temperature, storing and preservation of both wine and champagne.


What is the right temperature for serving wine?


The general guide for storing red wines, white wines, sparkling wines and champagnes are as follows :
Red wine, usually between 18 and 22 degrees(C),(or room temperature).
White wines & rose wines are mainly kept between 5 and 7 degrees(C),(usually kept in a fridge or cooler).
Champagne & sparkling wines again store between 3 and 5 degrees(C) and could be kept in a separate fridge or cooler.


White wines & Sparkling wines


White wines, sparkling wines and rose wines should be placed in a fridge before serving so as to make sure they are adequately chilled to optimum temperature. It is far better to use a wine cooler when serving white wines and rose's and an ice bucket when serving the Champagne & sparkling wines.
For serving Champagne & sparkling wines fill the bucket 1/2 with ice and water, this method keeps the champagne chilled to perfection. Also to achieve the professional touch place a white serving cloth over over the bucket for handling the bottle


Red Wines
Red wines usually tend to be at room temperature on a wine rack or placed elsewhere separate form the other wines. For displaying wine that is served often the level of light is not to much to worry about as the light would have enough time to have any affect on the wine.
There are different red wines that require some temperature variation for optimum taste for example, Merlots, Sauvignons and Zinfandels. Moderately tannic red wines like Merlot have been shown to taste better at slightly lower than normal room temperature, somewhere between 15 and 18 degrees (C). And of course, a few super high tannin reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandels and Syrahs need less of a chill, yet still are preferred somewhere between 17 and 19 degrees(C).


Tannic wines:
Tannin is the compound found in wine, deriving primarilly from the skin of the grape, that allows wine to age well. Tannin makes the wine "dry" in your mouth, because of this quality that people sometimes say tannin in young wine can be "searing."
For correct storing conditions You will need a cool, dark or dimly lit area that is somewhat humid to store your red wine. The temperature should be right around 11 to 18 degrees (C). and should remain fairly constant throughout the storage period.
Wine that is stored in conditions warmer than these tend to age faster. A wine you would normally consider keeping for 6 to 10 years might only be kept for 3 to 5 years . Bright lighting can also have a deleterious affect on wine so you'll want your cellar to remain dark or dimly lit at best.


How long can I store wine? What will I need?


Most wine, made or imported into the USA up to the $20.00 price point, is meant to be consumed within a year or two of release. Sure some of these will get better in another year of two, and if this happens its ok. Most of the world's wines (at least 90%) are meant to be consumed young. Some Red wines though can be cellared for prolonged periods of time and some of the finest reds in the world can be kept for a number of years.
Ageworthy wines are based on one of three grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or Nebbiolo. Perfect examples of these three are red Bordeaux, Hermitage, and Barolo.


Can leftover wine be saved? For how long and how can i do it?


Leftover wine can be saved, The key point here is to keep oxygen away from the wine. When wine oxydizes, it degrades quickly and can soon turn into a good salad dressing vinegar. Find a small container that will hold the wine that is left over to the point were the container is virtually overflowing. Cap the container with a cork or plug so that some of the wine spills out. This way, you will have no air in the container. Store the container in your refrigerator.
When you are ready to drink it again, remove the container and let it warm-up to the desired drinking temperature, depending on whether it is red or white wine. You can store your wine this way for about 5 to 7 days. But not much longer than this. Another idea for cooks is to freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays, then transfer to freezer bags to use in sauces. etc.


Attention E-zine Editors: You may use this article on your Website or in your e-zine royalty free, as long as you publish the complete article along with everything in the resource box. You must also post this message. Thank you.
I started my career as a bartender many years ago in a small pub in Ireland. My great passion for the trade has given me the opportunity to travel while expanding my knowledge and experience. During my extensive travels I have worked in many different & flamboyant environments. While I gained flairing, exhibitionist and cocktail mixology skills I had the opportunity to flavour many different cultures and there differing tastes.
Mr wine how to serve wine


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About the Author


I started my career as a bartender many years ago in a small pub in Ireland. My great passion for the trade has given me the opportunity to travel while expanding my knowledge and experience. During my extensive travels I have worked in many different & flamboyant environments. While I gained flairing, exhibitionist and cocktail mixology skills I had the opportunity to flavour many different cultures and there differing tastes.



A synopsis on Fresno Wine.

Wine lovers, how tasty is your wine?(What you need to know).


For all those wine lovers out there who would like to know everything about wine, (but are afraid to ask) here is a quick reference, a must for any co...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Fresno Wine Items

Spiegelau Vino Grande Champagne Flutes (Set of 6)


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Current Fresno Wine News

Mediterranean Diet: Should You Drink Wine or Eat Grapes?

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:10:44 PDT
In studies conducted in 1992, it was observed that in southern France, mortality rates from heart disease were lower than expected despite the consumption of diets high in saturated fat. Researchers attributed the impressive low incidence of heart disease, 50 percent lower than in the Unites States, to the consumption of red wine.

Introducing AB Meta - Simple Annotation Format for Pages About Things

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:30:47 PDT
We have been working on something very exciting here at AdaptiveBlue - annotation format called AB Meta. What is AB Meta? AB Meta is a simple and open format for annotating pages that are about things. A book publisher can use AB Meta to provide information about a book such as the author and ISBN, a restaurant owner can provide information such as the cuisine, phone number and address and a movie reviewer can annotate reviews with movie titles and directors. The format allows site owners t

Advanced Metadata

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:33:40 PDT
Advanced Metadata David G. Paul // Web Development and Design » Web Standards Adaptive Blue have come up with a great idea for extending metadata to better describe products and media detailed / reviewed on a page. AB Meta is based on the eRDF Standard meaning that is is fairly simple and easy to learn how to use. An example they provide is what could be used for describing a book.

Self-Portrait Challenge: Absurd, week 4

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:03:02 PDT
In a way, I’m not sure if my entry for this week’s Self-Portrait Challenge really fits the theme, but I’m going to post it anyway and let you be the judge. I suspect what might be absurd about it is not so much the image itself as it is how fascinated I became with this idea and how much time I spent on it. Ahem. I was inspired by an article in a magazine - the May issue of MORE, a “lifestyle” mag whose target audience is women over 40. In an article called “Facing Myself” the author muses on

Mailbag Part 2 : How to Escalate physically, build sexual tension and get dates back to your house.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:56:25 PDT
Dates part 2: How to build sexual tension, escalate physically and get her back to your place. On the last part of this mailbag , I talked about how to set up dates and what the overall vibe should be. This time we’re going to discuss how to escalate things further. The most important thing about building sexual tension, and getting her back to your place is breaking the physical barriers early on. You need to re-establish touching as soon as you see her. When you see her you need to give her


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