Wine: How to Store It, Pour It — and Enjoy!

Discover when particular wines should be served and how to serve them.

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Preparation of the bottle

For the wine to cool down (rose, white), the difficulty is to keep the bottle lower than room temperature. Get is out at the last moment, put it in an ice bucket ½ hour in advance it will be soon enough. We can also put the bottle for a little while in a refrigerator. Don’t leave a bottle in a refrigerator for several days.

To establish the right temperature for the wine, from the wine cellar to the table, in particular red wine (55-59), the best way it is to bring the wine room temperature early in the morning. It is worst to bring a bottle to apartment temperature (60-70) is higher than wine temperature should be for drinking. A bottle which is too hot will be dominated by alcohol, unbalanced and it will lose all its characteristics.

How you choose to open a bottle

Everyone agrees generally today that in most cases wine may be drunk soon after the bottle is opened.

Don’t be confuse about a opening a bottle and putting the wine in a carafe where the effects of the wine will be different regarding aeration and oxidation.

Putting young wine in a carafe can help it to express itself better and blossom in taste. Putting an old wine in a carafe can unbalance the taste and break the wine.

The operation to open

An examination of the cork will give us an idea of the wine quality, like its smell can communicate to us what the taste of the wine will be like. The operation of opening is to remove the metal part, at the middle of the bottle neck in order to avoid the fall of metal parts into the wine. Cleaning the bottle neck after the opening and e4xtracting the cork will be the main part of having a good presentation of serving the wine.

Decanters

This operation is following by different rules which are explained by scientist. It is like a racking which is utilized to clarify wine to age in a barrel. It is to extract all the deposit.

For the old red wine, you can decant only to clarify the wine so your guest will not have deposit in their glasses.

Some basic notions

·         Decant only when you can see deposit

·         Decant at the last moment, but rarely few hours before to drink it (especially for old wine.).

·         Decant before to drink it when you found a default (weak nose or without nose; small effervescence)

How to decant

Decant in your wine cellar when it is a very old wine which you can’t transport easily without disturbing the wine. You need a carafe and a candle.

Remember

The cork life is only 25 years maximum. You should have change the cork if you want to keep your wine longer… oops I need to do that.

Temperature

Apartment Temperature		77
		76
		75
		74
		66
Cabernet		64	Bordeaux Red
		63
Pinot Noir		61	Burgundy
		59
		58
Chardonnay		57	Burgundy white
		56
		55
Red wine light		54	Beaujolais
		53
Sauvignon Blanc		52	White wine dry
		51
Ideal Cellar		50
		48
Champagne		46	Alsace, Chablis
		45
Sweet white wines		43	Sauterne
		41
		39

The Glasses

There’s no shame in using the same all-purpose wine glasses for both reds and whites, but if you have the cabinet space, it’s nice to have dedicated glasses for red wine (the kind with broader bowls and rims), white wine (somewhat taller and narrower) and sparkling wine (tall, thin flutes) — not to mention small dessert wine glasses, if you’re into that sort of thing. These shapes are not only a matter of aesthetics and tradition; they can actually influence taste and aroma.

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Tequila!

Casamigos Tequila

George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman bring you Casamigos, a small batch, ultra premium tequila made from the finest, hand-selected 100% Blue Weber agaves, grown in the rich red clay and cool climate of the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

Our Blanco rests for two months. Our Reposado and Añejo are aged, seven and fourteen months respectively, in the finest American oak barrels which have been carefully reconditioned after being used to age premium whiskey. Our refined process ensures a smooth mouth feel with no unnecessary additives and is gluten-free.

Available at Ensminger Liquor Store

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July's Wine Month

Talisker Storm Limited Edition Isle of Skye Single Malt Whisky 750ml

Whisky Advocate's "Highlands/Islands Single Malt Scotch Whisky of the Year" (2013) The new American release of Talisker Storm is finally here -- a non-age statement expres...sion featuring a marriage of both young and old Talisker whiskies. Still bottled at the trademark 45.8% ABV, the fruit of the Talisker is front and center, with soft vanilla and malty goodness, but the finish is much more peaty than the other Talisker malts. That's not to say smokier, but rather peatier -- earthier, saltier, and more briny. The finish is surprisingly un-storm-like, making this whisky one of the more ironic releases of 2013, but that's not to say it isn't delicious. Fans of the distillery will be pleased with the extra punch, but those looking for sheer power should stick to Islay. The Storm is a punchier version of Talisker, but it's a mere blip on the weather radar for big peat fans. For fans of more integrated and balanced peat, this is a great choice. 5 out of 5 stars from F. Paul Pacult's Spirits Journal. Double Gold Medal San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2014 —  at Ensminger Retail Liquor.

On Sale!

Graffigna 2012 Reserve Malbec, Centenario, San Juan, Argentina Wine Editor for the Augusta Chronicle recounts "When the Riedel glass company partnered with Graffigna wines to design a Malbec glass, I wanted to try it...I drank the Graffigna Centenario Malbec Reserve 2011 because Graffigna had commissioned the new glass, so it seemed appropriate. I liked the glass, but I loved the wine." Graffigna is a new world winery with old word history. Established in 1870, the family saw the potential of for great winemaking in San Juan, Argentina and left Italy to pursue their dream. Now, the oldest winery in the region, vineyards are located on steep hillsides at extremely high elevations of 2,000-4,000 feet. The unique microclimate is extremely dry with abundant sunshine. But underground streams running off the Andes Mountains provide enough water for the grapes to develop fully. This Centenario bottling is 100% Malbec, 50% of which is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels resulting in a complex and beautifully balanced wine. Drinks superbly now and will over the next 3-5 years.

Graffigna 2012 Reserve Malbec, Centenario, San Juan, Argentina

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Wine of the Month

GROUNDWORK GRENACHE
This wine flaunts the diversity and elegance of Central Coast Grenache, leading with aromatics of raspberry cobbler, white pepper, Moroccan dates, tart cherries, cocoa powder, brown sugar and Provencal lamb stew. In the mouth are subtle shadings from blood orange, eucalyptus, fresh ground espresso roast, thyme, forest floor and grilled venison. A pleasant, dusty herbaciousness rounds out the palate, recalling rosemary, sage and tarragon. It is a wine with... the complexity of offerings twice its price.

GROUNDWORK GRENACHE BLANC
A lively nose of jasmine, honeysuckle, snap pea, thai sweet basil and belgian farm ale spicing, leads in to a luxurious, viscous palate. There are flavors of ginger ale, cucumber water, candied grapefruit, wild strawberries and junmai sake, that are have depth in saline-rich minerality. Finishes with elegance, marked by acidity that can handle diverse food.

You can find this one at Ensminger Liquor Store - more information

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Syrah - drink

Syrah may not be as well-know as other reds but it is a great choice to pair with lighter spring foods. Tonight I tried the 2009 Owen Roe "Ex-Umbris" Columbia Valley Syrah. 93 points Wine Spectator and #25 in Top 100 Wines of 2011: I person...ally won't give that much :) The color is very dark, no bouquet, powerful and round in your mouth, green pepper and blackberry. I love the bottle and in general you are going to please everyone with this wine.

You can buy it at Ensminger Liquor Store

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