[W855]Wine Chillers And Coolers

I quite readily declare on many an occasion that I am somewhat of a wine buff. When I dine in restaurants, I scan the menu whilst talking knowledgeably about the grape and region of my potential choice. I happily quaff a glass of a chosen vino and wrinkle my nose saying that that particular wine is not to my taste and ask for another. I am also known to down a bottle of plonk with a fervour that the late Oliver Reed would be proud of. If you have had the pleasure of watching the film Sideways, you will empathise with my self-declared status of pseudo connoisseur; the downside of which, is that I know that in reality I know incredibly little about wine apart from how to get incredibly drunk on it with what I think is style.

Unfortunately, displaying a stream of mascara down the face whilst weeping into a Pinot Grigio is not in the least bit stylish; and upon my last soiree into the realm of depressing faux posh wino, I declared that I would endeavour to educate myself and understand the bit before my taste buds lavish in the luxury of the liquid grape. It is pertinent to note that the way a wine is stored has a great deal on whether I choose to accept the bottle at a restaurant or throw a thirty-something tantrum and send it back to its cell(ar). The way a wine is stored has a huge affect not only on the way it matures, but also on its taste when it is served. A well matured vino could potentially taste absolutely rubbish if it is served at the wrong temperature for example.

One of the most important parts of maturation is the cellar environment; this is where the bottled product is laid down to mature, or to store. Owning a cellar is prestigious in itself, but being able to manage a cellar successfully is a highly regarded skill. There are a number of variables that are apparently in debate about what type of cellar management is best. The purpose is to keep the wine from degrading by protecting it from external influences such as heat and humidity. An active cellar has a controlled climate to regulate these factors, and a passive cellar is basically just a favourable environment for wine maturation. A temperature of around 13 degrees Celsius is regarded as an ideal environment for both storing and maturing a wine. The debate on humidity however rages on, with some people maintaining that a low humidity can be responsible for degrading natural cork.

As a regular drinker of the old plonk, I have noticed that many producers are switching to a synthetic cork, and some, much to the horror of many traditional buffs, screw top bottles. Apparently though, this doesn't make much of a difference to the taste, it does the job of keeping contaminants out, and does not spoil like a natural cork can. When it comes to serving however, if I am having myself a plate of incredibly expensive dinner in a super slick restaurant, I do not want my drink to come with a screw top cap. Regardless of how the bottle has been stored, when I have a glass, I want it served traditionally and I want to be able to see that it has been stored according to my somewhat snobbish standards.

Wine chillers in restaurants display the bottles in such a way that the traditional feel of decadent wine drinking is maintained. Oak veneered cabinets with separate compartments for white and red keeping each at its optimum temperature level; the illuminated interior causing cinematic reflections on the curve of the glass bottle; and the bottles laid at a 45 degree angle. These factors combine to sell a wine to gal like me. For all I know they could have decanted an Asda value vino into a posh bottle and popped it in the chiller, I'd still slurp it like the Chateauneuf Du Pape I thought it was.