Wine Kitz Atlantic

4th INSTALLMENT IN THE SERIES OF “GENERAL WINE INFORMATION “

Wine Corks

Wine-quality cork is an ideal material for wine bottle stoppers. It can be compressed to half its size with no loss in flexibility, allowing it to conform to tiny imperfections in the glass necks of wine bottles, creating a tight seal.

Over the past decade or so, there has been a move to alternative wine stoppers, primarily due to two characteristics of natural cork. In up to 15% of bottles, a naturally occurring chemical in cork (TCA) can create an unacceptable smell and taste. Another factor is the soaring costs of wine-quality cork. About half the world’s cork supply comes from Portugal, which can supply cork for another hundred years. Although the world’s cork supply is not in immediate danger, screw caps and synthetic corks have proven themselves to be viable alternative. Today, the fussiest of wine snobs can find themselves unscrewing even the expensive bottles.

For more detailed information on wine corks visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_material

Home Wine Storage

There are four elements of proper wine storage. Keeping the cork wet is important since a dry cork will shrink and expose the wine prematurely to oxygen. Bottles should be kept in a room between 50and 80 percent humidity. If the humidity is too high, mildew can grow on the cork; too low and the cork can dry out, allowing leaks.

Ideally, a wine cellar should be dark. Light waves can disrupt the aging process by breaking down the wine. A cool temperature is important for the wine to age consistently. Some of the chemical processes that happen during the aging happen more quickly than others at higher temperatures. Heat causes solids, like tannin, to drop out faster than the sugar and acids and this creates a flavour imbalance. An ideal storage temperature for both reds and whites is a constant 13C (55F)

For more detailed information on home wine storage visit: http://www.2basnob.com/wine-storage.html