Sep 01 2010
Storing Wines
Now is the great time to get into wine storage and keep those reds in your cellar or under your bed. Who doesn’t want their own wine cellar? You won’t need to renovate your home. Your wine cellar could simply be keeping some nice reds in a cool part of your house for a several years.
During this time, your wine begins to evolve from youthful awkwardness to mellow maturity. An experience that should not be missed is to drink a great aged bottle that you’ve stored for many years. So you should get wine cellar started.
It is well documented that we are experiencing a wine glut, mostly with premium red wines such as cabernet sauvignon. This situation occurs at the same time as a big shake up with major wine producers Southcorp, Orlando Wyndham and Hardy, and also rising retail competition between Coles Myer and Woolworths.
With wholesale wine distribution been impacted, some larger names including Tuckers have disappearing with new mega-relationships being formed. Large volumes of premium grapes remained unsold as much growth with overseas sales is reserved for our cheaper wine grapes.
So work out which are your favourite wines and research prices and specials online or in local wine press. See Penfolds, Wynns, Hardy, Houghton, Saltram and Yalumba. Consider some adding smaller wines to your collection such as Tahbilk, Knappstein, d’Arenberg, Peter Lehmann and St Hallett. And there are ll always find newer wineries trying to make their mark.
Dont’ be worried if you’re overwhelmed by the endless number of brands and wines availalble, simply get to an independent bottle shop to get great some great advice. While maybe not be the cheapest, independent advice may lead to you buying some very valuable wines over time and avoid the duds.
When storing wine, make sure you find a cool spot in your home or garage – the cooler the better. Alternatively, go to a storage facility such as Wine Vault, Wine Ark or Kennards and rent some space.You can start off with some famous 2002 vintages or credible 2003 vintages, then you begin your wait.
Most red wines are meant to be stored from two to five years, comparatively your bolder, full-bodied reds from should be stored from six to eight years – with some twice that amount of time.
The heart of full-bodied, rich reds which are made from shiraz and cabernet sauvignon is still South Australia. The best known wines including Grant Burge, Barossa Valley Estate and Peter Lehmann are found in the Barossa Valey with newer labels such as Glaetzer, Thorn Clarke and Two Hands offering great value. In McLaren Vale, winemakers such as Woodstock, Wirra Wirra, Maglieri, Geoff Merrill and Tatachilla are all worth looking out for – along with newcomers Mr Riggs, Dowie Doole and Kangarilla Road.
Clare Valley names has great labels such as Mitchell, Pikes, Sevenhill, Tim Adams and Kilikanoon who provide earnest, earthy reds for affordable prices. Watch out for Coonawarra wines from established wineries such as Bowen, Leconfield, Hollick and Rymill and emerging players including Majella, Penley Estate and Balnaves.
Heathcote region is the best stored Victorian shiraz while you should also look to Jasper Hill, Heathcote Winery and Hanging Rock, Shelmerdine, Heathcote Estate and Shadowfax.
In the Victorian Grampians, you can always find some great Seppelt red wines ideal for storing plus look out for Mount Langi Ghiran and Great Western. Next have a look for some cabernets from Nagambie Lakes, including Tahbilk and Mitchelton labels as well as shiraz and cabernets from the Pyrenees.
When looking at Western Australia and especially Margaret River, you can find such well reown and rarely disappointing cabernet blends including Cape Mentelle, Cullen and Moss Wood. And in New South Wales, fine reds can be found in Mudgee which are great for storage. Some great value red wines can be found with Poet’s Corner reds such as Henry Lawson Cabernet Sauvignon or Montrose Black Shiraz.
