Cave à la maison

Bien sûr, il ya quelques années, le vin est à la mode. Nous apprenons à boire du vin, et nous nous soucions de la qualité plus que la quantité. Nous avons tous nos marques, des caves ou des désignations privilégiées; faire du vin, et certains privilégiés d'avoir obtenu dans le commerce du vin.

Beyond snobbery of some, the passion for red gold leads us to accumulate bottles at home and we do not always the most convenient way for wine, why not become a small winery in conditions?. The wine in the bottle "alive" so that their conservation is essential to enjoy it at its best when the descorchemos.

If you live in an apartment, to preserve our wines, we must settle for a small warehouse storage. But if our house permits can dedicate a space, preferably a basement or room as low as possible, to create our bodega. Two previous ideas and principles: one, that without a properly cool for aging wine, better not think about getting a hold, the other to "hold" means "wine storage" came to bonuses over time.

The first idea implies that we need a place to locate our warehouse with a cool temperature, between 10°C and 14°C and ranging as little as possible, which is dark and humidity not exceeding 70%, the moisture helps not drying out the cork and let air can oxidize the wine. And, when we keep in our warehouse, more than 16 or 17°C temperature (as much), a wine gradually accelerates its development and shortens their life. What is even worse, saved more than 25°C and subjected to sudden temperature increases, the wine suffers, the cork expands, oxidizes and just spoiling.

The second idea is that we should not accumulate champagne and sparkling wine, or wines of the year intended for immediate consumption plan "nouveau". The fortified wines, not improve in the bottle. If we like, we have at hand a Fino a Manzanilla, Oloroso Seco one a Pedro Ximenez and / or Fondillón but to drink them and replace bottle by bottle, nothing more. To add to a wine cellar, white or pink even without aging, must resist and even improve for a couple of years at least. This may be the case of Albariño, a pink based Alella merlot grape ... Do not forget that a winery is not a pantry.

The racks, which are given the choice of wood instead of metal, place them horizontally to the best wine storage and away from direct sunlight. The bottles lying, which is as best as it preserves the wine is in contact with the cork so that in this way does not dry. In a smaller house, the stairwell can serve wine, if it meets the requirements described above.

The wine does not want foreign smells, so never store the wine near aggressive cleaning products or any other element that emits a strong odor and would contaminate the wines from our cellar.

Finally, other elements to prevent the vibrations, movements and air currents. They are highly recommended for good wine storage.

A modest start a home wine bottles consist of about 50: 35 red wines (10 Reserves Rioja, 10 Crianza from Ribera del Duero, Priorat 5, 5 and 5 wines Navarra young long-term or Field Jumilla Borja) and 15 white wines (6 barrel fermented Chardonnays of Navarra, Somontano or Penedes, 6 young wines with good structure of Rias Baixas, Rueda and Ribeiro, 3 viuras barrel fermented Rioja). Investment: 500/600 euros.