29 Jan Summer vs Wine: keep it cool… but not too cool

Heat is not a friend of bottled wine (or any wine).

Buying wine is great fun. However one must be very aware of problems that you can face in buying wine in summer. We see plenty of wines that come through The Wine Auction Room that we won’t take because they have not been either stored well or they have been sitting in the back of a car, in the sun for too long and have become unsaleable. It is really important to get wines out of a hot car as soon as possible to avoid them cooking. When I’m out buying wine during summer I will place them on the floor of the car right under the air-con to keep them at a temperature that won’t spoil the wine and get them out of the car asap.

Never buy wine out of a retailers window. On a trip to Europe a few years ago we came across a retailer who had a lovely window display but all the wines on display had cooked in the sun. Check out the corks in the photos! These wines have been absolutely ruined and will be undrinkable.

At present, at The Wine Auction Room, we ship wines around the country in polystyrene boxes. Be rest assured we are constantly on the look-out for a better solution that is curb side recyclable but at present this is the best we have got for the protection of the wines we are shipping. However they are multi usable and can keep wine at a constant temperature not only when used for shipping purposes. I keep a couple in the car for using if I’ve purchased some wine to keep them at a constant temperature. These polystyrene boxes are also great to use for storing wine if you don’t have a temperature controlled cellar or a wine cabinet (fridge). We are currently building a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage facility in central Auckland for personal cellars that we will be leasing space in for collectors of wine.  If you would like to hear more about what we are doing, drop us a line at [email protected] .

The bottom line is, if you are willing to spend your hard earned dollars on wine, whether it be for the cellar or to go straight onto the table to share, look after it so you can enjoy the wine as it is supposed to be enjoyed.  Here’s a few more tips on how to best look after you wine.