Since I have moved to England I have lost the 2 things (material) that I value most. My motorcycle (stolen) and My wine (corked). I have had a fairly big collection of wine. Total cost of about £1000. No small sum for me. Since this heat wave began my flat's temperature has gone from 20c to as high as 40c degrees. Anyone that knows anything about wine can tell you that temperature fluctuation is the first and best killer of wine.
I keep all of my wine in wicker baskets on a book shelf as far from any windows as possible. The key thing was dark (light is another killer) and minimal air flow. Save a wine fridge; this is my only option. When I lived in America I kept wine this exact way for over 5 years never losing a bottle.
This post may be pre-emptive as I have yet to go through all of it yet, but over the past 4 days I have opened 6 bottles; 4 whites and 2 reds. Of those bottles only 1 wasn't corked a cheap (sub £8) Rioja. If I lost my more prized wines I will be extremely distraught.
I know people will say they are material but most of these wines I have had for years. They were gifts from many friends and family over the years. To lose them would be very upsetting to me. I cherish wine, love the industry, and would quit my job tomorrow to be a vineyard manager or winemaker. I have family in the wine industry, have worked on vineyards, even went to school to train in wines and winemaking. Needless to say I like wine, probably more than most.
What to do now? Well one thing's for sure, I'm not buying anymore wine to keep while living in England. I can't currently afford a wine fridge (a decent one is about £300), and storage at a facility is also out of range. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have a lot of vinegar, maybe I can create some new fancy blend. yuck yuck . . . I'll probably just start over, although I'm still completely gutted about the whole thing. Life goes on . . .Blogged with Flock
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