by Kevin Highview on July 3, 2009
Drinking wine has long been a favourite at meal times or simply to enjoy by itself; with the wide range of varieties there are many different tastes to enjoy. One of the interesting aspects of wine is that it is made all over the world and therefore offers an abundance of distinct tastes and flavours to be enjoyed.
It is for this reason that buying and tasting wines from many different countries is a part of the enjoyment of wine appreciation. For the average wine buff though we are confined to what the supermarkets or the off-licenses have stocked.
Whilst many supermarkets will have wines from favoured countries such as Spain, France and an increasingly popular choice in the UK: Australian wines. In recent times supermarkets have been importing more Australian wines than French which may be surprising to some.
This may be because the battle between the "old" and "new" world wines. Old world wines refer to the famous wine producing regions such as Southern France and other Mediterranean countries. New world wines are the new breed of wine producing countries such as Australia, South Africa and numerous South American countries.
The option to buy discount wine online has been a recent trend that has opened up many wine lover’s range of available wines, where they are able to import lesser known wines from any country they choose. Buying online is considered a very safe way to buy wine as many retailers assure that the wine will be authentic and delivered safely.
There are many online merchants who will sell wines you may not find in the shops as well as some specialist retailers who stock various vintage bottles for those looking to spend a little extra on brands such as Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 and Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label.
Buying wine online in bulk means that you should be able to buy in a good supply for your own personal wine cellar and buying by the case can often offer discounts. So if you like your wine and would like more than the supermarket offers then perhaps you should look into browsing online wine retailers for your next bottle.
by Kevin Highview on July 3, 2009
The advent of wine refrigerators has been a welcome innovation. Most of us simply don’t have space, nor can we afford a walk in, built in cellar. Happily, we can now access these handy storage systems at virtually any size or price. If you have made the move to join a wine club, then one of these appliances will be needed to properly store your monthly deliveries.
It’s no secret that we’ve all grown in our appreciation of wines these days. No matter if you’re a dedicated Red Wine enthusiast, or simply enjoy a chilled White Wine on a hot day, the days of Baby Duck & other utterly gross boxed wines are long gone.
Nowadays just about everyone has a supply of their favorites on hand in their homes, but therein lies a problem, just where do you store that precious liquid.
Many people that enjoy both Red & Whites will look for a “dual zone” wine refrigerator, where each zone can be individually temperature controlled, or on occasion it makes sense to simply purchase two units.
Like most things you get what you pay for. The more expensive units will be better insulated, have special treated glass panels which help maintain a constant temperature, as well as better control humidity levels. These can be particularly important if your appliance is stored in an area withnon constant temperatures, maybe a garage for example.
If you’re planning on having your unit within the home, the décor of the wine refrigerator will be something you’ll need to consider. Many models are actually like fine pieces of furniture, with embossed glass panels, decorative woods, & subdued backlighting.
Wine enjoyment is a social experience, and it’s especially nice to have your collection appropriately displayed, and thus a center of conversation with your friends.
Size matters! If you’re just starting to be purchasing & storing wines good advice would be to buy a wine refrigerator larger than you had initially thought necessary. However if you dwell in an apartment where there is not an abundance of space, there are may “apartment sized” units available, from “Counter Top”, to “Under the Counter” models.
Do you imbibe in a wine from a variety of countries? Enjoy some fine champagne? Then you’ll appreciate getting a unit that boasts adjustable shelving, as a lot of these come in non standard sized bottles.
Much more for much less? If the words “some assembly required” doesn’t scare you, then consider purchasing a unit that requires a little assembly. Often the savings you’ll reap by doing this will enable you to afford a much larger unit than you would have otherwise. Often you can store up to 400 bottles in perfect conditions and in a fairly inexpensive way.
Are you a dedicated collector? Need optimum storage & temperature control for anywhere from 1000 – 2500 bottles? Then a modular wine rooms may be what you should contemplate. These rooms are, prepackaged, relatively simple to assemble, and best of all, due to them arriving in pieces, can be assembled in a room, (such as basement), that you would never be able to fit a ready assembled unit into.
Now that you’ve an idea of what your needs are we highly recommend you visit the Wine Enthusiast, our choice for a huge variety of wine refrigerators , with every conceivable make, model and price range.
Cheers!
