How To Bring A Young Red Wine To Its Fullest Potential

If you happened to open a bottle of red wine prematurely, fret not. Do not throw it away, or use it for cooking. There is a very simple and hassle-free way to let the young red wine age properly to its fullest potential. I discovered this method by chance.

To celebrate my husband’s birthday in June, I purchased a bottle of Australia’s Stonehaven 2005 Shiraz which I meant to go with the steak that I was planning to prepare. Shiraz, as most of us know, is one of Australia’s finest red wines and I was excited to try the bottle which I bought.

The red wine had a lovely red hue, although on the lighter side, as well as a fruity aroma. It was a lovely wine. However, I was surprised by its relatively “young” taste. A little disappointed that night, we did not finish the wine. What a waste, I thought. I should have cellared the wine for a period of time before opening it. I wasn’t very sure what to do with it, so I merely corked it very tightly and left it to stand upright in a dimly lit corner of my kitchen, well away from the stove.

I chose not to place the leftover wine in my refrigerator.

I was reluctant to use it for cooking as I was sure it wouldn’t produce good results. Not wanting to worry about too many possibilities, I just left the red wine to stand and I completely forgot all about it.

About three weeks later, I suddenly remembered about the half-consumed wine and I uncorked the bottle. The cork was inserted so tightly that I almost broke it into two while removing it. Half expecting to smell and taste red wine vinegar, I gingerly put my nose to the bottle opening.

Lo and behold, the Shiraz smelled great! It had such a rich aroma and body that I felt a tingling sensation in my toes when I tasted it. Unknowingly I had stumbled upon the secret of bringing a red wine to its fullest potential in the event of opening a wine bottle too prematurely.

If you refer to any material regarding wine storage, you will be told to store wine between the temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. I live in a tropical region, the average temperature is usually between 25 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius, and humidity is usually well above 50%. Therefore I can conclude that storing a young wine at a temperature higher than the recommended temperature range will help the wine age a little more quickly.

However, care should be taken not to let the wine age too quickly. One should ensure that the ageing is being done at a moderate pace.

Below is a summary of how you can help a young red wine reach its fullest potential:

· Make sure that the wine bottle is corked tightly to keep out air that could introduce unwelcome humidity and odor to the wine. Use a vacuum device if you have to. Make sure that the wine bottle is corked tightly to keep out air that could introduce unwelcome humidity and odor to the wine. Use a vacuum device if you have to.

· Store the wine in a dry and dim area, with a prevailing temperature approximately twenty-five degree Celsius, not any higher than thirty-four degrees Celsius.

· Ensure that the wine is kept in an area where temperature is fairly constant. If need be, place the wine bottle in a terracotta container or wine holder to shield the wine from unexpectedly large temperature fluctuations.

· Finish all the wine if you are uncorking the wine a second time. I have found that when I tried to repeat the procedure by leaving some wine behind to see if the flavor would improve further, the wine quickly deteriorated to red wine vinegar. Letting the wine “breathe too many times” will destroy the wine completely.