Wine Cellar In Houston TX: 6 Wine Basics You Need To Know

Drinking and collecting wine is fun. Everyone with taste buds and awine cellar in Houston TX knows that.  But there’s more to enjoying wine than just, well, enjoying it.  There’s a lot of information floating around on the internet (and in bookstores – let’s not forget those) about wine.  You don’t really have to know everything; but there are some randoms bits of basic information that you should keep in mind like:

1. The right wine glasses make a difference.

In 1986, Georg Riedel, an Austrian glass maker created a line of wine glasses that created a commotion in the wine community because he created different glasses for different wines.  Up until then, everyone had been drinking wine out of one type of glass and no one could believe that a drinking vessel could make a difference.  So, to prove to the skeptics that the glasses mattered, Georg hosted wine tastings – more specifically wine glass tastings – at which wine lovers found that wines in the right glasses indeed tasted better.

2. Wine tastes best when served slightly cool.

Like most every other non-hot beverage we drink, wine tastes better slightly cool.  If you own a wine cellar in Houston TX, then your wines will already be the right temperature to drink.  If you don’t, then remember to keep your reds between 53℉ and 69℉, your whites between 44℉ and 57℉ and sparkling wine between 38℉ and 45℉.

3. Almost every red wine tastes better decanted.

Pouring red wine from the bottle to a glass decanter improves the taste of the wine.  In addition, it helps to eliminate the rotten egg odor you can sometimes get with less expensive red wines.  The smell is a minor fault in the wine and it isn’t bad for you but drinking it with a rotten egg smell isn’t optimal.

4. A standard wine serving is about 5 ounces.

Of course you’re not going to be charging your guests by the glass so you may not think it matters how much you pour.  But by pouring the standard serving, you’re leaving enough space in the glass to swirl the wine for aeration plus you don’t want to look gauche or be wasteful by pouring wine to the top of the glass.

5. It’s best to hold the wine glass by the stem.

It may not feel right to try to hold onto a goblet of wine with the delicate stem, but if you grab the bottom of the bowl, your hand will heat up the wine.

6. Learn how to properly uncork a wine bottle.

While it’s not exactly an art, keeping a couple of things in mind while grabbing for your corkscrew will keep you from having to drink wine filled with cork debris.  Always start the tip of the corkscrew off-center so that the wider body of the corkscrew is centered as it goes into the cork.  After that, make sure you turn the corkscrew about 7 times without poking it all the way through.  That way you can be sure you’ll pull the cork out cleanly and in one piece.

If you enjoy wine and you want to start a collection of your own, you’ll need a great wine cellar in Houston TX.  At Vineyard Wine Cellars, we can design and install the wine cellar of your dreams.  Call us at (866) 615-4008 or visit us online at www.vineyardwinecellars.com to learn more about our process and to see a gallery of our completed wine cellars.

Wine Cellar in Houston TX
Vineyard Wine Cellars
15020 Beltway Dr.
Addison, Texas 75001
866-973-1100 972-712-9600

Wine Cellars In Houston TX: White Wine Grape Basics

There are hundreds of varieties of white wine grapes grown in every corner of the globe; but there is a small number of varieties that you’re likely to encounter in the form of your favorite white wines.  In fact, wine cellars in Houston TXmay be home to just a few types of white wine derived from these grapes:

Chardonnay.  Chardonnay flavors include citrus, green apple, pineapple and papaya.  It is a versatile and popular wine that is drunk all over the world with a variety of foods including soft cheese, fish and herbs. Young Chardonnay is full of green apple flavor; but if aged in new oak barrels, it can take on a buttery flavor and aroma.

Chenin Blanc.  Chenin Blanc flavors include apple, melon, pear and peach and it has an assertive acidity.  It is light-bodied but is an excellent pairing for hearty meat dishes and Mediterranean food.  It can be found in sweet or dry forms.

Gewürztraminer.  Gewürztraminer flavors include grapefruit, lychee and pineapple and is noted for its floral aroma.  Its acidity is relatively low and it is usually sweet, which makes it a great pairing for spicy foods including curries and dishes flavored with hot peppers.

Marsanne.  Marsanne flavors include almonds, white peaches and spiced pears.  Its flavor is intense and full-bodied but, like Chardonnay, a creamy vanilla note can be added with oak barrel aging.  In either sweet or dry form, it’s an excellent pairing for many kinds of foods like chicken, fish, pork, lobster and crab.

Muscat.  Moscato flavors include apricot, peach, nectarine, Meyer lemon and orange.  It is a sweet, sometimes sparkling, wine made from Muscat grapes and is the perfect complement to spicy, Asian food.  But like most white wines, it also works well with poultry and fish and is good with medium to firm cheeses.

Pinot Blanc.  Pinot Blanc flavors include green apple and citrus.  French Pinots tend to be creamy and musky while Italian Pinots are more citrus-y.  Both versions are a lighter, more elegant version of a Chardonnay and are delicious with soft cheeses, appetizers, chicken, fish and egg-based dishes.

Pinot Grigio.  Pinot Grigio flavors include lime, green apple, Meyer lemon and white nectarine.  Its acidity is high, which makes it zesty and refreshing and a great pairing for vegetable dishes, poultry, spicy food and cheese.

Riesling.  Riesling flavors include lime, Meyer lemon, pineapple and apricot.  It is one of the most aromatic grapes in the wine world with aromas that run the gamut from honey to gasoline.  In the 1980s, Rieslings fell out of favor but today, they are one of the more collectible wines and generally have a place of honor in most wine cellars in Houston TX.  Food pairings for Rieslings include poultry, shrimp, crab, vegetables and spicy foods.

Sauvignon Blanc.  Sauvignon Blanc flavors include lime, green apple, Asian pear, kiwi and passion fruit.  Oak barrel aging can give it the flavor of vanilla, butter or coconut.  Although it shares some flavors with Chardonnay, it differs in that it generally has more of a herbaceous flavor.  It is usually a dry wine that pairs with soft, briny, sour cheeses, herbs like mint, parsley, fennel and chives and, of course, with poultry and fish.

Although red wines are the darlings of most wine collectors, white wines are holding their own in wine cellars in Houston TX.  If you’re ready to build your own collections of delicious, white wines, call us at Vineyard Wine Cellars at (866) 615-4008.  You can also visit us online atwww.vineyardwinecellars.com to see a gallery of our completed wine cellars.

Wine Cellars in Houston TX
Vineyard Wine Cellars
15020 Beltway Dr.
Addison, Texas 75001
866-973-1100 972-712-9600

Wine Cellars In Dallas TX: 5 Wine Storage Variables To Watch For

Owners of custom wine cellars in Dallas TX know that having a great wine collection isn’t just about choosing wines you like to drink – although that is a big part of it.  Having a wine collection that you can enjoy now, a year from now or a decade from now starts with the right storage.  Wine collectors with wine cellars in Dallas TX know that wine can be easily compromised if you don’t create the perfect environment for it.  If you’re thinking of starting your own wine collection or you have a few cases but aren’t sure what to do with them, here are some basics of wine storage to watch for:

1.  Watch The Temperature.  Too much heat is the worst thing for your wine.  If the temperature in your wine storage area rises above 70℉, your wine will age too quickly.  Temperatures in the 80s or higher can essentially cook your wine, resulting in flat aromas and flavors.  The ideal temperature for wine is between 45℉ and 65℉.  It’s also not a good idea to let your wine get too cold or to let it freeze.  Temperatures below 45℉ can dry out the cork and allow air into the bottles.  Ideally, a constant temperature of 55℉ is perfect for wine but don’t panic if you can’t achieve that all the time.  The most important thing you need to remember is to not let the temperature fluctuate wildly up and down where you store your collection.

2.  Watch The Humidity.  Although humidity control isn’t as important as temperature control, it’s still ideal to keep humidity in your wine storage area a constant 70%, if possible.  In general, below about 50% humidity, the corks in your wine can dry out and allow air into the bottles; above 80% and you could develop a mold problem.  If your wine is properly bottled, the mold will likely just affect the labels.

3.  Watch The Light.   A little light exposure here and there won’t hurt your wine; but longterm exposure to light, especially UV light from the sun or fluorescent bulbs can degrade and prematurely age wine.  It’s for that reason that vintners use colored bottles for wine.

4.  Watch The Angle.  Traditionally, wine bottles are stored on their sides to ensure that there is constant contact between the liquid and the cork.  This keeps the cork from drying out.  But if you have wine you’re going to drink quickly or you have bottles that are sealed with screw tops or plastic or glass corks, then you don’t have store them horizontally.  You’ll find, however, that horizontal storage is a space-saver and won’t harm your wine.

5.  Watch The Vibrations.  Although there is a school of thought that even minor vibrations can speed up the chemical reactions in wine, there really isn’t much scientific evidence to back this up.  It is, however, a good idea to keep older wines from being shaken too much because shaking or excessive vibration can disturb their sediment, making them unpleasantly gritty to drink.

Make sure your wine collection has the best storage possible by calling us at Vineyard Wine Cellars at (866) 615-4008.  At Vineyard Wine Cellars, we make the finest wine cellars in Dallas TX.  Visit us online at www.vineyardwinecellars.com to see a gallery of our projects and to find out what we can do for you.

Wine Cellars in Dallas TX
Vineyard Wine Cellars
15020 Beltway Dr.
Addison, Texas 75001
866-973-1100 972-712-9600

Wine Cellars in Houston TX | Call 866-615-4008

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