Doesn't get newer than me!

[RyanH]

Well, between seeing a John Cleese special called Wine for the Confused, followed by a DIY show on a guy making his own wine cellar, I suddenly find myself unexplainably drawn to the world of wine. The organization, the collectability, and the wide range of opinions on the subject really grabs my interest. I've spent the better part of the day trying to get a handle on the different kinds of wines, what their characteristics are, etc.

I've learned things about how to properly taste wine, what kinds go with what food, storage methods, etc.

I understand that there are optimal temperatures and humidity levels to store wine in, but what I haven't seen an answer to is this: if I let my wine get above a certain temperature, is it automatically trash? What if I'm bringing my wine home from the store on a particularaly hot southern california day and it gets up to 90 degrees F? Should I just go ahead and throw it out? I've never seen any info on whether or not there's a "breaking point" for wine.

For instance, I recently found 3 bottles boxed up that I kept for purely sentimental value, but they had been in a storage facility which I dont doubt got over 100 degrees F for several days. Are these now trash? Or is a wine that got hot rescuable by simply bringing it down to a proper drinking temperature before opening?

[Thomas]

Ryan,

First your last question: once cooked, a wine is not to be rescued.

To your main question: generally, a wine stored at high temperatures begins to cook. How long it takes for the wine to cook out of existence is based on how long it remains at high temperature and how stable it was going into storage. In other words, every wine is ruined at a separate pace.

A wine stored at fluctuating temperatures is usually doubly ruined. Again, it all matters how long and the condition of the wine going in.

If a wine has been subjected to such treatment, the best thing to consider is that it likely is not doing well, open it and find out--sometimes you can be surprised that it held up, but it will unlikely be as good as another bottle of the same wine that had been stored under optimum conditions.

As for taking wine home from the store. If your car is air conditioned you are fine. But if your wine reaches 90 degrees in the car for an hour, it generally will have started to cook. You may even see signs of it--leaking or cork pushing out as the liquid expands and the pressure builds.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 07-24-2006).]

[winoweenie]

Hi Ryan and welcome to the board. Everything Foodie says is rite on. Just to clarify his last point...NEVER carry your wine purchases in the trunk of your car. ASlways make room in the cool interior of the vehicle. WW

[RyanH]

Wow, excellent info. Thanks so much!

[wondersofwine]

"spent the better part of the day trying to get a handle on the different kinds of wine..."

I chuckled because some have spent an adult lifetime on the same things and still have sooo much to learn. I'm constantly learning about new wines and that is part of the fun.
Welcome to the board.

[hotwine]

Welcome to the board, Ryan.

Suggest you get in the habit of carrying an ice chest with you when you're out wine shopping. No need to carry ice (it would soak and ruin the labels), but the insulation an ice chest affords can keep your treasures cool until you can get them home.

[PinotEnvy]

If you want to use something in the cooler to chill it, buy some of those plastic molded things with the liquid center. They freeze solid, keep things cool, are reusable and don't melt water all over the inside of your cooler.

[wondersofwine]

I second that suggestion--called "blue ice" I believe. I used a couple in a canvas cooler to keep food and wine chilled on a trip from Fayetteville to DC suburbs and they did a good job on a 5-6 hour trip.