Wine is a living organism and all living things age, wine aged properly can be a beautiful thing. Heat stressed wine on the other hand is subjected to rapid maturation rather than slow even aging and will rapidly deteriorate. With summer being a time of vacation and travel many of us wine lovers visit tasting rooms and make purchases. A sun baked car can be the death of your wine. Just as an example; a closed car in 78 degree temperatures can reach into the 90 degree range in five minutes and well over 100 degrees in 25 minutes. After a few hours at those temperatures your wine may be undrinkable. Wine that has been exposed 2-3 hours at these temps may still be salvageable if immediately brought to a storage temp of 58-60 degrees. I would strongly recommend drinking this wine soon rather than storing for a long period though as the aging process has already been jump started. As for home storage, wine should be stored in cool dark places with controlled humidity, not everyone has that kind of storage though. This is when you have to decide to either lower inventory of wine stored during summer months or drink faster. There are some simple and inexpensive fixes for all of these problems. Let’s begin with storage in a car; we have traveled to Napa Valley seven times, most of which have been during summer months. When arriving in the valley we always find a place to purchase a cheap Styrofoam cooler and a few ice packs, problem solved. Just make sure what you purchase will fit the size of your cooler.

As for home storage yes, you can drop your inventory during warm months or you can purchase a wine cooler. Wine coolers today come in many shapes and sizes with various options that can all dictate prices.  There is dual zone store which is neat, if you want your whites a tad cooler than your reds.  The units also come disguised as nice pieces of furniture with cherry or oak finish wood.  Just about any serious wine lover can find a storage unit suitable to their décor if they choose to display in a common area room and want the unit to blend in. A wine cellar is the best investment if you plan to store wine long term, or in large quantities.  If all else fails and you just can’t feasibly purchase any type of wine storage unit, be sure to keep your wine in a cool basement or lower level closet away from the sun and heat; just do not plan to store these wines long term. Wine purchasing and collecting can be lots of fun, just be sure to head the warning regarding high temps!

As I sit here on my patio relaxing I am kicked back in my outdoor recliner, which by the way is the best outdoor addition you could ever purchase, I reflect back on a weekend that in my mind will go down as one of the best July 4^th holidays in all of my 55 years. Yes, Independence Day the start of our new country, free and independent, the USA! I am sure at times we here in the United States take for granted what this holiday means. We forget how many don’t have our rights and freedoms and that July 4^th is a time not only to celebrate but also to remember how truly lucky we are. Granted our great country is going through some times of trials and tribulations, yet I firmly believe we will persevere! Now back to why I feel this July 4^th was  one of my favorites. Let’s start with the weather; four days of some of the best weather we have had for the 4^th since I can remember. Complete with days without a cloud in the sky, very warm temperatures and nice evenings. The great weekend began with a birthday dinner for my daughter in law.  Next up was a day of swimming and yard work, then a party honoring the high school graduation for the daughter of a good friend. After the party it was then home to family and more friends who joined us for an evening pool party complete with some fantastic food and special wine selections from our cellar. We started with some crisp Sauvignon Blanc, then a Cuvasion ATS Chardonnay, we rounded the corner to red wine with a magnum of  Titus Cabernet Sauvignon…A great night it was! We finished the weekend off with a day spent around the pool with my son and his wife enjoying some nice cold Rutherford Hill Sauvignon Blanc to cool down in the 90 degree temperature. Tomorrow it will be back to work with another fond memory of good times, good friends and family and a greater appreciation of the freedoms we enjoy here in our United States. I wish to thank everyone who was a part of making my July 4^th weekend a fantastic one!

I was more than surprised when I arrived home with my new toy and tried it out by pouring a young tannic Cabernet I had already tasted through it. While subtle the change in the bouquet, flavors and finish were very pleasing. Not sure if I was ready to believe, I tried another selection and again was impressed. It has been several months since our trip and Vinturi purchase and I can honestly state the little tool that could is now a permanent staple of our wine drinking. In fact I love it so much that my next purchase will be the Vinturi for white wine, yes white wine can also benefit from aeration.

To purchase your own Vinturi click on the link below:

Yes, every year at this time the harvesting of grapes usually starts with sparkling wine producers who pick in mid to late August. Labor Day is usually the start of harvest for early ripening varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. Depending on the weather harvest can continue on through October with the big reds like Cabernet left to hang as long as possible to get full ripening. Weather is always a major factor determining when the grapes are picked; cold, heavy rain or frost could destroy a crop. It is always exciting to know that a new vintage of my favorite wine will be bottled after the wine makers spin their craft. I can’t wait to hear the reports of barrel tastings of these new vintages. While as a consumer I am aware most of these new wines will not hit the market for a couple of years, I am sure some more excellent wine is waiting to be tasted.

I have not yet visited my favorite place, during harvest as I can’t take crowds; I have been to a few grape crushing events and can imagine the smell of grapes in the air and the celebration as tons of grapes roll up to the crush pad. Yes another harvest season has begun and if you are a true wine lover go visit your local vineyard, some even allow volunteers to help pick the grapes and the crush is an experience you won’t forget.