|
It has been opined by wine experts for quite some time now that wine matures faster at higher temperatures even when stored horizontally and in a dark room but the negative reactions that ‘age’ and ‘tire’ the wine also work faster, thus deteriorating the wine quality quicker, making proper storage a very important factor in keeping the wine alive and letting it age gracefully.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Fulvio Mattivi, of the Fondazione Edmund Mach Research and Innovation Centre, San Michele all‘Adige in Trentino, conducted the same experiment scientifically and discovered that a relatively small rise in temperature speeds up several chemical reactions associated with wine ageing and even promotes new reactions that are not observed at lower temperatures. The team compared bottles of Sangiovese-based wine stored for 24 months in a professional wine cellar set for the temperature of 15-17˚C with the same labels stored in a dark room at the household temperatures of 20-27˚C.
According to the Report by BBC Dr. Fulvio Mattivi says, ‘After six months under domestic conditions, the wine in the bottle was approximately as 'old' as a bottle from the same producer and lot stored for two years under cellar conditions.’
What Dr. Mattivi suggests should make a lot of sense to the Indian wine connoisseurs and novices who still believe in storing wine in a cool room where summer temperatures cross 25˚C despite air-conditioning and despite being warned frequently should heed advice given on a scientific basis. Dr Mattivi says, "Perhaps it's time we rewrite the labels on wine bottles. Forget the vintage, it’s not simply the number of years but the chemical age that really tells you how good a wine will taste.”
Subhash Arora |