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- Wine2nite - 01-28-2003
Hello again
Have a quick question. Do I really need to buy a wine rack? Should wine really be laying down and not sitting upright??
thank you
[This message has been edited by Wine2nite (edited 01-27-2003).]
- Innkeeper - 01-28-2003
You can keep them upright for a couple of days (this includes in the store too). The cork begins to dry out very fast, and that is the problem. Air gets in and damages the wine. So, yes you need a rack. Get a bigger one than you think you need.
- joeyz6 - 01-28-2003
Yeah, in the summer of 2001 I thought a 30-bottle rack would be enough for a novice like me ... no.
- Innkeeper - 01-28-2003
Bingo. I only buy upright bottles that I'm convinced move every day.
- Wine2nite - 01-29-2003
Wow! So all the wines that are standing upright could be no good? I know that all the wines I see at the grocery store are all standing. Guess I better get busy and find a wine rack. Thank you
- Bucko - 01-29-2003
I've seen it argued in the literature that the humidity inside an upright bottle will keep the cork moist for months on end. Do I stand my bottles upright? Not long. Prudent? I don't know, but why gamble?
- joeyz6 - 01-29-2003
You'll notice that most reputable wine stores display just one or two bottles of each wine in a standing position and then store the rest underneath, on their sides.
- Kcwhippet - 01-29-2003
In our shop we have floor stacks with the bottles standing vertically, and we have others on the shelves (Sutter Home, Almaden, etc.) also standing up. The "better" wines on the racks are all stored on their sides except for the display bottles which are angled slightly for viewing. Whenever one of us goes around with the customers helping them pick out something, we always take the display and move the next one up. Also, whoever opens on Monday morning is supposed to switch all the displays with the top bottles stored underneath. The owner thinks it makes enough of a difference. He has the thermostat in the shop turned down to 63 and a low light level, as well.
[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 01-29-2003).]
- Innkeeper - 01-29-2003
That's why I always reach in or under and grab one that's lying down. Realize that clones of KC may have had it standing up the day before, but will take my chances.
- ShortWiner - 01-30-2003
Hehe, glad to know I'm not the only one who does that, IK. I wondered if I was being paranoid.
- Kcwhippet - 01-30-2003
I like to think what we're doing is beneficial to the customer. There are some shops I've been in where I'm positive that the display bottle has been up top for months. Pulling a lower bottle sure does lower the odds of getting one with a cork that's drying out.
- ShortWiner - 01-30-2003
When I notice the dust on the shoulders of the upright bottle, that's when I'm sure to grab one from the rack.
- hotwine - 01-30-2003
You'll frequently see cardboard boxes of wines stacked upside down, to keep the corks wet while in storage.
If I'm only buying a single bottle, I'll always take it from the rack, rather than the upright display. Not only does that ensure I'm getting a bottle that's been stored on its side (at least, recently), it also saves the shop clerk from having to follow along behind me to replace the display.
I think the French have the right idea - pack them horizontally in wooden cases.
- Innkeeper - 01-30-2003
Wine is supposed to be shipped upside down or laying down. Old World Wines tend to be on their sides and New World Wines upside down. Having said that, beware of our friends from the congomorates. In our state the only distributor besides the beer distributors (another long story) is Gallo. For you novices that is a lot of wine. Brands you wouldn't believe come from them including Turning Leaf, Ecco Domani, Andre, and dozens of others. They haul their stuff around upright including their premium brands like Gallo Somona. If you catch them in a store and ask them about it they say that it moves so fast it doesn't matter. Could be true. The beer guys, some of whom are fairly decent people, say the wines from some of other biggies such as Bronco do the same thing.
- Innkeeper - 01-30-2003
So much a simple question!
- Wine2nite - 01-31-2003
Well I have learned alot from all the replys of my question. I guess all the wines at the store have 50/50 chance of not being any good since they are standing upright. I thank everyone for helping me learn. One more question does anyone know anything about Bolla Wine?
- Innkeeper - 01-31-2003
Bolla is a brand from the largest producer in Italy. Some of it is pretty good, but not as good as it was several years ago. There was a time when I recommended Bolla Soave as a must on a wine list, as a white to go with food that none other would. Now there are many Soaves at the same price that are far superior, and many other Italian whites available, such as Vermentino, that are just as versatile.
- hotwine - 01-31-2003
I bought a case of '91 Bolla Valpollicella in about '93, because it was cheap. BIG mistake. Maybe not bad as a paint remover, but not for much else. It took years to give it away...each recipient refused all subsequent offers.
- Drew - 01-31-2003
Wine2nite, I've had a few bottles in my wine consuming career that were off or bad due to improper storage BUT...my experience is that wine is not as fragile as this discussion might lead you to believe, so don't be afraid of grabbing that last upright bottle on the shelf. I think that if you could do a sampling of the bottles stored upright in a store that you'd find that the vast majority were fine. Just my 2cents.
Drew
- Thomas - 01-31-2003
At is-wine, we keep one display bottle up on the wall, and we have some stacked wine. The stacked is put on mostly empty cartons underneath, so that what is on top is not standing for very long. The wine on the wall gets rotated once a week to the rack.
Having said that, in my experience, I've learned that, not in all but in many cases, bottles can stand upright for a few months without harming the cork. There is humidity in that little air space between the cork and the wine in the bottle. Yet, laying down is the prudent thing to do.
FYI, unless you know for sure, you cannot assume that the bottles inside a box are upside down just because you flip the box upside down. And I know for a fact that many distributor warehouses are not run efficiently enough to ensure that the cases they have stocked have ALL bottles in the warehouse face down.