Barrels & Bottles Wine Blog

Sediment in wines can be a real eye-sore, especially if it makes it from the bottle into your glass. Whilst most wine sediment is not detrimental - decanting is far and away the most sensible solution.

Decanters, filters and funnels are all well and good but as an extra line of defense it is best not to allow the sediment to leave the bottle in the first place. This is where a wine decanting cradle comes into its own. These remove the need for steady hands when decanting your wines.

Simply place the bottle on the cradle and slowly turn the handle to lift the bottle and gently pour the wine into your decanter. The gearing and mechanics ensures a smooth flow of the wine and reduces the risk of disturbing the sediment.

Most hand held decants fail when the bottle is turned upright quickly during the decant to stop the sediment exiting the bottle. This quick movement sets the wine in motion and agitates the sediment (which may have been resting for years in the same position). A mechanical cradle removes any sudden movements... everything is slow and controlled and the act becomes part of the routine of opening your wines (almost to the point of addiction for many of our users.

The integrated candle holder allows the operator to view the sediment flow through the neck of the bottle. This allows for a more precise and controlled decant as the sediment can be seen in the neck before it reaches the opening - thereby reducing the risk of any sediment leaving the bottle.

We now have two type of wine cradles available. The brass decanting cradle is the most popular at £224.99 inc VAT as it conveys a timeless masterpiece of engineering. The silver plated mechanical wine cradle is now available for only £245.00 and makes a great hierloom.

Labels: accessories, wine decanting cradles

The home of the corkscrew is without doubt Laguiole from the village of Thiers, France.

Several specialist manufacture Laguiole corkscrews but the crown-king is Forge Laguiole. The level of craftsmanship which goes into each corkscrew is phenomenal. There is no wonder why these have achieved cult status amongst aficionados the world over.

The main quality criteria of local craftsmanship :

* Individually hardened by hand
* Shaping and fitting are done by hand and to the craftsman’s eye.
* Each knife is assembled from start to finish in one sequence and by a single craftsman
* Hand decoration of the blade and spring

Fitting, assembly and finishing process :

After a rigorous quality control of parts created at the forges, the cutler begins the hand assembly and shaping of the knife. He will mark the end of his work by cutting a pattern into the hilt of the blade. Each knife is assembled entirely by hand in the Laguiole Origin area by a single master craftsman, in the pure Laguiole tradition.

The handles were historically bone or horn. Forge Laguiole now also use a range of selected natural materials (Rosewood, Olivewood and Juniper Wood for example). The solid horn tips provide a finer more refined pattern.

Genuine Laguiole corkscrews feature a forged bee welded onto the spring.

Labels: accessories, corkscrews

Most wine glasses are chosen for their appearance. For Raymond Blanc the most important factor is performance. Developed by a team of wine experts working alongside Spiegelau's top designers, the Raymond Blanc Precision range has been created to provide the ideal wine glass - matching performance with beauty.

During the glass manufacturing process the liquid glass is passed through platinum tubes to eliminate impurities and remove imperfections. The result is a strong, fine, high performance glass capable or undergoing 1500 dishwasher cycles with no loss of clarity or brilliance.

The Raymond Blanc wine collection is used in his own restaurant, Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons, and will be available from us very shortly. Further information due soon.

Labels: accessories, glasses, raymond blanc

Following the very heavy rain in June and July we have seen a huge uptake on our wine cellar monitoring equipment, particularly our digital stations. It has become very obvious a lot of people with underground storage are keen to ensure conditions remain stable and within acceptable tolerances.

Increases in moisture can lead to increased humidity which can directly affect your precious wine cellar. Quite often if it "feels" too damp the damage has probably already started. By keeping a close check on both temperature and humidity you have a better chance of preventing your collection from spoiling.

One of our most popular choices is our Wireless Temperature and Humidity Recorder.

As well as allowing for remote monitoring (no need to risk a journey into the cellar) it also logs 3000 sets of data which can be viewed on a PC for detailed analysis. Being wireless also proves to be more effective - if you can read the readings from the comfort of upstairs you are more likely to keep a closer track in what is happening.

Labels: accessories

Storing your wines can be fraught with danger. Keeping your precious bottles at the correct temperature is vital to ensure they mature correctly and drink at their very best. If bottles are stored too cold or too warm the wine can precipitate and separate leaving a cloudy liquid and lots of sediment. Not nice.

With fluctuating temperatures between months of the year and even times of the day keeping track is vital. Our new range of digital cellar thermometers (and hygrometers) have been introduced due to massive demand for monitoring wines in storage.

Digital monitoring allows the maximum and minimum temperatures to be monitored to establish variations being experienced. Some models even feature data logging capabilities which can be downloaded to a computer for expert analysis.

Most of our cellar thermometers also feature an hygrometer (to monitor the relative humidity of the atmosphere) and a clock. For the uber-lazy some units are even linked to an atomic clock to ensure the correct time .. anywhere in Europe. Perfect for mobile wine cellars!

Wireless thermometers even allow you to keep a close eye on your wine collection from the comfort of your front room. No need to miss your favourite TV show or risk venturing into the darkness of your cellar.

Labels: accessories, storage, thermometers

Temperature is probably the most crucial factor to appreciate any wine at its optimum best. Glass style & shape, food and environmental conditions all play a part but serve your wine at the wrong temperature and it just will not develop to its true potential.

Generally speaking white wine is served colder than red - there are exceptions of course and it can also be a matter of personal preference. Some love to serve Beaujolais straight from the fridge. It is much easier to bring a cold wine up to the correct drinking temperature (simply hold the bowl in your hand) than chill a warm bottle down. If you do need to rapidly chill a warm wine please do not be tempted to stick the bottle into the freezer - it is very easy to forget and you will end up with expensive alcoholic ice-pops!

To quickly chill a bottle of wine place into an ice bucket with lots of water and ice... the water quickens the thermal transfer than ice alone. A bucket is better equiped than the narrow coolers you often see in restaurant as they allow for a greater amount of ice and water to be used to chill the bottle.

Knowing when your wine is at the correct temperature is often a matter of experience. You can use a wine thermometer with the guide beneath or trust your own palate. A wine served too warm will often taste harsh and acidic. If served too cold a wine can taste dull and insipid. Be wary of restaurants serving overly cold wines as this can be an attempt to mask poor quality or even corked wines.

Wine Temperature Guide

The following guidelines should provide the best starting points for your wines...

Young Whites : 10°-12° C
Mature Whites : 12°-14° C

Young and light Rosé : 10°-12° C
Mature and bodied Rosé : 12°-14° C

Nouveaux Reds : 10°-14° C
Young, light and slightly tannic Reds : 14°-16° C
Mature bodied Reds : 16°-18° C
Aged Reds : 18°-20° C

Sweet and aromatic Sparkling wines : 8° C
Charmat methode Sparkling wines : 8°-10° C

Champagne and vintage Sparkling : 8°-10° C

Sweet wines : 10°-18° C
Fortified wines : 10°-18° C


Each bottle of wine will have it's own characteristics and you have a unique palate so these guides are just that - guides. Experiment with the temperatures of your wines and you will soon build your own database of service temperatures for your favourite wines. It's a good an excuse as any to try more wines!

Labels: accessories

Extreme care should be taken when cleaning your delicate and precious wine glasses. Hand-washing is the best option to prevent machine scratching and breakages. Always wash a single glass at a time ensuring nothing else (such as cutlery) are in the washing bowl. Dishwashers are best avoided as residues from previous wash cycles can become very abrasive and will scratch glasses with ease.

Wherever possible a detergent is best avoided. Hot water is often enough to clean most glasses. For stubborn stains a mild detergent can be used but should be rinsed thoroughly with clean hot water several times to remove any taint and film on the glass. Any grease of film can be seen by holding the glass up to natural daylight and you will see greasy residue that will shimmer with blues and greens. If you see this then wash and rinse the glass again in only clean, hot water.

The water should be hot enough for the glasses to dry by themselves. The water should simply evapourate from the cleaned glass - drying should not be necessary and thereby avoids streaking. Ensure the glasses are totally dry before storing. Always clean your glasses again with hot water before using again to remove any dust accumulated whilst in storage.

Care should be taken to prevent the glass cracking by using very hot water in cold surroundings. The sudden change in temperature to a cold wine glass being placed into very hot water can often cause the glass to crack and break. I have personally broken a crystal decanter in this way!

Always try and carry a couple of spare glasses to your set as breakages are inevitable - especially at the more exuberant dinner parties. Finding replacement wine glasses at a later time may be difficult if the range has been discontinued.

Labels: accessories