Serving and Keeping Wine

Singapore's warmth makes keeping and serving wine harder than in a cool climate: The average daily high is over 30°C all year round, and most wine shows best at about half that or cooler. The wines we carry span France (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Loire Valley, Languedoc, Jura, Champagne), Italy (Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, Abruzzo), Spain (Laguardia), the USA (Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast, Oregon), Chile (Aconcagua Valley) and Australia (Barossa, McLaren Vale, South Australia), with wine fridges, glasses and decanters to match. The questions buyers ask most are answered below, and our Price List shows the full range. If you are looking for something we don't list, contact us.

Your questions answered

What is the best way to store wine at home?

Somewhere cool, steady, dark and still. Wine keeps best at about 13°C, with humidity of about 70% so that corks stay moist, away from light and vibration, and bottles with corks should lie on their side. Steadiness matters as much as the number: When the temperature swings, the cork expands and contracts and air can seep past it, and above about 20°C wine ages faster and loses its aromas. So a cupboard that warms up when the air conditioning goes off is no place for wine you want to keep. Can you store wine without a fridge? For a short while, in the coolest, darkest corner you have.

A selection we carry, from cellars built below ground:

• MastroJanni, Italy (Montalcino): Owned by the Illy family of coffee fame; its underground cellar is built of stone, terracotta brick arches and chestnut beams, with no reinforced concrete or iron.
• Francesco Rinaldi e Figli, Italy (Barolo): Run today by the sisters Paola and Piera Rinaldi, this house of 1870 matures its Barolo in large Slavonian oak casks in underground cellars.
• Sinegal Estate, USA (Napa Valley): Founded by David Sinegal, son of one of the founders of Costco; its restored stone winery in St. Helena has 6,500 square feet of underground caves.
• Clos Rougeard, France (Loire Valley): Two years in barrel, then several more in bottle, in tuffeau limestone cellars seven metres below ground.
• Château Le Dôme, France (Saint-Émilion): Its partly underground winery, beneath a 40 metre timber dome by Foster + Partners, keeps the cellar naturally cool.
• Taittinger, France (Champagne): Its wines age in Gallo-Roman chalk quarries beneath the ruins of the Saint-Nicaise abbey in Reims, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Do I really need a wine fridge?

If you keep wine for more than a short while in Singapore, yes. A kitchen fridge will do for bottles you plan to drink within about a week, but it runs at about 2°C to 3°C, too cold for wine, and its dry air, at about 30% humidity, can shrink corks and let in oxygen. A wine fridge holds a steady cellar temperature, in the dark and kept still. If you keep reds and whites together, choose one with two temperature zones.

Wine fridges we supply:

• EuroCave, France: Credited with inventing the wine cabinet in 1976, as wine moved from underground cellars into city homes; every unit is still built in Fourmies, with cabinets for ageing, for serving and for keeping open bottles.
• Kadeka, Singapore: A Singapore cooling brand founded in 1998; its Medley series has two temperature zones for reds and whites side by side, and its Signature series uses inverter cooling for steadier temperatures.

Browse the full ranges at eurocave.com.sg and kadeka.com for the models you like, and contact us for a competitive quotation. Clients from Indonesia, Malaysia and further afield often keep the wines they buy from us in our temperature controlled cellar in Singapore; contact us when you order.

How long can you keep a bottle of wine unopened?

It depends on the wine. Most everyday wines are made to be enjoyed within a few years, while fine wines with plenty of tannin or sugar can last for decades if kept well. Does unopened wine go bad? It changes rather than suddenly spoiling: colour turns browner and flavours become nutty, with dried fruit. Is a 20 year old bottle safe to drink? Yes, though poor storage can leave it tired. More on how wines age is on our Rare and Collectible page.

Estates we carry with older vintages, among many more:

• Château de la Gardine, France (Châteauneuf-du-Pape): The Brunel family has grown wine in the Rhône since 1670.
• Errázuriz, Chile (Aconcagua Valley): Don Maximiano Errázuriz planted French varieties here in 1870, and the flagship that carries his name comes from the historic 16 hectare Max I estate.
• Wolf Blass, Australia (South Australia): Wolfgang Blass, born in Germany, studied Champagne making in France before settling in the Barossa in 1961; his Black Label won the Jimmy Watson Trophy three years running in the 1970s.
• Emidio Pepe, Italy (Abruzzo): Emidio Pepe destemmed his red grapes by hand and trod his whites by foot, and the family releases mature bottles from its own cellar only after long rest.
• Domaine de la Grange des Pères, France (Languedoc): Laurent Vaillé trained with Gérard Chave, at Trévallon and with Coche-Dury, then shunned publicity and visitors while making the region's most sought after cult wine.
• Lokoya, USA (Napa Valley): Four pure Cabernets, each from a different Napa mountain, so that every bottle speaks of its mountain rather than a house style.
• Château La Conseillante, France (Pomerol): Named after Catherine Conseillan, who ran the estate in the 18th century; its violet capsule, designed in 1871, makes it one of the most recognisable bottles in Bordeaux.
• Château Lynch-Bages, France (Pauillac), Fifth Growth: Long a performer above its rank, owned by the Cazes family since 1939, and known for its cassis and cedar style.
• Château Pontet-Canet, France (Pauillac), Fifth Growth: Around a third of the crop matures in clay amphorae, the rest mainly in French oak.
• Château Gruaud Larose, France (Saint-Julien), Second Growth: Its label carries the motto "Le roi des vins, le vin des rois", the king of wines and the wine of kings, and its 1961, 1982 and 1986 are counted among the great Médocs of their time.
• Château Cos d'Estournel, France (Saint-Estèphe), Second Growth: Owned by Michel Reybier since 2000; its gravity fed cellars use tanks shaped to keep the skins submerged without pumping.
• Château Margaux, France (Margaux), First Growth: Matured in new barrels from the estate's own cooperage, from vines farmed organically since 2017.

What temperature should wine be served?

Cooler than you may think, especially here. Fuller reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz show best at about 16°C to 18°C, medium bodied reds at 14°C to 16°C, and lighter reds such as Pinot Noir at 12°C to 13°C. Fuller whites suit 10°C to 13°C, lighter whites 8°C to 9°C, and sparkling wines colder still.

What is the 20 minute rule? Put reds in the fridge 20 minutes before pouring, and take whites out 20 minutes before pouring. The 30/30 rule is the same idea with 30 minutes. The 20 minute rule assumes a room at about 20°C, so reds kept out of a wine fridge in Singapore start warmer and need the longer time.

A selection we carry, from lighter reds to the wines served coldest:

• Renaud Bruyère & Adeline Houillon, France (Jura): Adeline is the sister of Emmanuel Houillon of the Overnoy estate; together with Renaud they make tiny quantities in Pupillin, the village that calls itself the world capital of Ploussard.
• Beaux Frères, USA (Oregon): Biodynamic Pinot Noir from south facing slopes on Ribbon Ridge, on a farm with 50 acres of Douglas fir forest, jointly owned since 2017 with the Pinault family group behind Château Latour.
• Peter Michael, USA (Sonoma): Founded in 1987 by Sir Peter Michael, the British entrepreneur behind the broadcaster Classic FM; each wine carries a French name, and its Pinot Noir grows at 1,000 to 1,450 feet on the Sonoma Coast.
• Arnoux-Lachaux, France (Burgundy): Charles Lachaux took over in 2012, stopped trimming the tops of the vines and turned to whole bunch fermentation, and it is now one of Burgundy's most talked about names.
• Château Pape Clément, France (Pessac-Léognan), Classified Growth of Graves: Its first recorded harvest was in 1252, it takes its name from the Archbishop of Bordeaux who became Pope Clement V in 1305, and Robert Parker gave its 2009 white 100 points.
• Mayacamas Vineyards, USA (Napa Valley): Mountain Chardonnay from 1,800 to 2,200 feet on Mount Veeder, picked early for acidity and aged long in neutral oak.
• Domaine Roulot, France (Meursault): Jean-Marc Roulot, also a stage and film actor, took over in 1989; each village site is bottled separately, and the whites are lean, mineral and precise.
• Kongsgaard, USA (Napa Valley): Founded by John and Maggy Kongsgaard, fifth generation Napa natives; its Chardonnay blends the Hudson and Hyde vineyards with newer sites and ferments with native yeasts.
• Domaine des Miroirs, France (Jura): Kenjiro Kagami, a former Hitachi engineer, trained at Comte Georges de Vogüé in Burgundy before founding the estate with his wife Mayumi; kagami means mirror in Japanese.
• Cédric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne, France (Champagne): Every bottle is one grape, from one vineyard, in one vintage, with no blending.
• Suenen, France (Champagne): Aurélien Suenen took over his father's vines at 23 and farms about 3.2 hectares across the grand cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry.

Should you decant wine?

Often, but not always. A decanter does two jobs: it lets young, firm reds breathe, and it leaves the sediment of older bottles behind. As a guide, young, powerful reds such as Barolo, Brunello, Rioja and New World Cabernet or Shiraz can take up to four hours; Bordeaux and Rhône reds of 5 to 20 years take one to two hours; and reds older than about 20 years should be decanted only just before serving. Can you decant wine too long? Yes, above all older wines, whose aromas can fade in the air. Some say delicate Pinot Noir is better left alone. For sediment, stand the bottle upright for a day or two, pour slowly in front of a strong light, and stop when the sediment nears the neck.

A selection we carry, beginning with wineries that say so themselves:

• Chris Ringland, Australia (Barossa): The winery recommends two to four hours in a decanter for its Dimchurch Shiraz. Its own vineyard, high in the Barossa Ranges, was planted in 1910.
• Silver Oak, USA (Napa Valley): Its note on one older vintage suggests decanting because of heavy sediment; its release days drew queues for decades.
• Mollydooker, Australia (McLaren Vale): The winery's own serving tip is the Mollydooker Shake: A vigorous shake of the opened bottle to release the protective nitrogen added at bottling.
• Paolo Conterno, Italy (Barolo): A family house founded in 1886 and led by the fourth generation, with Barolo from the steep slopes of Ginestra, one of the great crus of Monforte.
• Casanova di Neri, Italy (Montalcino): Founded in 1971, when the Brunello appellation had about 30 producers; its Tenuta Nuova 2001 was named Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year.
• Artadi, Spain (Laguardia): Founded in 1985 and run since 1992 by the Lacalle y Laorden family, it farms Tempranillo organically below the Sierra de Toloño.

Which wine glass should I use?

A larger bowl for reds and a smaller one for whites will cover most of your bottles. A bigger bowl gives a bold red more air and lets its aromas open, while a smaller bowl with a narrower opening holds in the subtle aromas of a white, and a longer stem keeps your hand from warming it. Can you use a white wine glass for red? Yes: The smaller bowl may hold back some of the aroma, but you will still enjoy the wine.

Glasses and decanters we carry:

• Sydonios, France: Founded by Antoine Schvartz, a former Bordeaux wine broker, it shapes its glasses around a wine's aromatic profile rather than its colour or grape; within two years about 40 of the 61 classed growths of 1855 were using them.
• Zalto, Austria: Designed by the winemaker Hans Denk, the Denk'Art bowls are angled to follow the tilt of the Earth's axis, and each glass is mouth blown by a team of eight artisans.
• Josephinenhütte, Europe: Designed by Kurt Josef Zalto, a sixth generation glassmaker of the family behind Zalto; the name comes from a glassworks founded in Silesia in 1842 and named after the Count's wife, Josephine.
• Riedel, Austria: Founded in 1756, it launched the first glasses designed for individual grape varieties in 1973; its Amadeo and Cornetto decanters are each made by hand.
• Spiegelau: Definition glasses in universal, Bordeaux, Burgundy, white and Champagne shapes, with Authentis and Novo Pro decanters.

For other Riedel models, browse riedel.com and contact us for a competitive quotation.

How long does wine last after opening?

Not long, so keep it cold. Once opened, whites, rosés and sparkling wines last about two to three days in the fridge, with sparkling wine under a tight stopper. Reds last about three to five days, and sweet wines well over a week. In Singapore, opened reds belong in the fridge too, since cold slows the reactions that spoil wine; take them out a little before pouring. Can you drink wine that has been open for longer? It will not harm you, since spoiled wine simply turns to vinegar, but it will not be pleasant. Dull fruit, a tired brownish colour or a vinegary note are the signs.

A selection we carry of sweet wines and firm, tannic reds:

• Dal Forno Romano, Italy (Veneto): Its sweet Vigna Seré is made only in some years, by an estate that dries its grapes in a purpose built room with sliding fans.
• Sine Qua Non, USA (Central Coast): Even the sweet wines get their own names here, such as the Grenache Vin de Paille called Atlantis Fe2O3.
• Elio Altare, Italy (Barolo): After a trip to Burgundy in 1976 he changed everything on the family farm in La Morra, famously taking a chainsaw to his father's old casks.
• Vietti, Italy (Barolo): Alfredo Currado pioneered single vineyard Barolo here in the 1960s and helped save the white Arneis grape from extinction; many labels carry works by contemporary artists.

Can you recork a bottle of wine, and what does corked mean?

Yes, you can recork it: Push the original cork back in, or close the bottle with a stopper or its screw cap. A vacuum pump adds a day or two. A cork that crumbles does not by itself mean the wine is bad, so taste it to find out. "Corked" means something else: Not bits of cork in the glass, but a flaw caused mainly by a compound called TCA, which makes wine smell of damp cardboard or wet newspaper. It is not a health concern, though it can spoil the wine. Estimates of how many bottles are affected range from about 1% to 5%.

Makers we carry with their own answers to the cork:

• Penfolds, Australia (South Australia): Since 1991 its Re-Corking Clinics have seen winemakers check, top up and recork the older reds of its collectors, more than 250,000 bottles across four continents.
• PlumpJack, USA (Napa Valley): A bold move at the time: In 1997 it became the first to put a luxury Napa Cabernet under screw cap.
• Emmanuel Houillon - Pierre Overnoy, France (Jura): Made without sulphur or filtration, and its bottles are sealed with wax.