In dry climates, corks shrink as they lose moisture, leading to leaky bottles and a sticky mess. Other closures may be pushed upward and through the tops of their bottles as wine expands during temperature spikes.
Ideally, all wines would be stored perfectly at cellar temperature, somewhere between 55 and 65 degrees. This is the relatively cool temperature most wineries and tasting rooms maintain to ensure their wines age properly and show their best to potential buyers. The threshold for temperature damage begins at about 70 degrees, meaning even most air conditioned homes put wine at risk. Even if your at-home storage is on point, damage often happens in transit.
Inside a normal delivery truck without a temperature-controlled trailer, mercury easily rises over the degree mark, essentially baking the wine. Is the wine spoiled? Did you just turn that beautiful bottle of Pinot into an expensive bottle of vinegar? There are many factors involved in wine spoilage, and no definitive temperature will make a wine go bad. Probably not, but it may expedite the aging process, which becomes accelerated by exposing wine to higher temperatures.
In addition to temperature and time, a key factor is the wine itself. Better-made wines tend to withstand extreme temperatures and other adverse conditions better than cheap wines, while still maintaining their character. Higher fruit concentration, acids and tannins not only give wine balance and depth, but they can protect it from the elements while in the bottle. While it showed a bit more age than it should have, the bottle was still quite enjoyable.
However, I have also had more recent vintages of lighter Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc at restaurants where it was obvious that they were stored in in too warm conditions and had clearly passed their prime. One telltale sign that high temperatures have begun to affect your wine is when the cork starts to bulge out of the bottle.
On top of the molecular reaction that causes this to happen, it also means the wine has probably been exposed to additional oxygen. How large is this problem in Asia? The cold chain to Hong Kong and mainland China is broken. That does not solve the problem. These data come from reefer container and air freight shipments! The problem is the not the reefer container, but the unpredictable handling through the chain.
The only way to assure quality, to reassure your customers, and ensure the high value of fine wine in this 'hot market' is to monitor the shipment and storage temperatures, and provide the quality data to your customers.
This builds your reputation and your marketing advantage. This builds the brand of the wine. This builds confidence in your cold chain, and this builds the resale value of the fine wine.
It is simple and inexpensive.
0コメント