Mollycoddling wine

True, red wine is best stored at between 13 and 18C in the dark with some humidity. Too high humidity can lead to mould growth, while low humidity may cause the corks to shrink and allow unwanted air to enter the bottle. Screw caps can solve all problems, even though their qualities are apparently ignored by wine experts, many of whom appear to be unaware of the fact that, properly used by the bottler, they are superior to traditional methods and will never instigate a 'corked' wine.

Why, for example, do many people insist on laying down red wine, while storing vertically many sherries that usually spend more time in the bottle than most reds?

The whole point is that we treat wine too deferentially. Some purists will not even go to a wine store if it involves their purchases spending more than half an hour in a car boot on a hot day.

There are also those who take insulated carriers to buy their wine during warm months.

I am currently nursing back to health a trial 15-litre bag-in-box red Ribera that arrived with a leak.

But taking it out of the cardboard container and dumping it in a plastic bucket solved the problem, even though it probably loses 2-3% a day through seepage.

In theory the wine should deteriorate, but it doesn't because although wine escapes, no air enters.