Take care of your WINES

Wines are very sensitive organisms which need our care with proper attention and special conditions for their preservation.

As long as the wines have the proper conditions, they will live on to bring us tasteful joy. A ripened wine is a delight, not only to the taste buds, but to the eye and nose as well. Its taste should be complemented with color and aroma.

This all comes about with proper storage which helps in the ripening process.
What do you need to keep the wines honest?
First, a cool storage area. This area must be not only cool but lacking in humidity. The temperature should be around 12 degrees Celsius. Air conditioning is not recommended as this dries up the air more than necessary.

Of course, we don't have wine cellars in our homes, but an ideal place for storing wine in the conditions mentioned above would be a closet, a dark corner of the house or an area perhaps under a staircase. These are ideal spots for storing wines.

Be sure that the bottles are stored horizontally, this way the cork remains damp and makes it easier to pop open later and also blocks the entrance of oxygen which might alter its contents. Wines should be treated like babies. Be careful when moving wines that they don't get moved too suddenly as these sudden movements are damaging, especially to sensitive wines.

How do we serve the wines?
First, and wine must be served with patience and with a steady flow, filling up only two-thirds of the glass. Why do we not fill it up completely? So that the one-third of the glass is left for us to enjoy the aroma.

Never serve wine chilled as this destroys the taste in many cases. It's best to serve the wine always at room temperature.

The right food accompanying the wine is always proper. One simple rule that professional wine tasters tell us is that the color of wine should match the color of the food. In other words, white wine with white meat, white sauces and fish; red wine with red meat and red sauces; and rose wine with all food at all times.

Be careful to avoid salads with vinegar as this alters the taste of wine and certain cheeses can overpower a wine's taste and thus must be avoided at times. Also with red wines avoid sweets and fruits (except apples and pears).
One last note: when with Greeks, make sure you lift up your glass of wine and say the traditional Greek
toast: "Stin igia sas" (to your health).


Canava Roussos, Kamari, Tel. +30 22860 31278
Canava Wine Bar Vedema, Megalochori, Tel. +30 22860 81796-7
Halaris wines, Perissa, Tel. +30 22860 83306
Heliopoulos, Megalohori, Tel. +30 22860 81797
Koutsogiannopoulos winery, on the road to Kamari, Tel. +30 22860 31322,
e-mail: volcanwines@waterblue.gr, web site: www.waterblue.gr
Sigalas wines and mills, Tel. +30 22860 22802