In this months newsletter we will have information to enhance your collecting and cellaring. Throughout the different sections we will consider proper decanting, a very informative newsletter on wine collecting, a technical article on cellar construction, and an update on the Sydney International Wine Competition.
Enjoy!

Why And How To Decant Your Wines
Mr. Robin Blackburne, MW has written a very informative article on decanting wines. For many of us it is a matter of pulling the cork and pouring. Many wines, though, both new and old will improve immensely with proper decanting, however with improper decanting, we can ruin a great wine. Follow the link below for the article written by Mr. Blackburne where you will also find a link to a very valuable website he has put together to gain easy access to wineries from  around the world.
The Complete Guide to Decanting.

Free Wine Newsletter
Wine writer Natalie MacLean offers a free bi-weekly e-mail newsletter that covers a wide range of topics, such as restaurant wine lists, food and wine matching, the health benefits of wine, and her top wine picks.

While she tackles each topic to learn something new, she never takes wine–or herself–too seriously, and writes in a highly entertaining way. There are no ads and your e-mail address will be kept confidential.  Natalie does this because she enjoys the occasional feedback she receives from those on her list.

Her articles have appeared in the London Times, Chicago Tribune, National Post, Hemispheres (United Airlines), Food & Wine, Sydney Morning Herald and Ritz-Carlton Magazine, among others.   You can read more of her work and sign-up for the newsletter at www.nataliemaclean.com.  Or just send her an email

The Sydney International Wine Competition
On March 1st, 2003 the Sydney International Wine Competition will be holding its annual awards banquet. This competition judges Australian and international wines along with food. At this event it takes the opportunity to celebrate the winning wines of the year and will post the results for 2003 on their website that same evening. If you are at all interested in Australian and international wines, this web site is a must see as many of the up and coming, along with wines of exceptional quality are listed and introduced. To follow the event and learn more about these winning wines go to www.top100wines.com 

Do It Right, Or Else -- Part 1

Now for the technical stuff........

An important aspect of a wine cellar that is often ignored, is the vapor barrier. The vapor barrier is exactly what it sounds like--- a barrier to keep moisture from traveling from one place to the next. The questions frequently asked are why is the vapor barrier so important, what can be used as a vapor barrier, how and where should it be applied?

To understand the above questions we first must understand what is it about a wine cellar that makes the vapor barrier so important. When we create a wine cellar, it is normally in an environment that needs to have the ambient temperature lower than the surrounding area. For example, your home may be kept at    75 degrees F, whereas your cellar should be kept at around 55-60 degrees F. Whenever you make one environment cooler than the other, the moisture or humidity in the warmer area will gravitate and condensate when it comes in contact with the cooler area. You have seen this before when pouring a cold beer into a glass on a hot day-- Before long water beads up on the outside of the glass. The glass itself prevents the moisture from passing through.

Without some sort of barrier in your cellar, this condensation will build up in the walls until they are so sodden that they collapse under the weight. Additional problems come up from the cooling unit working so hard to remove the moister from the air that it taxes the unit to the point of where it continues to run but can no longer keep the temperature at the right level.

Another place where a vapor barrier is needed is in the application of an underground cellar-- This is one that is below the frost line and the ambient temperature is naturally around 55-60 degrees, the same as the surrounding ground. (Ever wonder how the perfect cellaring temperature became 55 degrees? You don't think 400 years of underground cellars in France had anything to do with it?). In this case your vapor barrier will prevent actual water and moisture from coming in from the surrounding earth.

In both cases the vapor barrier needs to be of the correct material and applied properly or the application will be of no avail. Considering the material, there are many different products to use depending on the situation. When having your cellar built, check with a professional as to the correct type and thickness of vapor barrier needed.  Also special paints and liquid applications will also work in certain cases. The thing to remember is that every wine cellar and application is different. To achieve the right result, it is necessary to use the correct product. 

Installing the vapor barrier is just as important. Generally, the vapor barrier is applied on the warm side of the wall. This keeps the humidity from ever compensating since it never reaches the cooler environment of the wine cellar. Another thing to keep in mind is the wall finish of the wine cellar and the building materials. What sometimes happens unknown to the builder or designer is a problem of sandwiching the wall board or insulation between two vapor barriers. Any water that gets trapped between the two barriers will eventually allow mold to grow and the only repair is to rip it all out and start again. Same as with the type of barrier to be used, the installation is case by case. Remember to do it right, or else!

Next month we will discuss the all important issue of proper insulation for your wine cellar in Do It Right, Or Else-- Part 2.

Have a great month and please send us your comments questions or  suggestions.