Filed under: The trend in wine is good, cheap wine – the proliferation of “Two Buck Chuck” at stores like Trader Joe’s are a sure sign that even the snobbiest of wine snobs is starting to get comfortable with the notion of a tasty varietal with a pricetag under $20 or even $10.
A good number of these wines are Californians – after all, the State of California is the fouth-largest wine producer in the world – but quality wines can be had on the cheap from virtually every state, and even the more ‘classical’ wine regions in France, Italy and Germany produce inexpensive bottles of vino.
The downside of cheap wine is that it’s not going to keep as long as more expensive varietals without preservation. One way to combat spoilage is temperature control. This isn’t a cure-all, unfortunately – prolonged cold-temperature storage makes wines flat – but it can keep a cheap wine viable for a few extra days. Even higher quality vintages are still susceptible to spoiling – unprecedented longevity is the domain of a relatively small set of wines, like Tuscan vino di tavola and Australian icon wines, so wine storage refrigerators can have a good deal of utility for a wine aficionado. As long as you keep white wines between 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit and reds slightly higher, you can get the most out of your wines without too much fear out of spoiling.
Bonus tip: If you like your wine colder than average, pop the bottle into a food storage refrigerator briefly to lower its temp before serving. The old standby bucket of ice also works.