On 5/14/04 6:26 PM, in article ,
"K. B." > wrote:

> This is a sad story.
>
> I had stored some very good cabs (e.g. 83-84-85 Stag's Leap Napa Valley
> et.al.)in a coat closet floor, insulated above and below with coats (hey, it
> was a coat closet). I had always kept these wines "insulated" and in the
> dark. Only one in five were wonderful when consumed in the last 12 months,
> and even it had oxidized to a rusty reddish-brown. Corks had disintegrated
> on the wine end and all of them broke upon removal. It was heart breaking.
> I still have about six wines from the 1985-87 vintages. I should limit the
> loss and marinate some steaks or something .....
>
> The best is a 1985 Ridge Zinfandel, Geyserville.... : (
>
>
> I should limit the loss and marinate some steaks or something .....
>
> --
> KB
> St. Charles, MO

Ah, the other problem of wine storage that we haven't discusses recently -
lifetime of corks. Does anyone have information about this? I have heard,
but don't rightly know, that corks should be replaced about every 10 years
if you are storing wines for long term aging. I suspect the amount of
humidity can affect cork life -- too low and they will dry out from th
outside -- too high and things get moldy and rot. If you are only storing
for a few years, this shouldn't be as much of an issue.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/aws

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