With years of experience working in wineries in France and New Zealand, local wine maker, David Butterfield, recently returned to the Island to open Discovery Wines. With the assistance of Valerie Crisson, director of operations, Discovery Wines is slowly building up its wine list with a small selection on sale at Miles Market, Lindo’s in Warwick and a small number of restaurants. The Royal Gazette <$>recently caught up with Mr. Butterfield at his home in Burgundy in an exclusive telephone interview and asked him to share ideas for storing wine in Bermuda.

Q: Why do some bottles of wine have plastic, or synthetic corks and does this mean it’s an inferior wine?

“Corks are natural and come from trees grown in Portugal and Spain. There have been issues with cork since people started making wine. Every now and then a bottle will become “corked” and have a ‘barky’ smell. The natural cork allows an exchange of oxygen which in turn allows a quality wine to evolve under the right conditions. There are studies being conducted at the moment and the general belief is that the best wines are still corked using natural cork. But with wines that have a quicker turnover, synthetic corks are being used, which means there is no exchange of oxygen, so the wine doesn’t evolve. As I said, studies are ongoing, but if you want a quality wine, stick with cork.”

Q: What is the ideal temperature to store red wine? <$>

“Ideally, white or red wine needs to be stored at between 13 or 15 degrees Celsius.”

Q: Does humidity effect wine?

“It affects the cork quite a lot. A cork will shrink in dry conditions, and in humidity it will expand, which is what you want. If the cork shrinks - you are letting in too much air in and the wine will evolve quicker. So ideally you want the cork to stay as humid as possible to avoid shrinkage and evaporation. Humidity is important for long-time storage and at about 85 percent humidity is good. Of course with humidity the way it is in Bermuda, the Island is very good for wine storage.”

Q: What about light - how does this effect wine?<$>

“What you don’t want is direct sunlight, which is why wine is kept in bottles with tinted glass. Fluorescent light is okay, but not if it’s kept on all the time. Because of this, I suggest serious collectors board up windows in whatever room they decide to store their wine in.”

Q: Should wine be stored lying flat, standing up, or at an angel to the cork?

“Wine should always be stored lying flat, but occasionally people will turn the bottle upside down so that the wine is in direct contact with the cork. It’s all about limiting the amount of oxygen that gets past the cork.”

Q: Can you suggest some storage ideas?

“First you need to find a space which is dark, damp and has the right temperature. Anything colder than 15 or 18 degrees Celsius will be alright, but anything higher than that will not work for storing wine for long periods of time. Ideally if you want to open a wine 40 years from now you need to keep your wine at a constant temperature. As for space, you do not need a big space, even under the stairs will work if you don’t have a basement. As for shelving, Bermuda’s limestone is excellent for storing bottles because it maintains humidity and breathes. Wood will also work and if you prefer using metal, go for stainless steel.”

Q: What is the general shelf life of a bottle of red wine?<$>

“It entirely depends on the origin and the ultimate intrinsic quality of that wine. If kept in the proper conditions, you can open a 200-year-old bottle of wine. Wine is organic and alive and constantly evolves. The evolution of the wine needs to happen and continues throughout its life so it’s important to allow this to happen. But some wines just don’t have the ability to age and should be drunk between six months and three years after bottling. Wines from regions in France and Italy can peak at 30 years, it all depends where the wine originates from. But it is important to remember that there is no typical optimum age of a red wine.”

Q: What about white?<$>

“There are some that should be drunk right away, but there are some that can be stored longer and you should treat them the same as you would a red wine.”

Q: What should you look for when you buy wine?<$>

“For first time buyers, it could be a good idea to organise a social event with friends to taste different wines and find what you like. It should be a fun way to learn about wine. Just remember no one has all the information so it’s a learning process for everyone. A group function and wine-tasting to discover what wines work for you is still the best way to go.”

Q: How long can you keep wine after opening the bottle?

“If you open a bottle of 1947 wine, it is bound to be very fragile and chances are you will want to drink it fairly quickly, as in the same night. Whereas younger wines can be opened and kept for up to a week. There are apparatus available that remove oxygen from the bottle after opening and while this won’t work for the long-term, it will help you keep a good bottle of wine up to five days. In some cases you might open a bottle and find it tastes better a day later, once again it all comes down to oxygen interacting with the wine and evolving further, thus tasting better.”

l Mr. Butterfield invites the public to contact Discovery Wines for further information on what wines to collect as well as additional tips and problems associated with storage: “We would very much like to help people get involved.”

He can be contacted via e-mail at david[AT]discoverywines.fr or call Valerie at 333 -WINE (9463).