How to enjoy your Wiston at home
storage
It’s always best to keep your wines which have a cork closure horizontally. This is because it keeps the liquid in the bottle in contact with the cork, so stops the cork drying out – which could make it very hard to extract as and when you do decide it is time to open it.
So a wine rack is ideal. Unless you are lucky to have a wine cellar(!) then the best place to store your wine is simply somewhere in your home where the temperature is relatively constant. Places like the garage, the shed, or next to an over or heater are not ideal as the temperature fluctuates a lot and this can impact the quality of the wine. Try under the stairs or a wine rack or a pantry, where the temperature is fairly consistent.
How long should you keep sparkling wines?
At Wiston our Non-Vintage wines are released ready to drink. They have already aged a number of years in our cellars, and are blended with reserve wines dating back to 2008, so they are made to be ready to drink so soon as they leave the cellar. Having said this they will still happily last for 12-18 months (or longer) if properly kept at home. If you have that much restraint!
Our vintage wines are also released ready to drink, however these wines are made with a greater capacity to mature further. If kept horizontally and in a steady temperature, these wines can age and mature for many years. The flavours will evolve – with more developed notes of toast, truffle, honey, quince, apricot tart becoming more intense. We find our wines with Chardonnay in have an amazing capacity to age – our 2010 Blanc de Blancs just won a trophy at the International Wine Challenge. A great example of this!
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Our still wines are closed with a screwcap – so these can be kept upright no problem. Our white and rosé are released ready to drink and taste delicious within a year or two or harvest. Our red Pinot Noir is ready when released, but also will evolve and develop in the bottle. We are keeping the first vintage 2020 to see how this does evolve and look forward to seeing the results in years to come!
Our Blanc de Noirs (current vintage is 2014) is made from just Pinot Noir (66%) and Pinot Meunier (34%). It is a delicious example of this style – winning the WineGB Blanc de Noirs Trophy in 2022. Aromas of lemon cake and hazelnuts nuts on the nose, with a weighty texture on the with notes of rhubarb, dried orange and baked greengage. A sumptuous treat – one to open with not too many others around, if you know what we mean!
Chilling
Don’t ever put sparkling wine in your freezer! This can actually be very dangerous – if left the bottle will explode, and you will have broken glass in your freezer, not to mention the fact that the wine will be wasted!
The fridge works well – but don’t leave unopened bottles in the fridge for weeks on end. The temperature will dry out the cork and make it harder to extract when you want it. A few days is fine.
The best way to quickly chill a bottle is an ice bucket with a good mix of ice and cold water – you need both so the cold water conducts the chill into the bottle.
glasses
Glasses are important for getting the most delicious sip of Wiston. Try to avoid the old fashioned ‘coupes’ which are flat. While very pretty stacked in a large pyramid à la Gatsby, they are super impractical as the wine is very likely to slosh out of the sides, the wide base means the bubbles dissipate very fast and the wide rim means the aromas waft away without letting you enjoy them. The classic flute is more practical – particularly for parties – as the wine is much less likely to slosh out, and the aromas are funneled up so you can enjoy them at their full intensity.
Choosing a glass without a thick rim / lip is also worthwhile. A nice thin glass will feel more delicate to drink from, and deliver the wine to your palate in the smoothest and gentlest way possible. The glasses we have at Chalk are from Riedel – who are always a good bet.
service
Chill well, open with care, and serve to friends and loved ones. And if you can’t find the perfect glass – don’t worry – it will still taste delicious!