Wine is so sensitive that it doesn't like being bottled. It can close down temporarily, immediately after the stress of being moved from its barrel or tank - the so-called 'bottle shock'.
It isn't flight-friendly, either - it is recommended to rest a bottle for three weeks before opening upon arrival at a destination. It also hates sitting around at container ports under the bright midday sun, and it loathes standing up beneath supermarket fluorescent lighting.
In these days of squeaky-clean winemaking, in which increasing numbers of bottles have screw caps and in which the cork industry has cleaned itself up dramatically, the single most likely cause of wine spoilage is compromised storage - and that includes domestic storage.
Do you keep your wine on the counter top in the kitchen? Oh no!
In the worst case, says Debra Meiburg, master of wine, wine can be stored under the bed, where the mattress helps to provide some insulation against the summer heat. Indeed, the late Barry Burton, chairman of the Hong Kong Wine Society for more than a quarter of a century, used to keep his cases of first growths just there - though his apartment was air conditioned for 24 hours a day.
Wine likes the place that best mirrors the traditional European underground wine cellar, where lighting conditions are dim, the temperature is cool and consistent (12 to 14 degrees Celsius), and there is sufficient humidity (65 to 80 per cent) to prevent the drying out of corks. These are perfect conditions for not only storing wine but also for ageing it.
