There are four main things to consider when storing wine: temperature, light, vibration and keeping the cork wet.

Temperature: In general, white wines should be served chilled and reds at room temperature. For whites, a couple of hours in the fridge will do just fine. If you're pushed for time, then put the bottle in an ice bucket filled half with ice and half with cold water. This will bring the wine down to the desired temperature in about twenty minutes. For most reds, room temperature is ideal, unless the room is a balmy 80¡ÆF, of course. We've all had warm red wine served to us in restaurants and, frankly, it does the wine no favors. Light, fruity reds, like Beaujolais, are best served a little cool, especially on a warm summer day. Champagne, dessert wine, most sherry and rosé should be treated as white. Red port should be served at room temperature but tawny port can be chilled.

Decanting: This is the process of pouring off any sediment that has been deposited in the bottle over time to create 'clean wine'. It is frequently done with vintage port or older red wines that have spent many years in a bottle. The vast majority of wines do not need to be decanted at all, but if you do need to do it, simply pour the wine slowly into a glass decanter or jug keeping an eye on the neck of the bottle. When you see sediment in the neck, it's time to stop. Decanting can also help the wine "breathe".

Breathing: If a wine has spent many years locked up in a bottle, away from the air, it will benefit from a little breathing time. This can take place in the glass or in a decanter and twenty to thirty minutes should suffice. Even young wines can benefit from a little breathing time as it allows the wine to open up and really show what it's made of. You can test this by tasting a wine immediately after opening it and then see how your second glass tastes some twenty minutes later. There's often quite a difference. That's also why, if you're opening several reds, open them all at once. You give your next bottle a chance to breathe, while you are enjoying the current one. On the other hand, whites generally don't need to be opened ahead of time, as the goal is usually to retain their freshness.

Glassware: The best glasses for appreciating wine are made of plain, thin, clear glass. Heavy, cut glass makes it difficult to see the wine properly. The glass should have a wide bowl tapering to a narrow opening; a tulip shape, in other words. This allows room for the wine to be swirled in the glass while concentrating the aromas at the rim. Champagne should be served in tall flutes or tall, thin tulip-shaped glasses. Today there are many specialty glasses designed to be used with different grape varieties. While these may, indeed, enhance the attributes of the different wines, they really aren't necessary. A good, all purpose glass like Riedel's "Ouverture" series red and white wine glass, is a simple, elegant solution for a reasonable price.

Fill level: The glass should never be filled more than about half full. This allows room for swirling the wine around in the glass to release its aromas without splashing it all over the table. A good way to achieve this is to leave the glass on the table, hold the stem at the base and make small, quick circles with the base. Try it!

Acidity: very important if the wine is to be refreshing and balanced. Lemon juice and vinegar are acidic. Too much and the wine tastes too tart; too little and the wine is known as "flabby", tasting heavy and just not refreshing.

Alcohol: a vital component in wine, but one that shouldn't stand apart from the other elements if the wine is to be balanced. When the alcohol is too high, there will be a bit of a burning sensation after the wine is swallowed.

Tannin: a natural preservative found in grape skins and stalks, tannin is the stuff that makes young red wines seem harsh and leaves the mouth feeling dry. If you want to know how tannin feels when it's not in wine, brew some very strong black tea and you'll soon know! Tannin's role as preservative is extremely important in high quality red wines that are made to age for many years.

Body: an indicator of how the wine feels in the mouth. Pinot Noir or Beaujolais tend to feel quite light in the mouth while Bordeaux or Australian Shiraz tend to be full and dense. So, the progression for both reds and whites is light-bodied, to medium bodied, to full-bodied.

Fruit: the taste and intensity of the fruit in the mouth; generally, the better the wine, the more evident the fruit. Also, younger wines will often display more fruit than mature wine.

Length: how long the taste of the wine lingers in the mouth after swallowing is a good indication of the wine's quality: the longer the better.

Many producers in New Zealand felt they were getting an unusually high number of tainted corks and began experimenting with screwcaps. The results have been encouraging, especially for white wines like New Zealand's Sauvignon Blancs: no tainted cork aromas, and the wines are easy to open. Producers elsewhere are also trying it, and generally with good results. It may be too early to tell, though, and there are still other questions to be answered; will wines age the same way with screwcaps as they do with corks, for example. And many don't feel that wine is the same without the ritual of popping the cork. For now, we trust our winemakers to bottle their wines in the way they think best suits the wine itself.

WHISKEY : The Irish invented it and in Gaelic, it means "the water of life". In the Unites States and Ireland, the word is spelled with an e, the British, Scots, and the Canadians usually drop the e. All basic whiskeys, whatever the type, are made from one type of grain or another Straight whiskeys are bottled from the casks in which they are aged, with water added to reduce their proof. Blended whiskeys are of two types: Blended straight whiskeys are a blend or combination of different straight whiskeys of the same general type. Many Scotches and bourbons fit this description. However, "blended whiskeys" as the term is used in the United States, refers to whiskeys in which a straight whiskey has been blended with grain nuetral spirits. The basic varieties of whiskey are blended, bourbon, Canadian, corn, rye, Scotch and Tennessee. The grains used to make whiskey are corn, rye, wheat and barley.

A blended whiskey (or whisky) is the product of blending different types of whiskies. It is generally the product of mixing one or more single malt whiskies (made from 100 percent malted grain (such as barley or rye) together with other grain whiskies or neutral grain spirits. Scotland, Ireland, and Canada are the most common countries of origin for blends.

Most blended whiskies do not list an age. When a blended scotch whisky does so, each individual malt and grain whisky must be at least as old as the age listed. One of the most widely known examples of blended whisky is the Johnnie Walker brand.

A blended whisky is much less expensive to produce than the other types of whisky. Most cocktails and mixed drinks that call for whisky use blended whisky. This is primarily for cost reasons, and secondarily because the complex flavours of single malt whiskes would be overshadowed by the mixer(s). Scotch purists generally consider blended whisky to be an inferior drink to the Single malt Scotch varieties . Others might argue that blending allows for the creation of smoother or more desireable flavors, and at a cost savings.

LIQUOR : Alcoholic beverage most often distilled, rather than fermented.

POT STILL : This is the traditional method of producing whiskey. Pot Still whiskey content is characterised by a full-bodied, complex flavour.