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As Buffalo’s leading wine destination, we specialize in providing the very best products to suit any occasion and budget. We feature wines from all major growing region in the world and hundreds of grape varietals. We offer the largest assortment of New York State wines in the Buffalo area. In addition to most popular spirit brands and locally distilled options, we have an unbeatable collection of small batch whiskey, artisan gin, authentic tequila, and liqueurs in every category. Our staff are highly trained to assist you and make your shopping experience as memorable as possible.
If you can afford to maintain a wine cellar, you might already know the answer to this question. However, if by “wine cellar” you mean “scary basement” or, more preferably, a place that is generally cool and dark without temperature fluctuations, that depends on what’s in the bottle.
The majority of wines, in fact, are meant to be consumed “young”, that is, within a year or two after they’ve been produced. Many other wines, regardless of their aging potential, are also slugged back in this early window. It’s difficult to identify which bottles can stand up to a year or ten in a dark corner of your basement/buried in your backyard without some familiarity with the compounds that contribute to the structure of the wine. Tannin, a substance found in the seeds, stems, and skins of grapes, is one such compound. A bitter, mouth-puckering agent, tannin is a key preservative for wine, instrumental in its long-term maturation process. As wine ages, tannin slowly falls out of solution, collecting as sediment in the bottle. In wines known for their aging potential, this reaction allows other characteristics to show through. That’s why a bottle you thought tasted like asphalt might suddenly become more flavorful, more complex, and perfectly balanced. Tasting wine and becoming acquainted with regions known for the great old vintages is a sure way to make sure you’re not wasting precious space on a bottle that won’t evolve into anything except vinegar. As a rule, red wines will always age better than white wines, but several whites can withstand a bit of cellaring themselves. Just like with most things, the best way to get better at identifying these bottles is with practice. In this instance, that means pull some corks and start experimenting!Chill filtering is simply a method in the manufacture of whisky employed to remove fatty compounds and proteins from the spirit before bottling. The distillate is chilled to right around freezing and passed through a filter where the undesired distilling byproducts are removed.
There’s been some controversy about the chill filtering process and its effect on the final product. Though designed to improve the clarity of the whisky, certain flavor components (such as peat particles) can be filtered out along with the rough stuff. As a result, many distillers have abandoned the practice.
Equally controversial, if not more so, has been the addition of E150a caramel coloring to the whisky produced by large brands to safeguard against potential inconsistencies in the color profile of the spirit. These topics remain a source of intense debate amongst Scotch enthusiasts. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to find a dram that perfectly suits your palate. Chill filtered and color corrected? Fine. Non-chill filtered and au naturel? Great. Straight E150a down the hatch? Too far.
The point is, no matter which side of the argument you fall on, you’ll never have to worry about an empty glass. Happy sipping.
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