Treatment of Wines.
Connoisseurs on the subject of wine say much depends upon its treatment before it is served; that it is invariably much impaired in flavor through ignorance of proper treatment in the cellar; and that a wine of ordinary grade will be more palatable than one of better quality less carefully managed. They say wine should never be allowed to remain in case, but unpacked, and laid on its side. Above all, wine should be stored where it is least exposed to the changes of temperature.
All red wines should be kept dry and warm, especially clarets, which are more easily injured by cold than by heat. Consequently, on account of the rigor of our winters, clarets are better stored in a closet on the second floor (not too near a register) than in a cellar. Champagnes and Rhine wines stand cold better than heat, which frequently causes fermentation. The warmer sherry, Madeira, and all spirits are kept, the better.