Self Storage Blog » wine storage

Wine Storage Master Class With Tommasi: Amorone & Valpolicella

Big Yellow Blogger — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:47:34 +0000

Hi again! It’s Matt the wine manager at ‘The Wine Cellars’ located at Big Yellow Self Storage’s Fulham branch with an update to the wine blog from our recent Amorone & Valpolicella Master Class with wines from Tommasi.

Tommasi is a family run company established in 1902 by Giacomo Tommasi who have steadily built up their estate and now own 135 hectares of vineyard in Verona as well as an estate in southern Tuscany. They have some of Valpolicella’s finest vineyards and were the first producer’s to use the Guyot cane pruning system to promote better grape ripening. They eschew the use of small barriques for traditional larger Slavonian oak vats to let the wine speak for itself.

Rafael Valpolicella Classico Superiore, 2009 (£11.99)

This wine hails from the Classico (best) part of Valpolicella and has firm ripe black cherry, plum & liquorice on the nose with redcurrant and cherry dominating the palate. The well-balanced acidity keeps the palate lifted and fresh, the perfect partner for pizza or pasta dishes.

Arele Apassimento Rosso Veronese IGT, 2009 (£12.00)

A complex nose of dark chocolate and black cherry morphing into grilled lamb & Provencal herb with time in the glass. The palate has fresh acidity and baked red & black fruits that linger in the mouth, good stuff that will benefit from a few years bottle ageing.

Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore, 2009 (£14.50)

Tommasi’s Ripasso has a restrained power with dense, concentrated black fruits and delicate pot pourri on the nose. The palate is well-balanced expressing succulent blackcurrant & bitter cherry fruit with a long, spiced finish.

Crearo della Conca d’Oro I.G.T, 2008 (£14.50)

Inky blackcurrant rather than cherry fruits dominates the nose with a pleasing smoky medicinal edge. On the palate the fruit is expressive and again leans more towards blackcurrant and plum than red fruits, although it does sacrifice some of the fresh acidity Valpolicella is known for but makes up for it on the length.

Amorone della Valpolicella Classico (£24+)

Now for the big guns! It is always interesting to taste the same wines from different vintages the two we tried on the night were the 2003 & 2007 both relatively good with the ‘07 coming out as the slightly better.

2007
Fragrant, rich red cherry dominates the nose moving towards more concentrated cherry brandy notes with some time in the glass, elegant and majestic. The palate is filled with concentrated black cherry and plum fruit that calls to mind the feel of a vintage port devoid of the added aguardente spirit, powerful but with enough acidity to stop it from becoming cloying.

2003
The nose on the ‘03 was really starting to show what difference a few more years in bottle, and a lesser vintage gives. On the palate fruit was more subdued but the wine had better overall integration with dried fruit characteristics dominating especially on the length, a wine that demands some thought (and a decent slice of cheese!).

Look out for these wines next time you’re buying a bottle! Need more space to store your wine? We now offer purpose-built, climate-controlled cellars – with all the flexibility you’d expect. Drop in to the Big Yellow Self Storage Wine Cellars in Fulham next time you’re in the area.

Speak soon,

Matt

Matthew Wicksteed
Wine Manager
T: 020 7736 5020

The Wine Cellars
71 Townmead Road
Fulham
London
SW6 2ST

Tips & Tricks: De-Cluttering Your Home

Big Yellow Blogger — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:08:09 +0000

Deciding how to store items in your home is a very important part of de-cluttering and getting organised. The following tips will help you make quick and valuable decisions which will help you organise all areas of your home.

Hallway – Sort through your collection of scarves, hats, coats and other items of clothing that take up space. You can keep the items that are used daily or weekly as any of the excess items can be moved into a nearby cupboard, donated to charity or put in a self storage room.

Living Room – Old books, DVDs and CDs are the usual culprits so lose the bits and pieces and only display your most prized possessions.

Kitchen – The main source of frustration in a kitchen is overstuffed cabinets and drawers filled with duplicate kitchenware, dishes that are used only on special occasions, mismatched containers and appliances that you no longer use. If you can’t bear to part with an item consider relocating it or putting the items in storage.

Closets – It’s time to be strong and clear out those items that haven’t been worn in the last year, no longer fit or are out of style.
Bathrooms – Throw away any items that have expired or those that are no longer in use. Items such as toothbrushes can be kept in holders to save space and keep them clean.

Office – Any paperwork that can be found on a website or email should be recycled. Filing systems can help you minimise the inflow of paperwork and help reduce your existing paperwork piles.

Kids Room – Teaching children the concept of ‘one in, one out’ can stop toys from becoming jumbled and cluttered on the floor.

Garage –When you clear space in your house, boxes of old clothing, sports equipment and extra furnishings usually end up in the garage and will never return inside your home. To create a vast amount of free space you can donate the items or keep them in self storage.

To find out how you can benefit from self storage, visit our Quote and reserve online page to get started.

Bodega Catena Zapata Master Class

Big Yellow Blogger — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:14:24 +0000

Hi again! It’s Matt the wine manager at ‘The Wine Cellars’ located in Big Yellow Self Storage’s Fulham branch with an update to the wine blog from our recent Catena Zapata event.

We had the opportunity to invite Mariela Molinari to The Wine Cellars who is a winemaker at Catena Zapata. They have been established since 1902 and have become one of Argentina’s premier wine makers. Catena’s Alta range has regularly been awarded 90+ points from leading wine authority Robert Parker, making it some of the best value for money wine in the world.

All wines tasted on the night were of outstanding quality and here are my top picks:

Catena ‘Alamos’ Malbec 2009 £7-8 (Available at Majestic, Slurp & other retailers)

A fantastic nose of black cherries, plums, coffee and warm Bakewell tart. With a long, toasty blackcurrant and melted liquorice length on the palate. Amazing value for money!

Catena Chardonnay 2008 £10.95 (Majestic, Slurp)

Many people have steered clear of Chardonnay in recent years but this is sure to get everyone back on side. A delicate, creamy nose that reminded me of freshly cut pineapple. On the palate you get lovely, refreshing green apple, tropical fruit and light creamy finish from auspicious use of oak, again great value for money. Mariela informed us that the soon to be released 2009 is even better, so keep an eye out for that one!

Catena ‘Alta’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 £23.95 (Majestic, Slurp)

Although not the grape variety most associated with Argentina, this was my top wine of the tasting and could easily match up to most old world cabernets at twice the price! A very classy, complex nose showing rich cassis fruit, liquorice, desiccated coconut and after eight mints! Incredibly well balanced on the palate with intense bramble fruit and an amazing length.

Keep an eye out for my top picks next time you’re buying a bottle!

Bye for now,
Matt

Theres over 350 Prizes to Win with Big Yellow’s Christmas Advent Calendar

Big Yellow Blogger — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:00:03 +0000

Over the next 25 days until Christmas we will be giving you the chance to win prizes everyday on our Advent Calendar! We will be giving away over 356 prizes exclusively to members of our Facebook page with a grand prize of an XBox 360 console and Kinect, which allows your own body to become the controller. The 360 Kinect camera tracks your movement, recognises your voice, scans objects into games, and works with every Xbox 360.

We will also be giving away gift vouchers for iTunes, IKEA, Homebase, Amazon and offering a 25% discount at Big Yellow Self Storage so you’ll be sure to find something to treat yourself! You can even increase your chances of winning by inviting your friends to take part.

To be in with a chance of winning any of these fantastic prizes visit the Advent Calendar tab on the Big Yellow Self Storage Facebook page.

Henschke Master Class With Simon Woods

Big Yellow Blogger — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:21:56 +0000

Hi everyone! It’s Matt the wine manager at ‘The Wine Cellars’ located in Big Yellow Self Storage’s Fulham branch with an update to the wine blog from some of the events we’ve had recently.

At the end of September I attended the high profile, fine wine tasting of Henschke wines at The Wine Cellars in Fulham, hosted by the West London Wine School.

Renowned wine journalist Simon Woods presented the tasting of the iconic wines from Henschke, Australia. Henschke wines have gained international recognition as some of the finest wines produced in Australia and amongst the most sought after wines in the world. The tasting worked through the excellent single varietal and blended wines within the range, leading up to the famous Mount Edelstone Shiraz (£55-£60) and the classic Cyril Henschke Carbernet (£60-£70).

Simon Woods is a well respected wine journalist with a plethora of awards under his belt. He won the title Online Wine Columnist/Blogger of the Year at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writer’s Award 2010 for his blog, Drinking Outside The Box. Simon has contributed to numerous magazines, is editor of the award-winning Which? Wine Guide as well as co-coordinator of the annual International Wine Challenge.

Simon was fantastically entertaining, using his easy going personal style to guide the wine enthusiasts through the tasting of the stunning range of Henschke wines. His informal approach is very accessible and he even likened some of the wines to famous bands.

The event cost £45 and included nibbles, tasting notes and professional ISO tasting glasses. To find out about future events held by the West London Wine School and hosted at Big Yellow’s wine cellar facility, The Wine Cellar’s in Fulham visit westlondonwineschool.com. All events and courses are designed to be relaxed and fun and you don’t need any previous wine tasting experience, just so long as you are passionate about good wine.

Keep an eye out for more tasting reviews in my wine blog!

Bye for now,
Matt

Meet The Wine Maker – Jeremy Gordon

Big Yellow Blogger — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:49:23 +0000

On 22 September, myself and twenty others had the chance to meet Jeremy Gordon the wine maker for the Amelia Park label as he hosted the tasting session of premium west Australian wines for the West London Wine School at The Wine Cellars. We enjoyed the quality of the Amelia Park wines on offer and were guided through the tasting process by the wine making legend, Jeremy Gordon himself.

Amelia Park Wines produce five quality wines from one of Western Australia’s most renowned winemaking regions, Margaret River. The tasting session allowed customers to enjoy all five bottles including the Amelia Park Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River, 2009 (£18.50). The award-winning La Violetta ‘La Ciornia’ Shiraz Viognier (£30) one of the best Western Australian wines tasted recently at the school was also on offer for guests to try.

For those who don’t know Jeremy Gordon, he is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most highly regarded winemakers and has recently won one of the most prestigious awards in the industry, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, which is added to his already vast collection of honours. Jeremy believes that the success of a good wine starts with the vine, so he works closely with a select group of premium vineyards to achieve superior and consistent fruit quality resulting in elegant, irresistible wines.

Also included in the event were 8 locally sourced wines with full tasting notes, a tasting sheet, professional tasting glasses and a range of nibbles. Big Yellow’s wine storage facility, The Wine Cellars in Fulham is the host for all of the wine tasting events and wine courses provided by the West London Wine School.

For more information and to book future tasting events and wine courses go to westlondonwineschool.com. All courses and events are open to all (you do not have to be a wine expert), and are designed to be a relaxed and fun environment for enjoying quality wines.

Stay tuned for more reviews of these fantastic events in my wine blog.

Thanks,
Matt

Superb Wine Tasting Events At Big Yellow Self Storage’s Wine Cellars

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:07:59 +0000

Hi, I’m Matt, the wine manager at ‘The Wine Cellars’ located in Big Yellow Self Storage’s Fulham branch. I will be regularly updating this wine blog to inform you of the exciting events we have coming up at The Wine Cellars at Big Yellow Self Storage.

At Big Yellow Wine Cellars we’ve teamed up with the West London Wine School to provide wine loving Londoners with some exciting wine tasting events. You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to attend these events, as they are led by experts who will guide you through the tasting process step by step. The sessions are designed to be a relaxed and fun environment for any wine enthusiast.

Prices start from £20 and include a minimum of six wines, tasting foods, comprehensive tasting notes on the selected wines as well as professional ISO tasting glasses. As well as the tasting sessions, there are also many different wine courses available which focus on specific types of wines or regions such as the four week Discover Italy course or the eight week Introduction To The World Of Wine.

For more information on upcoming events or wine courses visit WestLondonWineSchool.com, all their events and courses are held in The Wine Cellars at Big Yellow’s flagship store in Fulham.

To find out how you can benefit from storing your wine collection in our climate controlled cellars, with unlimited access to your wines seven days a week from 5am until 11pm, visit us at our Fulham store or our Specialist Wine Storage page for more information and a quote.

Look out for my reviews of recent wine tasting events coming up on the Big Yellow Self Storage Wine Blog,

Cheers,
Matt

Organise Your Wine Cellar On Your iPhone

Big Yellow Blogger — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:11:08 +0000

Forgetting what you have in your wine cellar could be a thing of the past thanks to the Cellar and Open Cellar applications available for your iPod and the Open Cellar software for your home computer.

Cellar is an iPhone, iPod or iPad application, which is designed to help you organise your wine collection wherever and whenever you like. The application acts as a swipeable showcase of your wine rack. You can categorise your wine bottles, edit what is in your cellar and browse through your collection.

Any bottles you have removed to drink or sell can be discarded to the ‘Garage’. This feature recognises that the particular bottles are no longer a part of your collection, but saves them in the Garage for future reference.

Don’t have an iPhone? Not a problem!

Open Cellar is an equally useful programme, which you can download for free onto your Mac or PC. You can also purchase the ‘Open Cellar’ app for your iDevice, which can be used alone or can be synchronised with the computer software.

The application allows you to organise your wines and provides information on where each bottle is produced, who it’s produced by, specific attributes and value. You can rate every bottle and add purchasing and taste notes for personal reference.

There is an option to build multiple racks and the application can show you the exact location of each bottle in your cellar, allowing you to find your wines quickly and easily. Touching a specific bottle on the screen displays a summary of the wine and highlights where matching bottles are positioned in your cellar. There is also an online database where you can back up your wine catalogue information, so you will never lose your records.

At Big Yellow Self Storage we know the importance of storing wine properly. At our flagship store in Fulham we offer specialist, climate controlled wine storage rooms which you can access 7 days a week. To find out more information about how you could benefit from wine storage visit The Wine Cellars section of our website.

How To Start Your Own Wine Collection

Big Yellow Blogger — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:36:53 +0000

You don’t necessarily have to be a wine expert to begin your own wine collection, there is plenty of help and advice available to get you started. We have compiled some of the best tips and tricks to get you on your way to developing a cellar, which will have your friends green with envy.

There will always be something about wine you didn’t know, no matter how advanced your knowledge is. Education is paramount in becoming a successful wine collector. Read as many wine books, columns and websites as you can. Where possible, visit your nearest vineyard (or take the opportunity to go next time you are holidaying somewhere renowned for wine production). Look out for wine tasting events as these sessions will help you decide which wines to add to your collection. To really develop your knowledge on the subject, it would be a good idea to take a wine course.

There are 3 main categories of wine;

1. Drink it now,
2. Keep it for 2-5 years
3. Keep it for 5 years or more.

If you don’t know which category your wine falls into, you will not get the best from your bottle. The majority of wines (about 90%) do not improve with age and are meant to be drunk within the year. Seek advice from wine merchants, as they should be able to provide a knowledgeable service about the best wines to buy and how long to keep them.

Although you should be confident in your own taste and build a wine collection which will adhere to your own preferences, you should also broaden your horizons and buy new wines, which you have not tried before. The more you experiment, the better you will be at differentiating between the countries wines come from. For example, with time you may be able to tell whether a particular chardonnay comes from Burgundy, New Zealand or California. As you get more confident, you may even be able to taste the difference between different regions of the same country.

Make use of the various promotions and discounts on offer. You can usually get money off when you buy wine by the case. Alternatively purchase directly from the wholesaler or make use of any friends in the restaurant business by placing orders through them. To get the best deals shop around for wine clubs – these can often save you lots of money as they cut prices for their members.

Organisation is a key aspect to your wine collection. Once you have brought your wine make sure you put it in good order. This is essential to avoid getting in a muddle, and ensuring you do not waste a valuable bottle of wine, which is not yet ready to drink. Cataloguing your bottles in a book will help you know what you have and when you can open or sell your bottles. If you open a bottle, make sure you log it and add tasting comments alongside the notes, for your future reference.

Tailoring a storage solution for your new collection is one of the most important things to consider. Improper storage of your wine can ruin your stock so it is essential to store your wine under the right conditions.

At Big Yellow Self Storage we know the importance of storing wine properly. At our flagship store in Fulham we offer specialist wine storage rooms. Our private cellars are climate controlled and computer monitored. You can even access your vintage vinos 7 days a week. To find out more visit The Wine Cellars section on our website now. For more information about wine tasting courses and events visit eatmytown.co.uk.

Tips & Tricks: Under Bed Storage

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:16:12 +0000

Making use of the space under your bed is a great storage solution, it’s also an area which is often forgotten about. The area can be used for items that aren’t used regularly such as out of season clothes, shoes and bedding. Whether you have drawers or a raised bed, a little creativity and a few simple storage solutions can transform an empty area into an indispensible storage space.
One of the best storage solutions for underneath the bed is vacuum storage bags as they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

They can be filled with sweaters, clothes and any other soft items, then by using a vacuum cleaner you can easily suck the air from the bags which reduces them to a compact storable size. The deflated bags can then stored underneath the bed and even stacked together to maximise the space you have available.

There are always more traditional storage containers such as clear plastic bins that can be used to store bulk items. They come in different sizes depending on the space you have available to use and can easily slide from beneath your bed.

For all of your storage needs including storage boxes and vacuum storage bags visit us in store or order online at our online box shop.