MOST WINES DO NOT improve with age. The majority of what we buy--whether it's sparkling, red, white or rosé--tastes much better when drunk within one or two years of bottling, before the fruit falls flat and it loses a little of its vitality. There are a few special wines, though, that benefit from aging. These are vintage Champagne, sweet wines, fine white Burgundy, Riesling or Chenin Blanc from the Loire, the fine red wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone, and top-end Italian wines such as Barolo. All of these will improve with bottle age.
大多数葡萄酒并不是越陈越香。我们买的大部分葡萄酒——无论是起泡酒、红葡萄酒、白葡萄酒还是玫瑰红葡萄酒——在装瓶后的一两年内喝起来味道要好得多，这时候果味还没有变淡，活力也没怎么丧失。不过，少数特制的葡萄酒是越陈越香的。这些酒包括年份香槟(vintage Champagne)，甜酒(sweet wines)，精酿勃艮第白葡萄酒(fine white Burgundy)，雷司令(Riesling)或卢瓦尔出产的白诗南(Chenin Blanc from the Loire)，精酿波尔多、勃艮第及罗纳红葡萄酒(the fine red wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone)，还有巴罗洛(Barolo)这样的顶级意大利葡萄酒。所有这些葡萄酒都会随着装瓶年代的日益久远而越来越有味道。
Such wines as these are made in a style that lends them a lot of fruit, tannin and acidity, so that when the cork or screw cap is sealed, the contents continue to evolve. Inside the bottle, the bacteria, tannins and enzymes interact to transform the flavor of the wine from predominantly fruit to secondary, more complex flavors and aromas. Traditionally, it has always made sound financial sense to buy these wines when they are first offered on the market to secure an allocation at a favorable price. Once they arrive, usually 18 months later, the problem is one of storage.
这些葡萄酒的酿制方法是让它们有足够的果味、单宁和酸度，这样在软木塞或螺旋瓶盖封口后，酒中的成分会继续释放。在酒瓶里边，细菌、单宁和?会相互发生反应，把以果味为主的味道转变成以果味为辅，口感和香味都更丰富。传统上，这些酒刚一面市就购买在经济上是很合算的，这样可以保证能以优惠的价格获得配额。一旦到货（通常是在18个月以后），要面对的就是储藏的问题了。
Cellars provide the ideal habitat for aging wine, being cool, free of vibration, damp and dark--all necessary conditions for the best aging process. Sadly, most houses don't come with their own underground cellars any more. Indeed, for many of us who live in a city, space is at a premium.
酒窖是储藏陈酿葡萄酒的理想场所，因为那里凉爽、通风、阴暗潮湿——所有这些都是进行最佳陈化的必要条件。不幸的是，如今大多数房子都不再建有地下酒窖了。实际上，对于我们当中生活在城里的很多人来说，空间是一个稀缺的资源。
Moreover, wine and central heating make unhappy bedfellows. Temperature is of paramount importance. Wide fluctuations can cause the cork to expand and contract, increasing the possibility of the wine bottle leaking, while too much heat will speed up the aging process.
此外，葡萄酒和中央供暖系统是不共戴天的。温度是最为重要的因素，大幅度的温度起伏会引起软木塞膨胀和收缩，增大葡萄酒瓶发生泄漏的可能性，而温度过高则会加速陈化的过程。
There are a number of solutions. If the wines are of particular value, one can have them stored professionally. Most wine merchants provide this service for a small fee, usually around £11, or euro12, per case of 12 bottles per year. The advantage is that one knows one's wine is stored in optimum conditions, in an air-conditioned warehouse. The downside is the cost.
解决的办法有很多。如果葡萄酒具有特别的价值，可以委托专业机构进行储藏。大多数葡萄酒商都提供这样的服务，收取的费用很少，一般一件12瓶一箱的葡萄酒一年的储藏费为11英镑（约合人民币109元）左右。这样做的好处是主人能确保自己的葡萄酒是在最佳条件下储藏的，是在一个有空调的仓库里。缺点是要破费钱财。
Another solution is to have a cellar installed. There are a number of companies that will construct a bespoke cellar or wine room under your kitchen, next to your bedroom or at the bottom of your garden, for around £20, 000.
另一种解决办法是请人修酒窖。很多公司都可以在你的厨房下面、卧室隔壁或在你的花园地下为你量身打造酒窖，费用在20,000英镑（约合人民币19.9万元）左右。
If getting the builders in feels a little too much, another option is an air-conditioned wine cabinet, which will keep your wine in perfect cellar-like conditions for many years. Wine cabinets differ from wine fridges in that they heat up as well as cool down. So if you want to store your fine wine in a freezing cold garage, the cabinet will keep the wine at a constant 10-14°C all year round.
如果感觉找建筑施工人员修酒窖动静有点太大，另一种选择是配备一个带空调设备的酒柜，它可以让你的葡萄酒在酒窖那样的完美条件下保存很多年。葡萄酒柜与葡萄酒冰箱的区别在于酒柜既能升温，也能降温。因此，如果你想把上好的葡萄酒存放在冰冷的车库里，酒柜可以让你的葡萄酒一年四季都保持在10-14°C的温度条件下储存。
One can easily be fitted into a new kitchen, where all of your fine wine will also be conveniently on hand for that spontaneous special occasion. EuroCave and Liebherr are the leading manufacturers.
葡萄酒柜可以很容易地安装在新建的厨房里，这样在那个偶然到来的特殊时刻，你的所有好酒也都可以很方便地随意拿取。尤勒凯夫(EuroCave)和利勃海尔(Liebherr)是主要的酒柜生产商。
If you do have a spare room that is dark and well-insulated, you could opt for a cellar conditioner, which will circulate cool air to create the perfect cellar conditions. Failing that, it's under the stairs. But if you have paid a great deal for your wine, it is well worth storing it properly.
如果你有一间阴暗的、隔热很好的空余房间，你可以选择使用酒窖空调，它可以制造循环流通的冷空气，创造出酒窖那样的完美条件。如果没有这样的空余房间，那就把酒存放在楼梯下面。不过你既然花了一大笔钱买酒，好好储藏还是值得为之的。
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