Now if you’re anything like me, when I first started buying (and drinking!) wine I cared very little for the finer points of wine storage. In reality, most of the wine I bought was demolished hours after purchase, while the occasional more interesting (meaning more expensive) bottle would spend a week or two on a shelf in my stuffy uni room (that’s college for my American wine friends). Making the most of my student income meant value and offers were the name of the game. Quality came a bit further down the list. Pretty near the bottom, to be honest.

It took a significant wine disaster to shock me out of my complacency; a couple of years ago I read this horrific wine story. The unfortunate chap involved, Robert Dwyer who’s a wine blogger and enthusiast based in Boston, managed to cook a beautiful $100 magnum of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Poor…