DEAR DOCTOR...let us solve your wine problems

Dr Hannah wine therapist
and perfect housewife

Dear Dr. Hannah,
Is it possible to buy half decent wine in boxes anymore?
 I ask as I imagine it would keep for longer and I wouldn't mind having a box of it in the kitchen for the odd glass or two of red in the evenings.
 My wife has been either pregnant or breastfeeeding for the last 6 years so I have been the only one indulging for this length of time. I find when I do sit down for that much deserved glass of wine at the end of each evening, I end up polishing off the bottle. My reasoning behind this dreadful over-indulgence is that I feel it doesn't keep once open.  Some might see this as a rather inconsequential problem but my wife is getting a little sick and tired of having to manouever me up the staircase come the end of the bottle and as I have been brought up on the strong Irish belief of   "waste not want not" I am finding it difficult to change these habits as the wanting is definitely there.

         I wait in earnest for some much needed advice,

           Desperate Yet Hopeful in Tullamore.

Dear Desperate Yet Hopeful in Tullamore,

 You are not alone as this is a question I am asked about quite frequently. Bag-in-box often comes with the misperception that all to be found inside is cheap, undrinkable plonk whereas in countries such as Sweden and Denmark,  the quality of some of these wines is excellent as the demand is high. However the selection in Ireland generally does end up being exactly the forementioned as there is no real market for it here.  The choice is very limited and generally all that can be found is some inexpensive 5l. Aussie and American "God only knows what Blends" on the bottom shelf of your supermarket. .While there seems to be a market for such wines you do sound like a man who enjoys the finer things in life so these would only lead to disappontment. However don't despair as Dr. Hannah has two possible solutions for you. Firstly though before I start on these I need to set you straight on something you mentioned. Unless you are drinking vintage wines every night which I doubt you are as who is, there should be nothing wrong with replacing a cork on a half finished bottle of wine in fact just like my famous lasagne sometimes they taste even better on the second night. If you don't want to finish the entire bottle then recork it as quick as you can and even put the bottle upright in fridge door, this works for reds just as well as whites, you just have to remove it a few hours before drinking so it returns to room temperature.

An inexpensive fool-proof solution would be to invest in a gadget known as a Vacuvin pump(pictured left) which comes with two stoppers for around €12. You simply insert one of the stoppers into the bottle and pump out the oxeygen which is what causes the wine to deteriorate. This keeps an opened bottle of wine for up to 3 to 4 days.

The second solution requires a slight bit more investment but I did know someone suffering from the same complaint as yourself and this however expensive has actually saved their marriage. Gone are the days of your partner manouevering you up stairs as this chair lift does all the hard work and yes there is the expense of the fit-out but it will also add value to your property.




Hoping something here makes you more hopeful and less desperate.
Dr Hannah,

Wine Therapist
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