Tony Aspler returns with a book for anyone who has fallen under the spell of the glorious grape — and dreamed of having their very own wine cellar.

Tony Aspler’s Cellar Book provides guidelines for anyone, whether their regular tipple is a $15-Australian or a $100-Bordeaux, who wants to keep a supply of wines that will age with grace and flavour and be ready to consume for a mid-week dinner or a spontaneous celebration. Tony’s suggestions for general approaches to establishing a cellar, specific bottles and even themes will help you create the perfect collection — big or small. Basic techniques for evaluating the right cellar for your needs are accompanied by sidebars of cellaring experience and advice from well-known wine celebrities. Follow Tony as he builds his own cellar in his condo, while picking up tips on how to build your own.

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Wine spoilage can be due to a number of factors: a tainted cork, storage in an overheated area, oxidation through an ill-fitting cork or simply poor winemaking. But inevitably it’s the cork that gets the blame. A compound called TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) — which gives the stinky odour and flavour to “corked” wines — is one of the most powerful spoiling agents in the world. It is said that one teaspoonful could taint the entire annual wine production of the United States. Even a neophyte wine drinker can detect cork taint in as minute a quantity as five parts per trillion. The problem has been traced to the chlorine that is used to bleach and clean the corks punched out of the bark of cork trees. The chlorine lodges in the pores of the cork, and if any residual mould is left after the cleaning process the two components interact with the wine to create TCA.

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“Tony has a profound understanding of our wine industry, a meticulous eye for detail and a clarity of thought that translates beautifully onto the page.”
— Natalie MacLean

“Tony writes about wine with love, warmth, knowledge and a sense of humour. Enjoy.”
— Bonnie Stern

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Visit Tony Aspler's website.

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Tony Aspler has been writing about wine for more than thirty years and today he is the most widely respected wine writer in Canada. He was been the wine columnist for the Toronto Star for over twenty years and has authored eleven books on wine and food. He writes for a number of international wine magazines and is involved in several charities. He lives in Toronto.

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