Wine Storage

Storing wine is important because just like food, wine is perishable. Proper wine storage will help to ensure that the expensive French Bordeaux you were given as a gift, will not turn to vinegar by the time you get around to opening it!

If you are looking to build your own cellar then you'll want to keep the following information in mind.

How to Store Wine

The key to understanding proper wine storage is to know what the enemies of wine are. They are heat, light, oxygen, low humidity, and I've been told, vibration.

The ideal conditions to store wine is in a cool (around 45°F - 60°F), dark, and damp place. Since we no longer live in caves or castles, this can be quite challenging.

It's really important to ask yourself how long plan on storing the wine and for what purpose. If you're just a causal drinker and just want to store a few bottles for a maximum of a year or so, then your storage needs will be dramatically different than if you are buying wine as an investment.

Before I go any further...

On its Side or Not?

Definitely on its side. Here's why. Oxygen is the worst enemy to the actual wine inside the bottle. The bottles are sealed from the oxygen with pliable, expansive cork. If the cork dries out, it will shrink and possibly let oxygen enter the bottle and oxidize the wine.

Storing the wine on its side will keep the cork moist and maintain the air tight seal for a good deal of time. For extreme periods of time, a humidity controlled environment will be needed to keep the cork from drying out.

The Casual Wine Storer

If you like to keep a few bottles on hand for those impromptu dinners or you just don't like to go shopping for wine but a few times a year, then I'm referring to you as a casual storer. This also assumes that you rotate your stock and only keep each bottle a maximum of about a year or so.

For you, storage will be relatively easy. Just find a place away from sunlight that is relatively cool. Under the sink will probably be fine. Better would be in a basement or under the staircase, etc. You will want to store the wines on their side though if possible.

You can keep the wine in a wine rack, but don't place it on top of the refrigerator. The motor could make it warm and they say that the vibrations are bad for the wine.

You may want to consider buying a wine refrigerator (or wine cave). This is especially true if you drink mostly white wine or Champagne. There are many on the market with a wide range of sizes and features. All of them are made to be able to store the wine on their sides. The little ones can be placed just about anywhere and really affordable. Their motors are usually made to have a minimize vibrations.

Even though they are not really a necessity at this level, I like them because they keep the bottle at ready to drink temperatures. I, like most people, keep my room temperature warmer than any wine should be consumed.

The Collector

Regardless of your current knowledge of wine, if you are wanting to store many bottles or a bottle of wine for a few years, I'm referring to you as a collector. Your storage needs will be a little more demanding.

If you are planning on buying wine as an investment, it may be impossible to sell the wine for what it's worth if you cannot convince the buyer that it has been cellared properly. Over a long period of time, visual inspection of the bottle and label will give many clues to it's condition and how well it has been stored.

Not only will you need a temperature controlled environment, but you will also need humidity levels well above 50%. Even though humidity levels in this range could cause mold to grow and labels to deteriorate, it will keep the cork seal tight and eliminate the wine from evaporating out and oxygen getting in.

The better wine caves and cellaring environments maintain humidity levels and circulate the air to reduce the chance of mold. The caves will also have dampeners to cut down on vibrations.

You can even buy modular, self contained wine rooms! These are a great solution to maintaining the proper environment if your budget will allow it.

Now What?

After getting an idea of what your needs are, check out the site below. They have everything from the most basic racks and wine caves to the most elaborate custom installations and wine rooms. Check out the cellar outlet for great deals.

Quick Storing Points

Keep Bottles on their sides

Store in cool place with little temperature fluctuation

For long term storing, maintain high humidity levels (65% - 90%)

Keep out of direct sunlight

Keep away from heavy vibrations (motors shutting on and off)

Find out the age worthiness of your wines before they are past their prime

Buy a little more storage than you think you need

Which Wines Improve with Age

General Points

Most wines made today were really intended to be consumed young

Reds generally age better than whites

High quality wines will improve and last longer

Very tannic wines mellow and improve with age

Champagne will age wonderfully if stored in proper conditions

Aged wines are fragile and can deteriorate very quickly once opened

Many dessert wines age well

Which Reds?

Fine Bordeaux

Grand Cru and Premier Cru Burgundies

Quality Spanish Rioja

Big reds from Italy (Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, etc.)

Quality Syrah from the Rhône and Shiraz from Australia

Vintage Port

Which Whites?

Grand Cru and Premier Cru white Burgundies

Quality white Bordeaux

Gewurztraminers

Alsace Rieslings

One Last Thing

One of the neatest products I've seen for storing wine is a unit called the Wine Keeper. It's neat because it is also a wine dispenser.

This is a refrigerated wine dispensing/storing unit that has two, independently controlled temperature chambers. One side for reds and one for whites.

As the wine is being dispensed, nitrogen is being injected into the bottles to preserve the wine!

I love this idea because it enables you to open multiple bottles at a time for comparison without having to drink the whole bottle. Not only that, but when your ready for your next glass, your wine is already at the correct temperature!

In case you're interested, you can get one at the Wine Enthusiast. It's in their Serve and Preserve > Wine Preservation category. I think it's THE must have device for storing wine if you can afford it.

Using Wine Refrigerators as Cellars

With so many more people becoming interested wine these days, wine refrigerators have come to fill the need for storage. Many of us do not have the space, money, or desire for a full blown walk-in wine cellar. Refrigerators make the perfect solution.

I especially enjoy the fact that you can drink your whites as well as your reds without any additional chilling. (I need to chill even my reds a little because I (like most people) keep my room temperature warmer than ideal. See my red wine and white wine pages for ideal wine drinking temperatures.

The good news is that you can find these refrigerators (sometimes called wine caves) for just about any size or price that interests you.

Some Things to Consider

There are a few things to consider when buying a wine refrigerator. One thing that is important to me is the fact that I drink both red and white wine. If you do also and you don't want to further chill your white wine before drinking, buy either a dual zone refrigerator or possibly 2 smaller ones (one for each type).

Depending on the length of time, and the quality of wine you will be storing, vibration control is a feature you will want to check into.

Another factor is humidity. The nicer units have the ability to maintain the proper humidity level inside the unit and still circulate the air enough to discourage mold and mildew.

The nicer units will have more insulation and specially treated glass panes to help maintain a constant temperature. This is especially useful if the refrigerator is placed where the temperature will fluctuate a great deal (such as in the garage).

The decor of the refrigerator is something to consider. There are a wide variety of woods and other decorative features to help ensure that the unit adds to instead of detracts from the decor of your kitchen. They even have refrigerated credenzas and other fine furniture for placement anywhere in the house.

Not only is decor a factor in your home, but part of the joy that comes with collecting and storing wine is showing off your collection to friends and guests.

The amount of bottles each refrigerator will hold is also a consideration. If you are new to buying and storing wine, I would recommend buying a wine refrigerator that has a little more capacity than you would think you need. If you are limited to size because of a counter top then you may not have a choice, but it's always frustrating when you realize you wish you had a little more capacity.

Consider your need for adjustable shelving. How often do you plan on drinking Champagne or other non-standard sized bottles? I don't prefer the racks where you have to stack your wine bottles on top of each other in order to get the advertised capacity.

Will the unit be built-in under a cabinet or will it be free standing?

Below are several examples of the types, sizes, and styles of wine refrigerators on the market today. If you are interested in any of these or similar units, they can be purchased at the Wine Enthusiast.

Small Wine Refrigerators

If you live in an apartment where space is a premium, or you only want to keep a few bottles around, here are some examples of small wine refrigerators.

Not only are the small refrigerators easy to incorporate into small places, but they are great for someone just starting a collection.

Need More Space, but Want to Save $

If you anticipate the need for more storage and would like to save some money, try a cellarthat needs a little assembly when it arrives. This is the most economical way to have from 110 to 500 bottles of wine stored in proper conditions. Here are a few of these budget cellars.

You can follow a few simple instructions and you're competent with your hands. Go ahead and save yourself some cash and try one of these budget wine refrigerators.

High Quality Refrigerators

If it's quality you're looking for, Eurocave refrigerators deliver. These refrigerators not only keep your wine in the ideal conditions, they are handsomely built. These are the next best thing to having a personal cellar in the basement of your castle.

There are many more styles, and sizes of these units to fit whatever need you may have.

Wine Refrigerators or Furniture?

Believe it or not, both. There are actual refrigerators that are made to be super quiet and look like fine furniture. Here are some examples:

What better way to keep your collection in any room of your house with a refrigerated piece of furniture.

The Serious Collector

Okay, if you're not playing around and need storage in the range of 900 to 2400 bottles, then a wine room may be for you. These are modular rooms built with self contained cooling and humidity control. They are very economical when you look at the cost per bottle to store.

They can be assembled with just a screwdriver and can be sized according to your needs.

In Conclusion

Now that you have an idea on what kind of units are available, you can decide for yourself the storage requirements and other factors needed to make a decision. Again, click here to see a full selection of wine refrigerators and cellars.

Wine Refrigerator Reports

The wine is well known to become better as it ages. Anyhow, the aging of wine is far from being an easy process. In order to keep the quality, bottles of wine require a specific temperature, specific humidity, as well as specific lucent conditions. Because a common cooler does not provide the optimum conditions for wine storage, you better try electric wine fridge. Analyzing some wine fridge and reading many wine cooler reviews, you will have many important details that refer to these units.

Luckily for you, if you are a wine fan, there are many wine fridges available to choose. And it’s hard to talk about a particular wine cooler as the best wine refrigerator, as every producer adds some special features in its products. Because there is a matter of taste, every wine collector duty to decide that which wine is the best. In order to make a conclusion, you must do a wine fridge observation and compare the properties of each election. Wine cooler reports can help you to compare without an effort.

Keep in mind that red wine requires a specific temperature, while white wine has different needs. If you are a collector of red and white wines, you might get a fridge of wine for each of them, or choose a much easier solution. Wine cooler manufacturers began producing fridges with multiple zones. The temperature is set individually for each zone, so you can save several wines in the cooler itself. Dual zone wine coolers today are very popular according to many wine cooler reports.

To adjust the temperature is an easy task. Some features of cooling devices control knobs which allow you to adjust the temperature mechanically, while others include digital control. This can be a bit more excessive price, but the appearance is definitely worth the difference.

The volume is still an important factor that can help you choose a particular wine cooler over another. Beginner collectors can make arrangements for a cooler with 6 bottles, 8 bottles or 12 bottles, but wine lovers with large accumulations will undoubtedly opt for high capacity wine coolers. Since many wine cooler reports and articles reveal, heavy units can hold about 70 bottles, which makes them ideal.

Wine collectors must also decide where to place their cooler. There are two existing types: build in wine coolers and independent refrigerators. Luckily, there are some models that combine both types.

Picking a manufacturer is a little bit difficult, but wine cooler reports may help you with your decision faster. As mentioned before, any product tends to form a unique feeling. More than that, the wine manufacturers usually make some lines which vary in capacity or build materials or style. Vinotemp, for example, produces wine coolers that have furniture finish, these storage devices make them very elegant. Stainless steel wine coolers are also stylish, provided that they fit in the picture

Haier wine cellar is also a good choice. Since this company is one of the largest producers of white goods, which could not be disappointed wine collectors who are looking for a good selection of storage. Wine cooler reports also mention Eurocave, Avanti and Marvel wine coolers are also need to check before making a decision. Furthermore, it would not hurt reading a few Magic Chef or Danby wine cooler reports, since those reports include valuable details about the characteristics of each cooler.

Be sure to take all the previously mentioned factors into consideration before selecting the best wine refrigerator you use. The reports are a good way to review the benefits and down sides of wine coolers.