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Wine cellars
If you are thinking about becoming a serious wine
collector, consider
building a wine cellar in your home. A wine cellar is more than just a
closet or basement in which to store your wine. It will provide a
favorable
location for your wine to age properly. This is important because wine
is
one of the few foods that will increase in value and improve with age as
time passes, especially if stored properly. A wine cellar will provide
these
optimum conditions if you build and maintain it properly. The following
suggestions will provide you with some assistance in creating your own
wine
cellar.
A wine cellar must maintain stable temperatures. The temperature of the
wine
cellar should range between 40 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature
below 40 degrees will cause a great deal of sediment or other
undesirable
deposits. When you find a temperature within this range, it should
fluctuate
very little. Although, if the temperature does go up or down a bit when
the
seasons change, it should not be a problem. However if there is a change
in
the temperature on a daily basis, the wine can be ruined.
A wine cellar should not be established near a heating vent or furnace.
The
reason for this is that as wine becomes warmer, it expands and pressure
is
put on the cork. On the other hand, when the temperature becomes cooler,
it
constricts causing the cork to be pulled into the bottle. Therefore,
temperature changes will cause the wine to expand and constrict.
Eventually
the cork will loosen up, causing oxygen to enter the bottle. This, of
course, may spoil the wine.
Humidity is another important factor to wine development. You should
first
determine the humidity level of the area where you plan to create your
wine
cellar. The optimum level of humidity is 70%, but anything between 50
and
80% is satisfactory. If your cellar has too much humidity, it will ruin
the
labels or cause them to fall off the bottles. Humidity can also damage
your
wooden wine racks or storage systems. On the other hand, the cork can
dry
out with too little humidity. This may cause oxygen to penetrate the
bottle
and harm the wine.
Make sure that your wine cellar is free from harmful or annoying odors,
such
as those from chemicals and strong food. These smells can actually seep
into the cork and distort the flavor of the wine. You can avoid this
situation by establishing your wine cellar in an area that is well
ventilated, and, of course, away from chemicals and other odor-causing
toxics.
Since light causes wine to age too soon, it is best to store your wine
in
the dark. Although minimal natural light would be acceptable. Wine
cellars
should have minimal natural light as light prematurely ages wine,
especially
sparkling wine. The best types of light for wine cellars are
incandescent
(whereby an electrically heated filament emits light) or sodium vapor
lights
(electric lamp containing a small amount of sodium and neon gas). The
types
of light which may adversely affect the taste of the wine are
fluorescent or
ultraviolet; therefore, you would not want to use those types of light.
Your wine should be easily accessible in your wine cellar. In addition,
you
need to be able to read the label clearly, therefore, store your wine
bottles with the label upright. This avoids having to move your wine
unnecessarily in order to read the label. You should not unnecessarily
move
or handle your wine because it may have a detrimental effect on your
wine.
The best manner in which to store wine bottles is on their side so that
they
can remain untouched until ready for use. Thus, you should have adequate
storage racks in your cellar so that you are able to reach for any
bottle of
wine without moving another bottle in order to do so. For this reason
you
should have ample side storage so that you may store your wine bottles
on
their side, horizontally. Not only will you be able to read the label
from
an upright position, but it also helps to keep the cork moist, which
helps
to maintain an airtight seal.
Any form of movement, especially vibrations can have a detrimental
effect on
your wine. Therefore, do not choose a location for your wine cellar
which is
near pumps, motors or heavy equipment. The cork may become dislodged by
continuous vibrations. These movements may also remove the cork or spoil
the
natural sediments found in wine.
Since you have instituted a new hobby, you will undoubtedly want your
wine
collection to grow. Wine cellars should be created in phases allowing
for
the expansion of your collection. You will enjoy purchasing and tasting
new
wines which you can share with your family and friends. It is an
enjoyable
pursuit to discover a new wine that you can add to your collection.
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