Homemade Wine
The Wonderful World of Wine

A Wine Cellar To Protect Your Wine

If you have graduated from casual drinker to wine aficionado then there are definitely wines out there that you would like to try that need cellaring. These are wines that will not reach full potential when tasted now; they need to be stored for a few years, sometimes even decades before you can enjoy the full flavor of a bottle. A custom wine cellar in your home is the way to keep your collection in good condition, however knowing some basics on storing wine will help you to choose the best method of cellaring.

Ageing Wine Gracefully

Besides a suitable wine cellar that allows you to control humidity and temperature, the cork of a wine bottle plays an important role in keeping wine fresh. If air is allowed to oxidize the wine you will lose that amazing vintage and instead will be left with vinegar.

Always store wine bottles horizontally in your wine cellar. This will prevent the cork from cracking, a cork that cracks or shrinks will allow excess air into the bottle. The right level of humidity in your wine cellar is also important. Low levels of humidity and the cork will dry out, too much humidity and you will create an environment for bacteria and mold to grow.

The temperature in your wine cellar is very important. Old cellars were built underground but modern wine cellars look very similar to refrigerators. You can control the temperature but be careful not to make the inside of your wine cellar too cold. The ideal temperature to store wine is somewhere between 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another thing to remember about temperature is that wine ages well when conditions are constant. Frequent changes in temperature can damage wine. Even if the temperature changes are within the recommended range you could still be damaging the wine by frequently making changes to the temperature.

The type of lights in your wine cellar is very important as light exposure can lead to disagreeable smell in the wine. Choose incandescent bulbs over fluorescent bulbs where possible as they produce less UV light. Most modern bottles have good UV filters but it’s always better to be safe with the issue of light exposure.

Try not to move the bottles in your wine cellar around too much as even vibration can affect the aging process of wine. Keep movement to a minimum until you are ready to serve. A bigger bottle is also preferable for wines that you would like to cellar.

Enjoy, and as always, enjoy responsibly, Don Trosper