The Essentials Of Wine Storage – The Basics Of A Custom Wine Cellar

Requirements For Proper Wine Storage

Wine is a very enjoyable drink, with a lot of health benefits. It’s not surprising that more and more people are getting into wine collecting. If you love to collect wine, understand that wine cannot be kept at its best if it is not stored within very specific conditions. The custom wine cellar you store your wine in should meet the requirements of proper wine storage.

Wine Cellars by Coastal

Wine is kept at its best condition when these factors are considered:

1. Temperature

The temperature inside your custom wine cellar should be approximately 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature should also have limited to no fluctuations. Fluctuations in temperature will cause wine to expand and contract. If wine expands, it seeps around the cork. Then when it contracts, the air from outside the bottle will be drawn in. When air gets in the bottle, the wine will rapidly deteriorate and its flavor will be ruined.

A few causes of constant temperature fluctuations in the custom wine cellar include having the cellar located near a heat source (e.g. boiler, hot water pipes, cooker, radiator, etc.) and frequent unnecessary opening of the custom wine cellar door.

2. Humidity

Humidity inside the residential wine cellar should also be regulated and controlled. Ideally, the cellar should be moderately damp so that the corks will not dry out. If corks dry out, they shrink and cause air to seep into the bottle and damage the wines. Corks can also be kept moist by keeping the wine bottles stored horizontally to allow the wine to be in constant contact with the cork. A wine cellar should also not be excessively humid, because the wine bottle labels would easily molder and become ruined. Custom wine cellars, ideally, must maintain humidity at 62% to 72%. Have a quality wine cellar cooling unit installed so that both temperature and humidity inside the wine storage room are kept at a constant level.

3. Light

Wine bottles are dark for a reason. Wine is sensitive to light, in particular, ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light or any other harsh light produces heat that will cause premature aging of the wine and thus, damage it. This is why the ideal custom wine cellar should be dark inside. You may install lights, but make sure to use LED ones, because they do not emit as much heat as other types of lights. It would also be good to have a dimmer switch installed so that the lights may be dimmed or brightened as needed.

4. Vibration

It is very important to keep wines away from vibration. Frequent vibrations agitate and consequently ruin wine. Vibrations inside the home wine cellar are usually cause by having domestic appliances operate close to it.