Wine storage units seem at first like something for the serious wine aficionado, not something that just anyone would buy. The truth is if you like wine and have quite a few bottles every month at home it’s a good idea to buy a wine storage unit of some kind.
Wine and wine drinking is becoming more accessible, something that everyone can do. With this new attitude to wine it is also becoming more popular to cellar wine and this means you should have proper wine storage units.
The Advantages
Even if you are not thinking of cellaring but often have a few bottles of wine that you don’t drink right away then you should think seriously about wine storage units. These units will allow you to store your wine without the worry about them going bad or turning into vinegar. Even a wine left standing upright at the wrong temperature for a few months can go bad.
Wine storage units allow you to control the temperature and humidity levels that your wine is kept in. If wine is stored at too high a temperature it will mature faster, so you will not be able to keep it for as long as the label says you can cellar it for.
You might think that keeping bottles in the fridge would solve this problem but this really isn’t ideal. Although your fridge temperature is technically fine for wine storage, the fridge does not have the right humidity levels and your wine will be subject to movement.
Humidity and movement can both affect the condition of your wine. Humidity should be around 60-70% ideally. High humidity levels stop wine from evaporating through your cork and thus safeguarding your wine.
If you live in a very humid climate there is a possibility that the humidity levels are too high and can cause microorganisms to grow. This has to effects, first it causes your wine too age faster than it should and more seriously, it can cause your wine to spoil.
Wine storage units also allow your bottles to be kept in the best lighting conditions. Exposing your wine to sunlight can be just as damaging as temperature fluctuations, another reason that wine cellars are built underground.
Usually red wines come in dark bottles to protect wine from exposure to light but not all bottles are dark colored. Wine storage units also help you store your wine horizontally to stop the cork from going dry and letting water evaporate through the cork.
Tags: red wine, wine, wine cellarRelated posts
Posted on February 24th, 2008 by Robert
Filed under: wine rack
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