Before you go about building your own wine storage cellars there are several things that you must know about wine storage cellars. Some guides make it seem like it is easy to make your own cellar at home when in reality the only easy part is assembling the wine racks. The rest of it can be very difficult to get right and you have to get quite technical before you can get it right. You may be better off cellaring your wine at a facility that allows you to store your wine and then pick it up when you want to drink it.
Temperature
The best temperature for wine is between 50F and 60F (10C and 13C). It can be harder than you think to keep wine at this temperature constantly. Central heating is the main culprit in disrupting potential wine storage cellars. Your heater is on during the day raising the temperature well past the ideal storage temperatures.
Then at night when the heating is turned off your wine is subjected to a drop in temperature. The wine will have expanded and then contracted due to the temperature changes. One way to get round this is to use your basement, which is the best substitute for the stone walled cellars in old mansions.
Unfortunately a boiler in the basement can cause those detrimental temperature fluctuations that are so bad for wine. To keep your basement cellar at the right temperature you should make sure your basement is well insulated with odorless insulating material.
Lighting
The basement is probably the best place for wine storage cellars because it will not expose your wine collection to light. Light speeds up deterioration in your wines. Red wines don’t have this problem as much because they usually come in dark colored bottles that cut down on exposure to light.
White wine and champagnes on the other hand are very sensitive to light and this is heightened by the fact that they usually come in light colored bottles. So make sure wine storage cellars are dark with very minimal sunlight coming through.
Heavy Machinery
Wine is sensitive to vibrations and movement. Ideally when wine is put in a cellar it should be lying horizontally with the label facing upwards. If washing machines and dryers are anywhere near your wine storage cellars then it could cause some problems for your wine. These factors should help you decide if cellaring at home is right for you.
Tags: red wine, wine, wine rackRelated posts
Posted on March 28th, 2008 by Robert
Filed under: wine rack
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