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Last Updated on November 18, 2020 by Tracy
Now that you have invested in a couple bottles of your favorite wine, you have to know How To Store Wine At Home. Proper wine storage is essential to your wine tasting it’s best.
How To Store Wine At Home
If you enjoy wine and want to store a few bottles or maybe you stocked up on some wine for holidays, I’m pleased to tell you that you don’t require a huge vaulted maze under the house to do it. However that would be really cool. Whether you are a beginner to buying wine or you have your own wine cooler already, these tips should guide you on how to store wine at home. Maybe you have an old outhouse or storeroom somewhere that already fits the bill, which would also be pretty darn cool. However, the rest of us make to make due with what we have.
Any space where the atmosphere is humid and the temperature is stable and fresh will do, as long as you follow a few basic rules.
General Conditions
The space you choose should face north or east, so it is protected from the sun, and the temperature is fairly constant.
The area should be well-ventilated and not susceptible to vibrations of any kind. Keep your store away from the family workroom if you use a lot of power tools or you mend your garden machinery there.
The walls should be well-insulated. Old houses usually have lovely thick walls, but you will have to provide extra insulation if the walls are rather thin. You may need to insulate the door as well.
The most important thing here to remember when storing wine at home is that the wine shouldn’t be in the sun, the wine should be kept in the dark, and do your best to keep it in a cool area. If you have a wine cooler, that’s great! Most wine coolers have a red wine and a white wine setting, so it helps takes the guess work out of the perfect temperature.
Temperature
To allow your wine to age at the correct speed, that is, neither too quickly nor slowly, it should be stored at a temperature of between 50 and 60 F.
Even in the summer months, it’s necessary to keep the temperature below 20C.
Lighting
Keep your lighting inside the area subdued, just light enough to read the labels on the bottles.
Fix light switches outside the door because of the high level of humidity inside the store. You may need to buy fittings designed for exterior use.
Humidity
The ideal humidity for storing wine is around 70% to 80%. This prevents the corks from drying out but will keep any mold growth to a minimum.
Storage
Store the wine on its side to prevent the corks from drying out.
Racking systems can be made from a variety of materials, even simple wooden boxes, if the wine isn’t going to be stored for generations to come.
If you are really serious, however, and intend to leave your wine collection as part of your children’s inheritance, the bottles should be stored in more durable materials such as terracotta, or lightweight concrete.
Whatever type of racking you choose, make sure it is securely attached to the walls.
Stacking bottles on top of each other saves space, but only do this if they are identical; otherwise, you’ll be shaking the wines up when you’re looking for the particular bottle you want.
For true wine connoisseurs, there seems to be a traditional hierarchy in the shelving, though I’m not sure of the reasons for this: champagnes and sparkling wines nearest the floor, then dry whites, then sweet whites, which are followed by rose, then young reds, and last of all vintage reds at the top.
Floor
If you happen to have a wine cave or a basement that you can turn into a wine cellar, you may take advantage of the floor for wine storage. The ideal floor for a wine storage area is one that can breathe. This is why old outhouses are ideal for the job. They don’t have damp proof courses and are more likely to have a simple floor of compressed earth.
It is possible to cover the floor with gravel which you can water from time to time, but if you’re more concerned about the look of the place because of possible visitors, the floor could be covered with natural tiles laid on a bed of mortar.
If what you have is a wine rack that you bought at the local home goods store, that will work as well. Just remember to keep your wines out of the sun and do your best to keep them in a temperature controlled environment.
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