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Home Wine StorageIn my opinion, home wine storage is the best solution. It offers you the ease of drinking a wine when you want it, unlike a wine merchant, and it comes with the house, unlike a wine refrigerator. I had my first experience of this when I was travelling through Europe one summer. The family I was staying with had a wine closet underneath their stairs. I am from Sonoma County, so I had seen a lot of wine refrigerators but it had never occurred to me that a closet underneath the stairs would be an option. Since then, I have been in a lot of European homes and what I have noticed is that all of them have found some place for cellaring wines. In the South of France, it was a rarely used fireplace, and in a German apartment, the central most closet. At my house, it is the far corner pantry, that no one ever goes in except to get wine. I actually hate the room, except that it stores my wine, so I love it just a little bit. I have never had issues storing wine this way. They might taste a bit different from wines that are "properly" cellared, but I have never opened a bottle to discover it had been ruined. The most obvious answer to home wine storage is an actual cellar. Depending on where you live in the world this might not be an option though. There are three characteristics that all home wine storage closets or cellars must have: -Fairly constant temperature. Ideally around 50 degrees F(10 degrees C). Most important though is the variation. Or lack of it. Why? Because corks can expand and contract with heat and can become dry and brittle. This can cause oxidation and turning of the wine. Also, wine flavors develop with heat and if they are at too high of a temperature they can mature too quickly. So, next to the heater is not a good idea. -Moderate Humidity. Too much humidity can cause mold on the cork and mold in the wine. While there are noble molds in Sauternes, cellar mold is not one of them. Ever had a moldy rotten grape? You don't want your wine to taste this way, trust me. Too dry, the wine cork can dry out, become brittle and best case, end up in your wine. Worst case the wine oxidizes and tastes like vinegar. I like vinegar but not to drink. -Dark. Wines prefer resting in the dark. Don't you? Especially champagnes. They are typically wrapped in tissue because of this. Sound like a room in your house. Great! I suggest going out and getting a case of wine and starting your new wine closet! Trust me. Saving wine for later is one of the greatest things you can do. There is nothing like grabbing a 10 year old bottle of wine and taking it to a party. Tip: Make sure the person who opens the bottle knows what they are doing though. People aren't used to old cork and you really have to finesse them. Otherwise, you end up with it in your wine or stuck in the bottle. That's right! You found my favorite way to store wine. If this sounds interesting to you, how about what wines I am looking to store now and what wines I have opened out of storage recently. Find out in my monthly e-zine. Wine is a refreshment best enjoyed with friends and I would love to share a glass with you! Return from Home Wine Storage to Wine For Beginners Homepage
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