10 tips for storing wine at home
How to help your wine age gracefully
A 1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne Oenothèque wine for your wedding anniversary, or a bottle of 2005 Colgin Cabernet to celebrate your daughter turning 21. Special wines often accompany special moments. To ensure your wines – both still and bubbly – will befit the event you are celebrating, optimum storage conditions are key.
Wine is a fragile organic product and ideally stored in a dark odor-free environment at 55°F–58°F with 60–70% humidity. It can age up to four times faster when it is stored in a pantry or closet due to fluctuating temperature as well as humidity and is also more likely to become “cooked”. Sipping warm raisin juice – a particular taste when a wine has been exposed to heat for a prolonged duration- is unpleasant whether it’s your $20 Tuesday night wine or your $200 Saturday night splurge.
Investing in a dedicated storage solution at home is a great way to help ensure that the juice will be worthy of you and Bacchus when you open the bottle. How many bottles do you plan to store? What types of wine do you collect? These questions will help determine the best solution. Even if you’re starting small, plan for growth, whether you select a wine fridge or dedicated cellar.
Acquiring a Specialized Wine Refrigerator
There are a variety of “wine fridges” in the marketplace. Consider these three topics when weighing your options:
1. Thermoelectric or Condensing Unit?
Most commercially available wine refrigeration systems have two different kinds of cooling units. A key consideration is the ability of the unit to maintain stable temperature when the ambient temperature is more unstable. Also, if you are in a region subject to brown outs, a better-quality device can insulate your wine longer and reduce dramatic temperature changes.1
2. Size up your Collection.
When buying a wine fridge, it may say “fits 60 bottles” — the implication being conventional-size bottles. Yet some bottles have unusual shapes or thicker glass — think of a Champagne bottle, for example — and usually do not fit into the standard trays. Also, consider how many larger-format bottles you have. Magnum bottles (1.5 Liters) need more space to accommodate their larger size, which usually means removing shelves from an existing wine fridge, and thereby decreasing the number of bottles you can actually fit into your fridge.
3. Location.
A steady power source with a dedicated outlet are ideal.
Dedicated Wine Cellar or Wine Room
Homeowners may consider installing a dedicated wine cellar, and condo owners may consider turning an extra room into a dedicated wine room. A well-designed cellar not only helps protect your investment but can also add charm and value to your home. Here are the top tips to help you create a wine cellar that’s both functional and beautiful:
4. Cool, Dark, and Stable
Wine needs a cool, dark, and stable environment. Basements are ideal, but if you don’t have one, consider a closet, under-stair space, or spare room. Just make sure it’s away from heat sources like kitchens or laundry rooms.
5. Check for Pipes
Also, make certain that major water pipes are not located within the walls of your wine room — burst pipes or water leaks could detrimentally affect the conditions in your wine cellar.
6. Walls and Floors
Insulation is key to maintaining your cellar’s climate. Consider moisture-resistant materials like closed-cell foam or rigid foam boards. Don’t forget the door; it should be sealed and insulated as well. Flooring should be durable and moisture resistant. Tile, stone, sealed concrete, or engineered wood are great options. Skip the carpet—it traps moisture and odors.
7. Choose the Right Racks
Wine racks come in wood, metal, and acrylic. Wood offers a classic look, while metal gives a modern vibe. Whatever you choose, make sure it holds bottles horizontally to keep corks moist. Racks should also be placed about six inches off the floor in the event water leaks into the room.
8. Low to No Light
Lighting should be subtle and functional. Avoid fluorescent bulbs and direct sunlight. LED lighting is ideal—it’s cool, energy-efficient, and safe for wine.
9. Security
If your collection includes rare or expensive bottles, consider adding locks, cameras, or biometric access sensors. Temperature, humidity, and alarm controls can be monitored remotely.
10. Insurance.
Many people opt to insure their wine collection under a collectibles policy with blanket coverage at an amount approximate to the average value of collection in their cellar. In addition to a total limit for the collection, it also considers a limit for any individual bottle. Imagine you have a collection worth $100,000 at your home cellar, and your most expensive bottle is $8,000. You might select a blanket limit of $100,000 with a maximum per-bottle value of $10,000. This means that in the event of a covered loss, such as a flooded cellar, the insurance policy would provide coverage up to $10,000 per bottle up to the applicable blanket limit — so your favorite bottle can be ready for the toast at your child’s future birthday celebration.
You are thoughtful about what you drink, and conscious care of your wine collection can help protect your vintages for years to come. With some peace of mind, your neighbor’s glass—and your own—just might start looking even more than half-full.
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