| |
Storing wine may or may not be necessary. If you buy wine only to serve it the same or next day, there is no need for elaborate wine storage. You place it in a refrigerator or on a shelf and use it. If you are a collector of fine wines or like to have wine around the house, you will require storage. The type of storage facility you choose is based upon the quality of the wine.
Wine – though not all wine – has the capacity to improve with age. To help this process, you need to keep it handy and develop any latent quality. Traditionally, the answer to wine storage is a cellar. This is a problem for several reasons. Not everybody has or has access to a cool, dark wine cellar. Many people do not live in houses with or without basements. They dwell in condominiums or apartments. Some simply cannot afford the proverbial wine cellar. If you do not have a wine cellar handy, there are options.
• A cool, dark closet
• A cool, dark corner beneath steps
• Storage facilities at a wine shop
• Renting or buying a “wine cave.”
The important thing to remember is to keep the environment constant. Temperatures should always be stable. A good temperature for wine storage is between 55˚F and 65˚F. It must not fluctuate. Extreme temperature changes will alter if not ruin the wine. So, too, will exposure to continuous light. Shield your wine from sunlight.
These are the basics. There are elaborate systems you can purchase or rent. There are also options for the type of wine racks. There are simple wine or wooden constructions. There are also highly elaborate and expensive wooden systems. Some are designed more to look good than to perform better than a less expensive model. The most important thing is to store the bottles on their side. This prevents the cork from drying out.