Food and Wine World

Although most people tend to open a bottle of wine within a few months of purchase, many people buy wines specifically for laying down for several years or more.  Depending on what wine you buy chances are that the bottle will increase in value.  In order to keep it in perfect condition people store their wines in a celler which has temperature control.  To do this you need to use a wine cellar cooler so that the temperature can be maintained at about 55F or 13C.  It doesn’t have to be exactly that temperature but it is a guideline.  Wine also enjoys a humidity level of 70%.

Use a Wine Cooler – Not a Fridge

If you plan on keeping bottles for many years it’s important to understand why you shouldn’t use certain types of refrigeration.  With regular domestic fridges you will find the wine is kept too cold.  This is, after all, because they are designed to keep food fresh which is a completely different purpose to storing wine.  Vegetables and meats can keep very fresh in a fridge but it is too cold and dry for your expensive vintage wine.

There are some pieces of equipment you can buy to quickly make food cold to prevent it going off.  They work by bombarding the food with cold air so that it achieves the temperature you want.  These have a thermostat which controls the switching on and off of the unit.  When it gets too cold the unit switches off and when it’s not cold enough the unit switches back on.  This is what happens day in day out.  Again, this is perfectly acceptable for food but not wine.

Regular refrigeration units not only are too cold but they remove too much moisture.  Because wines don’t emit any moisture they are then in an environment which is wholly unsuitable.  When the air becomes too dry the corks shrink allowing air to filter into the bottle.  When air gets into the bottle it makes the wine undrinkable because of oxidization.
Another reason you shouldn’t use a fridge is because they vibrate.  Wine which is vibrated will be ruined so it’s only common sense that you shouldn’t do this.

Air Conditioning Won’t Work Either

Because you want to keep wine cool you may think that using an air conditioning unit is a good idea, especially if you already own one.  However this too causes cork shrinkage and oxidization of the wine.  And don’t even try turning the AC unit on and off during the day as it causes the temperature to rise and fall way too much.

Hopefully this info will be enough to convince you that you shouldn’t attempt to keep your wine bottles cool using a fridge of air con unit.  Luckily there are special cooling units that are designed specifically with wine cellars in mind.  These are well worth the money and should be purchased if you are serious about keeping your wine collection in a cellar.

Only Use a Wine Cellar Cooling Unit

These units are specifically designed to maintain the perfect temperature which will allow your wines to age in perfection.  Instead of the air suddenly becoming cold, a wine cellar cooling unit will do this gently and slowly.  Because they don’t suck any of the moisture out of the air the perfect humidity levels can be achieved.  In saying that however, for extremely arid parts of the world such as New Mexico or Dubai you will probably have to supplement humidification with a humidifier.

If you have the cash to spare on the very best wine cellar cooling system then you’ll want to have a look at split systems.  They are a lot more pricey compared to standard systems but you may feel they are worth it.  The work by installing the unit outside and circulating the air to and from your cellar and they are very quiet.  Extras are also available if you wish, for instance alarm units, humidifiers and dehumidifiers.

If you are a true wine buff and passionate about wine and keeping wine stored properly, building a wine cellar is well worth the money.  Make sure that you buy the most appropriate cooling system otherwise you’ll only be disappointed when you do eventually uncork the bottle of wine.  You might be able to find something affordable just by shopping around.

Wine is probably one of the most collected items in the world.  There are many bottles of wine which are even bought solely for investment purposes where nobody has any intention of selling it.  I find this quite a sad concept however if you have found yourself accumulating more bottles of wine than you can easily store in your kitchen then building your own wine cellar can be an excellent idea.  Also, some wines taste better after they have been laid down for some years so you want to make sure that those bottles are kept in the perfect conditions for when you do eventually open them up.

What Are Wine Cellars?

A wine celler is a room which create the perfect environment for wines.  Wines really dislike heat, light and humidity so it’s important to store wine properly.  Some wine cellars are temperature controlled whilst others are naturally the perfect temperature.  Most restaurants will have one but some people are building their own wine cellars at home too.
If you are building your own wine celler there are some basic steps you need to be aware of.

Location of Wine Cellar – It’s very important to know where you are actually going to have your wine cellar.  The most obvious and ideal place is underground in your basement.  However if you have a large house then it’s certainly possible to build a cellar above ground.  You don’t need the biggest of rooms but one which is 3 x 3 x meters is more than adequate.

Insulation – The inner walls of your cellar must have insulation of a minimum of R-11 and outside walls will need R-19.  If your cellar is going to be built in the basement you need to see about a vapour barrier and concrete sealant for the flooring.  For the vapor barrier you would use a polyethylene plastic sheet which is 6mm thick.

Doors – You obviously need a door for getting in and out of your cellar, when choosing a door make sure it doesn’t have a window, it must be solid and have insulation.  Do not select a wooden door because the insulation is not enough.

Cooling System – There are two main types of cooling system; standard and split.  Although standard systems are popular, costs less money and are easy to install, you need to be aware that you’ll have to replace it in about 5 or 6 years.  The split system is the opposite; it costs more and needs to be fitted by a professional however it lasts a lot longer.

Lighting – Although you will want to have lighting installed in your cellar so you can see what you are doing, you need to understand that lights cause heat which is not good.  Installing a dimmer switch is great because you can control the strength of the light much better and only use what you need.

Flooring – The types of flooring you choose affect the conditions of your cellar.  Hard surfaces like stone, slate and tile are much better and always avoid carpeting.

Wine Cellar Kits – If you do a search on the internet you’ll many wine cellar kits to choose from and they all vary a lot in price.  You will obviously pay more if you select the best quality items.  If you have an expensive wine collection you want to keep for many years, it’s well worth spending that bit extra for quality otherwise you’ll only be disappointed.

So whether you have a relatively small collection of wine bottles or enough to supply a small hotel, building your own wine cellar can make a great addition to your home.