Published: November 11, 2009 05:50 pm      

Lots of options for wine storage

EDMOND — There are a couple of basics when it comes to storing wine bottles. Wine has some natural enemies when it comes to storage. They are light, temperature and humidity.

Too much light damages wine, high temperatures will destroy a wine and not enough humidity will dry out the cork and cause oxygenation of the wine resulting in a corked wine or even worse, vinegar.

This is why dark, cool and relatively moist areas are the best environments for wine storage. Last but not least, wines need to lie on their sides and be rotated every once in a while to keep the cork from drying out.

Here are some choices to consider for storing your wine.

Wooden wine rack — a base cabinet with a traditional lattice-style wine rack can be ordered from a cabinet manufacturer or if you are a little more adventurous you can build your own. Storing everyday wine in the kitchen is fine as long as the bottles are not exposed to extreme temperatures.

Under-counter wine cooler — An under-counter wine cooler can hold approximately 24 bottles and provides optimum temperature and humidity levels for protecting the wines’ quality and flavor.

Island wine storage — Small cubicles provide efficient wine storage in an island. The cubbies allow the bottles to lie horizontally, which keeps the air from seeping into the bottle and ruining the wine. Including a built-in refrigerator nearby allows one to cool the wine before serving, especially for whites and sparkling wines.

Wine drawers — Kitchen cabinet drawers deep enough to hold a row of bottles are perfect for storing a small collection of wine. The enclosed storage protects the bottles from ultraviolet rays and with the bottles lying flat, it’s easy to see what you have on hand.

Repurposed wine crates — If you have space in the pantry, stack crates to create a wine storage room. Group bottles by category (reds, whites, dessert wines) so you can quickly find what you want. Organize them by maturation date so you can drink the wine at its peak.

Built-in wine cubbies — A wall deep enough to accommodate an appliance garage also offers a spot for built-in wine cubbies. Make sure the wall is well insulated so heat from nearby appliances doesn’t change the wine.

Customized wine rack — An under-counter grid of diamond cubbies is both decorative and functional, keeping wine close to where it can be opened and served.

Wine room — True wine collectors will want a temperature- and humidity-controlled room screened from ultraviolet light. The room should have sturdy racks designed to hold many bottles of wine. Many people convert closets, pantries or rooms to achieve this purchase. Kits and plans are available from many companies.

Converted armoire — Turn an old entertainment center into wine central with shelves, glass racks and a custom x-shaped insert to hold wine bottles.

Built-in-wine cooler — If you plan ahead or are considering some serious kitchen remodeling, a wine cooler can be seamlessly integrated into your kitchen design. These come in sizes from 50 to 1,000 bottles. A multi-bottle chiller guarantees that your expensive and collectable bottles will be stored in an environment of perfect temperature and humidity. Some of these are even zoned to accommodate different wines which need different storage temperatures and humidity factors.

Basement — If you are lucky enough to have a basement, which naturally serves as a wine cave, all you need are racks and a dark corner.

One last thing. Wine reviewers sometimes make a suggestion to either drink now or hold. Hold means the wine is still young with better potential as it ages. They will usually say hold until a date like 2021. This is their best guess as to when the wine will start to decline in quality. Drink now means just that. It is as good as it gets. These are your everyday wines which you can store in your kitchen to drink fairly quickly. So when you buy a bottle or case, be sure to put a collar tag on the bottle stating the end date before quality degrades.

Salud!



CONTACT The Cork Guy via thecorkguy@thecorkguy.com.