Wine Storage

The whole point of wine storage is to keep the wine happy. Because if the wine is happy, the people drinking it will be happy, too. Well, that’s the theory anyway. So, what does wine want to be happy?

It wants to be cool, but not cold. About 57ºF, give or take a degree or two. If you want your chardonnay chilled, do it before you serve it, not when you store it.

Your wine wants to be slightly on the humid side, perhaps just over fifty percent. If your storage area is too dry, the corks could dry out. If it’s too damp, your labels could mildew. You don’t want either of those things happening, do you?

And lastly, your wine wants stability. No fluctuations of temperature or humidity, and no jostling or vibrations. And no sunlight!

Now, can you find someplace in your home that has all those qualities? There may be a spot in your basement, provided it’s far enough from the furnace, or you might be able to set up an insulated baffle that would protect the wine. Or maybe you have a closet that would be appropriate. If so, there are many shelving systems designed for wine. If not, you might consider a dedicated ‘wine cellar’ refrigerator specifically designed to be perfect storage. And just in case you were wondering why wine is stored recumbent; it’s to keep the cork moist so it doesn’t shrink and let in that most damaging item—air. What about plastic corks and (horrors) screw-tops? Good question. That is still up in the air since neither of them has been used on fine wines long enough for a definitive answer.

Whether your wine storage is designed to be purely practical, or ornamental as well, depends on your pocketbook and just who is to be impressed. Yes, there are people who build brick ‘wine cellars’, have the brick ‘distressed’ and spray on cobwebs, but you’re not one of those folks, are you? Wouldn’t that money be better spent…on the wine.

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