Wine racks and storage options come in many different styles and purchasing budgets. Whether you are an avid wine aficionado, an aficionado in the making, a wine hobbyist, or someone who wishes to protect valuable vintages from prying eyes or place a cherished wine collection of sophistication and refinement on exhibit — the where and how’s of wine storage and wine rack placement is an issue.
It’s important to have an attractive and durable wine rack storage system. It is a given that anyone interested in having a growing wine collection would not want to do so behind a kitchen cabinet.
Most oenophiles (a disciplined devotion to wine, with strict traditions of consumption and appreciation, simply put, a lover of wine) long for a cellar of stocked wine racks, and since digging out a cave in most instances for a wine cellar is impractical and exorbitantly expensive, stand alone wine rack options in a good environment is a good place to start. You do not have to live over an arching grotto, or have the budget of an eighteenth century land baron, to cellar wine. You just have to understand the basics of wine storage pertaining to temperature, humidity and light to do it right.
An important factor with wines is the place where you will store the bottles to age.
Few environments are as potentially destructive to wine as the home. Too much humidity causes mold and damages the labels. This is also why cellars are often tiled rather than carpeted, as carpeting holds moisture facilitating mold. Humidity as high as 70 percent is desirable so corks don’t dry out. When allowed to dry out, corks shrink slightly allowing air into the bottles and oxidizing of the wine occurs. This is also why the wine racks store bottles on their sides: the wine keeps the cork wet, and the oxygen out.
Darkness is preferable, even though most wine is bottled in colored glass to protect it against most light damage. The proper storage temperature of 50-60F enables wine to age slowly to its full complexity. Excess heat cooks off its finer characteristics, while too much chill retards its maturation.
Wine racks are available in a wide assortment of materials, sizes and styles to suit any situation or decor for both home and commercial use: wood, metals like wrought iron and stainless steel, wire, wall mounted or hanging as well as attractive wine furniture pieces to complement the home, restaurant, or business.
Low-cost wine racks can be bought prefabricated or in do-it-yourself assembly kits.
Wine racks made of stainless steel and wire grids are less expensive. These decorative units can have a place for short term storage and display. If you are in the business to sell wine, be sure to showcase your collection with the best retail wine racking possible to help you market and sell more.
The warmth of wood is a popular choice for wine racks to display and store your fine wines. Softwoods such as Pine and Douglas Fir are more prone to warping but usually do not pose a problem if obtained from a good supplier using a premium grade who will stand behind the wine racks’ integrity, making these good, low-cost options, mainly because they’re easier to work with, and lighter to ship than hardwoods.
Distinctive wine racks also come in Maple and Red Oak. However, the best are made from more expensive rainforest woods, such as Californian Redwood. Redwood wine racks absorb moisture with little warping.
The wine rack should be in a cool, dark area of the house, such as the basement, cold storage room or closet. The basement is often the best place in the house for your wine since concrete heats up and cools down slowly. But, be aware that by the end of each season, accumulated heat or cold in the concrete can still make the conditions less than ideal for long-term wine storage.
It’s important to ensure that the room is dark, properly insulated to control the temperature and free from sources of vibration such as furnaces or fridges. Avoid leaving food, cardboard boxes or paint in the cellar. The chemicals in these materials break down over time and it’s possible their odors can seep into the wine through the cork.
Don’t have a full-sized room available to devote to a wine cellar? You can transform a closet or pantry into a customized mini wine cellar - complete with cooling unit and cellar door should you choose.
Buying a wine fridge suits anyone who has limited space.
A wine fridge is temperature and humidity controlled. The kitchen fridge is too cold and isn’t humid enough for wine long term. Wine fridges come in half, full and double sizes, as well as large walk-in style vaults.
Enjoying wine is about celebrating, relaxing, enjoying conviviality and all that it encompasses — taste, history, science, culture, friendship and intimacy. So reach for that special bottle from the wine rack and enjoy!
Grace
Attending wine tasting events can be a great experience and a lot of fun, although a lot of people choose not to attend out of fear - or not knowing what to do or what to expect. Even though there are no mysteries to wine tasting, there are some things that you should always remember.During a wine tasting event, women are always served before the men. Some tastings will serve you bottled water between tastings, so you can clean your mouth out and be ready to taste the next wine that is served. When you take the wine, you should always handle the glass by the stem, to avoid heating it with your hands. There will also be crackers and other goodies on hand as well, to help you cleanse your mouth between wine tastings. As you may already know, you can tell quite a bit about the wine by the color. When you attend a wine tasting for the first time, you’ll notice that the glasses are clear. This helps you to examine the wine better. There should also be white tablecloth on the table as well, to help you see the color the wine more clearly. You should never go by the name of the wine alone, as it can easily fool you. You’ll also notice the more experienced wine tastes swirl their wine around in the glass before they taste it. Although it may look weird, slightly swirling the wine actually helps to bring out the flavor. Most wines have been aging in bottles for long periods of time, sometimes even years. When the wine is swirled around in the glass, the swirling will release the flavors in the wine and bring them out when the wine is tasted.At wine tastings, you’ll need to look at the wine, smell it, then after swirling it around in the glass - taste it. Smells play an integral part of the process, as you’ll get a lot more from the wine by smelling it first. Wine has quite an intriguing aroma, which helps to bring out the taste that wine is so well known for. Once you have smelled the wine, you should allow a few moments to take in the smell and think about the wine that you are smelling.Last but not least, you’ll want to know how to properly taste the wine. Your tongue has taste buds in the front and the back, which helps to detect flavors. Wine is full of flavors, and how you taste it will make the biggest impact. When you put the wine in your mouth, you should always swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds, and allow the flavors plenty of time to dance on your palate. Once your taste buds have started to discover the wine, you can think about what you are tasting. After swallowing the wine, the aftertaste that remains in your mouth should give you even more of an idea as to the type and flavor of the wine.Before you attend a wine tasting, you should always learn as much as you can about the many different flavors and varieties of wine. This way, you’ll have a better understanding of what you should look for in both taste and flavor. Even though you may be new to wine tasting, you should never pass up an opportunity to go. You’ll get a great experience in the world of wine tasting and get to experience wines that you may have never heard of before.
Regina
Perfect Pairings
July 14, 2007 – as published in the Beacon News and Naperville Sun
By Bill Garlough
What started my interest in wines some 20-plus years ago were several memorable meals where the wine was the star. While the nuances of the food-wine pairings were certainly evident, the wine moved me.
My recent moving experience was more literal as my wife and I just completed our household move. Along with the furniture, cookware, foodstuffs and countless boxes was my personal wine collection. It’s amazing how a collection can build if, during your travels, your souvenir from a trip is a couple bottles of wine. I have several hundred bottles of wine on hand as it is fun to experience the varied wines of the world and share the experience with friends over dinner.
Back in the day
As far back as 4000 BC, wine has been transported from wine producing regions to other markets, in the form of early trade. The evolution of shipping containers went from wine skins to amphora terra cotta jars to large glass bottles and eventually to large wooden casks. Wooden casks were advantageous as they could store wine for longer periods of time. Bulk wine had its drawbacks, as unscrupulous merchants substituted inferior wine or even added water to increase profits. Baron Phillipe de Rothschild is credited with bottling wine (in the current size bottle) on premise to control quality and protect the winery’s good name.
Today, wine is exported in cases with glass bottles in refrigerated containers. Domestically, wine is shipped from the winery to the consumer in sturdy corrugated boxes, with the wine housed in Styrofoam inserts. Depending on the nation’s temperature, arrangements can be made for delivery in either two- or four-day increments via UPS or other common carriers.
One of the considerations for a wine collection is that wine is a living beverage that will have its peak and begin to deteriorate over time. White wines tend to be consumed young while reds, with more tannins, can last longer. However, improperly stored wine will speed up the aging process, and negatively affect the flavor of the wine.
Environment is key
Important considerations for properly storing wine include:
Darkness: Store wine out of direct sunlight. Excessive light breaks down molecules, and the wine loses flavor.
Temperature: Store wines between 50 and 60 degrees. While colder temperatures slow down the aging process, this also allows the wine to age properly. Higher temperatures (70 to 80 degrees) cause premature aging.
Humidity: The ideal humidity level is between 60 to 80 percent. A low humidity level dries out the cork, which affects the seal. Oxidation of wine can occur if the cork loses its seal.
Your home’s basement offers the best solution to these storage considerations, as it is typically dark, offers a cool, consistent temperature and tends to have a higher humidity level than the rest of the house. If you do not have a basement, a dark closet on the first floor would be your best bet.
The biggest challenge in moving your wine collection or properly storing it is temperature stability. When transporting wine, it is best to make direct trips with wine and place it in a temperature and (ideally) humidity-controlled environment as soon as possible.
Fluctuations in temperature affect the cork’s seal, as it is the give point. When wine warms up, the wine and air in the bottle expands and can trigger the cork to move. When wine is in a colder environment, the wine and air contract inside the bottle, drawing air into the bottle. As we know, oxidation leads to accelerated aging and quality loss.
Lastly, when wine is transported, it should be allowed to settle for three to seven days before consumption.
Please consider these practical tips when you purchase and transport your wine. Try not to leave it in a hot car or moving van as it will affect the flavor and its ability to age long term
While my collection was moved and returned to my wine cabinet in only 24 hours, it still went from 58 degrees to over 70 degrees. While care was taken, time will tell on my moving experience.
For more from Bill Garlough’s Perfect Pairings visit My Chef.
Kira
