For the wine lover, nothing beats having a good place to keep your select vintages in your home. There are some basics to remember before you invest in a more elaborate set-up.
Keep it cool
Wine does not do well in the heat. That’s why wine storage was typically found in cellars or caves. You can use the natural coolness of a basement area to store wine easily with just some special shelving. Wine rack kits and plans are widely available, and the only thing that you’ll need to remember is to lay bottles on their sides to keep the natural cork wet. This keeps the seal firmly in place and keeps the wine protected from air exposure, which can turn a great bottle of Bordeaux into a fine bottle of vinegar. Optimal temperatures vary for reds versus whites; as long as your cellar storage area maintains a temperature below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, you should be fine. That being said, it’s important to situate wine storage away from sources of heat, including furnaces, water heaters, heat pumps, clothes dryers and other heat producing appliances.
A Necessary Kitchen Component
For many households, having a wine storage unit in the kitchen area or adjacent to entertaining areas makes sense. There are a multitude of options for wine storage units with two-sided dual temperature controls (one for whites, one for reds). One reasonably priced cooler with side-by-side temperature controls is the Wine Enthusiasts’ 48 Bottle Touchscreen Wine Refrigerator. This wine refrigerator (above right) features two compartments with separate doors, smoked glass and silent running technology. The unit accommodates 24 standard 950 ml bottles in each compartment, and has removable shelves for larger bottles.
GE’s Profile Wine Center (left)features a 57-bottle capacity with tinted glass and stainless steel accents. Each full-extension rack has beechwood fronts to complement wood surfaces in the kitchen.
And for the dedicated entertainer, Sub-Zero offers a built-in 427R Wine Storage unit (below) with stainless accents, eight wine rack shelves and two bulk storage drawers below. This sleek unit is included in a special savings promotion, where purchase of multiple combinations of appliances earns substantial discounts.