What To Do With All That Wine!

What to do with all the wine? That is a question my husband and I have been asking the last couple of months. As it stands now, we belong to four wine clubs and have a number of bottles that we collected on our trip to California last year. In a couple of months we will have more wine arriving from our trip to Oregon. Some of the wine is ready to drink now, but a good deal of it should age nicely over the next 5-10 years. Currently we have it stored in a cool section of our basement. Do we need to just buy more racks for our incoming wine shipment, or do we need to do more to protect our wine? In determining what type of storage we will need, I’m focusing on three things:  temperature, humidity, and bottle position.

Temperature can have a big impact on the wine that you store. The recommended temperature for cellaring wines is 55° Fahrenheit. Wines that are stored in warm conditions will age twice as quickly. So that great bottle of Brunello that you planned on lying down for 20 years will reach its perfection much earlier than you planned. Another factor to consider in regards to temperature is consistency. Temperatures that continually fluctuate can affect the wine more than a warmer, continuous temperature. So if you have a spot in your basement that stays 60-65° without fluctuations, your wine should be fine. Also related to heat is sunlight. Keep the wine away from the sunlight because too much sunlight can cause temperature fluctuations as well as wine spoilage.

Humidity is another element to consider when storing your wine.  The ideal humidity for storing wine is 65%. Room humidity that is too low can dry out the corks which can allow air into your bottle and wine seepage. This oxidization process will spoil that wonderful bottle of wine you have been so patiently (or sometimes not so patiently) waiting to mature. Also, be aware that most wine coolers bought at big box stores will regulate temperature only and not humidity.

The bottle position of your stored wine is important when cellaring wine for the long term or even for medium range storage of 3 months or more. Make sure to store your bottles horizontally so that wine from the bottle is always in contact with the cork. By keeping the cork moist with the wine, you can prevent getting a dry cork which can lead to air reaching the bottle and causing oxidization and wine spoilage.

So what have my husband and I decided to do with all that wine we will be receiving in the next couple of months? We decided that we basically have three options: a wine storage unit, build a wine cellar in our basement, or rent storage space for our wine. It was easy enough to throw out the idea of renting space because we have enough room in our home to either build a room or purchase a storage unit. However, renting a space can be a great option for those who live in apartments or lack extra space. Building our own wine cellar sounded interesting, but it is expensive and I’m not sure our collection will grow enough to warrant an entire room. So we have decided to purchase a wine storage unit. After much research – thanks to my hubby- we have decided to go with Le Cache wine cabinet. What we like about this unit is the refrigeration unit can be pulled out of the cabinet and replaced when it wears out over time. We also like the fact that by choosing a cabinet unit we can move it with us if we relocate in the future.

Remember, even if you are storing wine for a short period of time, avoid sunlight; lay bottles on their side; and avoid extreme temperatures and temperature fluctuations. Now enjoy a glass of your favorite wine.

Cheers,

Beth

                                                      Wine Word of the Week

Oxidization:   White wines will darken and turn brown as they age.  Red wines lighten and turn brown as they age. Same as an apple turns brown when you cut it in half and it becomes exposed to air, this is what also happens to wine. A lot of brown in the wine is a sign that the wine may have prematurely oxidized, which usually occurs with poor wine storage or a faulty cork seal that allowed air into the bottle. An oxidized wine loses a lot of its fruit flavor, freshness, and scent.  Moral of the story? Proper storage :).