Category Archives: Wine Storage

Wine Storage – Some Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Storing Your Wine Collection

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Proper storage is crucial to maintaining and preserving the quality of wines.  Wines have the ability to improve their taste and flavor when stored under excellent conditions.  However, they can deteriorate just as easily if exposed to unfavorable environmental factors, such as excessive light, temperature, humidity, odor, and vibration.

Wine Storage - The Do's and Don'ts

Wine Storage – The Do’s and Don’ts

Regardless of whether your wines are stored in a cellar, placed in a wine rack in a corner, or stacked neatly in a closet, following a few basic wine storage rules will help ensure that the taste and flavor of your collection will remain something for you to enjoy for a long period of time.

Wines need to be stored in dark places.  They should be kept away from harmful light sources, such as fluorescent light and ultraviolet rays.  Exposure to incandescent light can adversely affect the chemical compounds in wines and lead to premature development.

Wine Cellar Design, Proper Lighting, Climate Control & Insulation

 Wine Cellar Design, Proper Lighting, Climate Control & Insulation

In choosing a lighting system for your storage space, LED light bulbs are a good option.  LED-based lighting is energy efficient and emits less heat.  Installing light timers and dimmer switches can help reduce the amount of light that your wines are exposed to on a daily basis as well.

Regulating temperature and humidity levels is essential to maintaining wine quality.  The ideal storage temperature is between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  Fluctuating temperatures can accelerate the aging process and irreversibly damage wine.  As to humidity level, keeping it within 60% to 75% should be enough to prevent the cork from drying out and restrict potential mold growth.

If the storage space is designed to be a climate-controlled environment, the size and configuration of the cooling system should be considered during the wine cellar design phase of the project.  A proper wine cellar cooling system will efficiently provide a stable wine storage environment.

Wine Cellar Construction

Wine Cellar Construction

During wine cellar construction, it is important to outfit your storage space with proper insulation and vapor barriers.  Insulation will help maintain the desired temperature, while vapor barriers will help contain condensation build-up.  These features provide better moisture control for your wine room and ensure that the cooling system will function to its full potential.

Although wine bottles can be stored either vertically or horizontally, it is recommended to store them on their sides to keep the cork in constant contact with the wine.  This prevents it from drying out, which can cause oxidation and spoil the wine. Wine racks are built to hold wine bottles the right way.  They are designed with a tilt that allows wine bottles to be stored at an angle.

Keep your wine bottles away from food or household items that give off pungent odors.  Unsavory smells can seep in through the cork and taint the wine.  Wherever you choose to keep your wine bottles, make sure that the storage space has proper ventilation, which helps improve the air quality in your wine room.

Vibration can also have a negative influence on the chemistry of wine.  It has been said that vibration can be a contributing factor in the premature aging of wines.  Avoid storing wines near machinery that produce vibratory motion.  For wines to mature nicely, they require not only a stable environment but also a quiet atmosphere.

Therefore, it is important that you choose a wine cellar construction company that can help you come up with a wine cellar design that will safeguard your precious wines. You can visit these web pages to get started:
http://www.winecellarspec.com/
http://www.winecellarspec.com/wine-cellars/
http://www.winecellarspec.com/wine-cellars/#gallery

Tips On Choosing The Right Custom Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Chicago

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The Different Types of Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems

Wine is a very sensitive beverage. It needs to be stored in the right conditions because it will spoil otherwise. A custom wine cellar with a quality wine cellar cooling unit installed can provide the ideal conditions for wine storage. On the market, there are various wine cellar cooling systems to choose from. Learn about the 3 basic types of custom wine cellar cooling systems and find out which is the right one for your home wine cellar.

1. Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems

Oftentimes, Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems are the most efficient way to cool a custom wine cellar. In most cases, cooling unit condensers are very noisy and take up a lot of space. With a Split Cooling System, the condenser is placed in a location outside the cellar, where heat and noise are localized, while the evaporator, which is quiet, is placed inside (or near) the custom wine cellar. You need to have a licensed HVAC/R technician install Split Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems.

Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems can either be:

a.       Ductless

The Ductless Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems do not need venting into an adjacent room because the condenser, which is the part that produces heat, is placed in a separate location. There is no ducting connecting the units. Instead, what connects them is a simple line set, which is comprised of small copper tubing and some electrical wiring.

b.      Ducted

Ducted Split Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems have benefits similar to those of ductless systems. What differentiates them is that with the Ducted Split Wine Cellar Cooling Systems, there is no visible equipment inside the custom wine cellar at all. Cool air is efficiently ducted to and from the custom wine cellar. Unlike the ductless types, the evaporator is not inside the wine cellar at all in the ducted types.

2. Ducted Self-Contained Cellar Cooling Units

Ducted Self-Contained Cooling Systems can be installed up to 25 feet from the wine cellar. The cool air is blown into the custom wine cellar and the heat is exhausted to the outside of the home through a duct. This type of wine cellar cooling can be a little bit noisy, depending on how it is installed.

3. Self-Contained Through the Wall Custom Wine Cellar Refrigeration Units

Among all the custom wine cellar cooling units, self-contained through-the-wall cooling units are the most cost-effective as well as the easiest to install. These units can even be installed without the help of a licensed HVAC/R technician. The units are simply mounted on the wall of your custom wine cellar. One of the disadvantages to having this wine cellar cooling system is that it makes a lot of noise.

One end of this cooling system produces cool air and blows it into the residential wine cellar. The other end of the system absorbs the heat from the cellar and takes it out into a room adjoined to the custom wine cellar. It is important to remember that the adjoined room should be at least twice the size of your cellar unless the heat is exhausted into another area.

Facts About Wine Display Racks for Bulk Wine Storage

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Wine racks are efficient ways of displaying and organizing small or large collections of wines.  These storage devices allow wine bottles to be stored on their side, in order for the cork to maintain contact with the wine at all times.  Keeping the cork moist prevents it from drying out and becoming brittle.  A dried-out cork can promote oxidation which can then result in wine spoilage.

Check out these wine storage racks here!

Wine Storage Racks from Wine Cellar Specialists

Wine storage racks are manufactured from various materials such as wood, stainless steel, metal, and wrought iron.  They come in a variety of styles, sizes, and configurations that can suit different needs and requirements.  Most wine racks come with individual bottle storage compartments that secure wine bottles firmly in place.  There are also racking systems that are designed to hold a dozen or so bottles in one compartment.

Bottle holders are meant for bulk wine storage providing convenience and versatility in terms of storage options.  They can accommodate a large number of wine bottles of varying sizes, from split bottles to double magnums.  Common examples of bulk wine storage racks are diamond bin shelves and case storage.

Diamond bin shelves provide better management of your wine collection.  These racks are designed to facilitate proper airflow between wine bottles and they are ideal for long-term storage.  Diamond bins have stackable features that allow you to add to the device as your wine collection expands.  They are available in various styles and storage capacities.

Solid Tall Diamond Bin, Solid Individual Diamond, Solid X Bin, and Lattice X Bin are some of the most popular bin shelves on the market.  These storage bins are elegantly crafted by Wine Cellar Specialists.

Click here to know more about custom wine racks!

Bulk Wine Storage Racks

Solid Tall Diamond bins have a storage capacity of 200 wine bottles.  Solid Individual Diamond bins feature individual slots that can hold 95 bottles in total.  Solid X bins come with an X divider and can hold around 44 wine bottles in each square.  A Lattice X bin features lattice-style woodwork and it has a total capacity of 132 bottles.

Case storage is another type of bulk wine storage.  This wine rack allows you to store wine bottles without removing them from their original cases.  Case storage can accommodate both wood cases and cardboard cases.  Wood case wine racks have narrow and short openings, while cardboard case wine racks feature narrow and tall openings.  Some case storage racks have pull-out wine shelves for easy access.

Wood is the most common material used in making racking systems for bulk storage.  The typical wood types used in construction are redwood, mahogany, and pine.  Wood has an inherent beauty that can blend well with any decorating scheme.  Some wood species are also naturally resistant to mold and mildew, which makes these storage devices perfectly suited for the damp conditions of a wine cellar.

Bulk wine storage racks are a great alternative to single-bottle storage because they offer flexible storage solutions.  These racks can fit standard and large format bottles as well as case lots.  They allow you to utilize your space in an effective and efficient manner.