 Temperature
This is the most critical. Consensus opinion dictates that
temperature somewhere between 55-59 degrees Fahrenheit
represents ideal storage conditions. Personally, I store my wine
at 59 degrees because that allows my wine to
mature and grow in complexity at a slightly faster pace, and
reduces my electricity bill a bit too. Note, storage at high
temperature (+70degrees) can impair a wine very fast, but
arguably even more detrimental is variation in temperature over
the course of a day – just another reason why using a wine
cabinet (which has stable temperature conditions) can make a big
difference in protecting your wine investment. As a bonus, 59 degrees happens to be optimum storage conditions for serving chocolate, so I stash a few chocolate bars in my wine cabinet.
Humidity
50-70% humidity is the ideal. Too much humidity can enable mold to develop inside the cabinet, while too little humidity can dry corks, which can let air into the bottle and spoil wine. I like to use
Breezaire coolant units because they get the humidity just
right, and don't require any special maintenance.
Placement
I recommend storing your wine cabinet in a relatively cool part
of the house where the temperature swings are smallest, and
where there is no direct sunlight upon the cabinet. That reduces
the work that the coolant unit has to perform, saving you a bit
of electricity and reducing the risk of your coolant unit ever
needing repair. Storage in a garage can be particularly
challenging in certain climates, because the high temperature
and temperature variance makes the coolant unit work
particularly hard. If you have to store in such extreme
conditions, you might consider getting a more powerful
coolant unit. |
Noise
All coolant units make some noise. Personally the noise doesn’t
bother me – I have my wine cabinet right in my living
room because it just looks great and somehow it’s fun to have
your fine wine close by. Still, some folks may prefer to locate
the cabinet in a part of the house where there will be no noise
impact – just something to think about.
Neither
spend too much, nor too little
When I was researching my wine cabinet purchase, I found the
experience a bit overwhelming – so many brands that I was
unfamiliar with, and features I didn’t understand or think I
needed. In particular I was surprised at how expensive the
cabinets can get. Make sure you get a cabinet with a good
coolant unit, with quality racking that fits most if not all
bottles and with quality cabinet seals.
Consider getting more storage than you think you need
I know this suggestion sounds a bit self-serving, but most of
the wine aficionados I know have ended up with two or three wine
cabinets. Problem is (well, not a bad problem to have) is that
wine aficionados’ collections typically grow beyond initial
expectations. Couple that with the fact that buying a cabinet
that stores twice as much wine typically only costs about 30%
more, and that additional delivery charge on a larger cabinet is
minimal. So, getting the purchase right first time around can
pay dividends. |
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Wine Storage Tips