Wine Storage Solutions and Tips

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by: SummerWilde | Total views: 3 | Word Count: 491 | View PDF | Print View
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An oenophile is a person who loves to discuss and to drink wine. Wine is a truly remarkable beverage, which came into being because of the ubiquity of yeast in the environment. When yeast lands in grape juice or any other sweet liquid, it interacts with the sugars present to produce fermentation.

Ancient people found that instead of ruining the grape juice, the yeast changed it into an entirely different drink, and one with a kick, because fermentation also changes any sugar present into alcohol. Ancient peoples also decided that this, too, was not such a bad thing, and began to deliberately make juices, mostly grape juices, into wines.

Back in those days a vintner had little choice as far as wine storage solutions. He could keep wine in crocks and ewers. He had no way to control the temperature the wine was exposed to or the humidity. Wine that was kept for long periods of time might well have turned to vinegar by the time it was opened. Later it was discovered that the conditions in caves and cellars were good for the keeping of wines, and wine cellars were born.

Modern wine lovers have learned that wine needs different conditions depending on whether it is developing or being stored. These days, wine lovers also know that wine storage solutions have to meet a variety of different situations. Open wine racks can provide the proper type of wine storage for modest wines in a home, as long as the home is kept at a reasonable temperature and humidity.

Wine storage coolers can be purchased to control the exact conditions your wine will be stored in. Coolers can be found in a multitude of sizes, ranging from a single bottle cooler, best for individual use, to refrigerated walk-in coolers for extensive collections. An individual's choice of wine storage solutions will depend on both the size of the collection to be stored and the individual's budget.

If wine is to remain at it's peak flavor or to reach it through careful aging, it is fussy. Wine has a very narrow temperature array ranging from 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit with as little variation as can be. Temperature variations should occur as infrequently as possible. Under one time per year is recommended, and humidity should be kept at more than fifty per cent as well. A cooler should be free from light or out of direct sunlight that is harmful to wines.

One important factor to consider in a wine storage unit is the angle the bottles will be housed at. Preferably, the bottles should be stored on horizontally on their sides, but can be stored at up to a 45 degree angle. Wine racks are the best storage method, but coolers are also sometimes used to stack bottles. A storage rack should be able to accommodate both standard wine bottles and unique sizes and shapes. A final consideration is appearance, if the storage unit will be on display.
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