How much do we know about the wine cellar? The way wine is stored affects its taste when served. Collectors have no control over how their wines are made, but after purchasing the product, it is up to them to store the bottles appropriately and in a way that enhances their flavor and value.
This article will answer all your questions about how to manage important details such as proper wine cellar temperature, humidity, lighting, wine rack, and how to ventilate your wine cellar. If you’re particular about drinking fine wines, it’s really important to keep the best pieces of your collection.
What Happens When Wine is Stored at Room Temperature?
Storing wine at room temperature of 21°C (70°F) or higher will cause undesirable changes in the wine as it accelerates various reactions in the bottle. This will result in a lack of balance during the aging process.
Even fluctuations above 5° to 10°F (2° to 4°C) can cause problems. When wine is stored at room temperature or placed in an attic where the temperature fluctuates, the delicate and perishable liquid can be subject to heat damage.
Why Is It Inconvenient to Store Wine in Attics, Storage Cabinets, and Shipping Containers?
Wines stored in garages and attics are often subject to extreme temperature fluctuations. With bottles stacked upright in boxes, wine placed upright in a cardboard box in a garage can lose its identity.
Temperature fluctuations can break the seal of the cork, thus exposing the wine to air, or cause a pressure difference that draws air into the bottle. Wine exposed to excess oxygen ages faster. Therefore, the right storage solutions should be preferred.
How to Maintain a Consistent Wine Cellar Temperature?
If one wine cellar If you’re building one, there are many things you can do to keep your cellar cool in all seasons. When building a cellar, be careful of any uninsulated areas. There should be absolutely no gaps, just like insulating a house.
Cellar owners should minimize potential heat source areas such as windows and poorly insulated doors and ceilings. The most experienced wine cellar owners focus on creating a controlled environment for their valuable wine collections. If you have a wine cellar and want to test the walls, put your hand on the walls and ceilings. Then feel for invisible heat sources.
Why Do You Need to Control Humidity in a Wine Cellar?
Although sometimes overlooked during the cellar cave construction process, proper humidity is very important. Humidity control prevents mold growth (which happens naturally when the cellar is too humid) and prevents wooden corks on wine bottles from shrinking and drying out (which happens when the wine cellar is too dry).
Moisture causes mold growth. Glass and stainless steel used in modern cellars tend to be more “sterile” in this regard. Because wine absorbs the aromas from its surroundings, the presence of mold affects the aroma through the fungus. Wines stored in mold-free cellars are generally superior in taste. So, although many cellar owners believe that mold growth in a wine cellar is ideal, it can be dangerous if it spreads to the walls of your home or restaurant establishment.
What is the Harm of Dry Mushrooms?
Too dry mushrooms are fatal to wine. A spoiled cork will lose its seal, leading to oxidation of the wine. Once the seal is broken, oxygen slowly leaks into the bottle, causing the wine to turn into its acidic form – vinegar. Wine that tastes bitter or vinegary is often the result of unsuccessful corking, which causes wine oxidation.
What Should the Humidity Be Like for a Wine Cellar?
Relative Humidity (RH) is the percentage of vapor in the air at a given temperature. Storage humidity levels should ideally remain between 50% and 70%, not much higher or lower. When it is too high, mold can form and bottle labels will deteriorate. However, excess moisture does not affect the wine.
Regarding Wine Cellar Lights, How Dark Should a Wine Cellar Be?
Ever since humans discovered glassmaking and began putting wine in bottles, craftsmen have known that dark glass bottles help protect wine from sunlight and that wine tastes better when stored in dark glass away from the sun.
Ultraviolet light can damage wine by causing oxidation of tannins, resulting in an unpleasant aroma. Sparkling wines (all spectrums) are even more sensitive to light. Delicate, light-bodied white wine poses the greatest risk of light exposure and is often packaged in dark-colored wine bottles that offer some protection from bright light. Wines packaged in clear, light green and blue colored bottles are the most vulnerable to light and may require extra precautions for storage.