It’s likely that if you are researching the best wine racks and cabinets for cellar storage, you are in the beginning stages of constructing your space or looking to expand on an existing cellar. Apart from the overall aesthetic of your cellar, choosing suitable cabinets and racks for storing wine will ensure the best use of space and that your bottles are stored correctly. The investment of a wine cooler should be considered when planning the layout; wine coolers are a great way to preserve wine at optimum climatic conditions without additional setup requirements to the cellar or constant manual monitoring.
How do you store wine bottles in the long term?
Converting an unused basement, a nook under the stairs, or an extra room makes for an excellent at-home cellar. Critical elements of a well-crafted cellar include careful climate control, appropriate wine racks and cabinets and, of course, the wine collection itself. Once you’ve invested in hand-selected wine bottles, most certainly, you will want to store them correctly to ensure they remain at their best.
Everything from the position you hold them to the level of humidity and light affects the outcome.
Should wine be stored upright or on its side?
If you purchased your vino in-store, it’s most likely that the wine bottles were upright on the shelves; however, the sales turnover is usually relatively high in stores, and it’s not the ideal way to store wine in the long term. It is believed that wine bottles with corks stored on their side will keep the cork from drying out, avoiding premature ageing or oxidation of the wine. The same rules don’t necessarily apply to wines that aren’t sealed under corks; the benefit of storing them upright for some time is that the sediment deposits in the wine will collect at the bottom of the bottle.
What happens if you don’t rotate wine bottles?
The accumulation of sediment in a wine bottle is a natural by-product of the production process; thus, storing wine on its side will allow the sediment to settle into one spot, and it can be avoided when pouring the wine. The adage of turning wine bottles on the shelf will simply disturb the sediment and mix it in further with the wine.
Should you store wine bottles on racks or in a cabinet?
Not all wines are created equal; therefore, not all bottles are suitable for ageing in a cellar; while select varieties of wine improve with age, many wines spoil with time and are best consumed shortly after purchase. How you store your wine bottles will significantly depend on the type of wine. Since the best way to store wine is generally in a horizontal position, wine racks are an excellent storage solution and display. Wines that require the temperature, humidity and exposure to light to be regulated fare better in a dedicated wine fridge, which controls the climatic conditions necessary for preservation. Standard household fridges may keep your Chardonnay crisp, but the vibrations, lack of humidity and odours will all affect the final drinking product. A cabinet is an attractive way to display bottles of wine and provide easy access for entertaining, should you intend on drinking them relatively quickly and not upright for long periods. A wine cellar is not only a functional space; it’s also a showpiece and should include many storage solutions while reflecting your unique personality and taste.