What Are Some Of The Qualities of Good Wine Cellars?
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A wine storage facility normally built underground for storing wines in bottles and barrels in, is what we all know as a wine cellar. To ensure that the stored wine remains fresh even after many years of storage, the cellar should have favorable environmental factors. This means that the temperature and humidity of the cellar have to be regulated at levels that will not affect the quality of the wine.
When a wine cellar is built above the ground, it is referred to as a wine room while those that contain less than 500 bottles are referred to as wine closets. Building a wine cellar mainly ensures that wine is protected from heat and light, which will compromise the quality of the wine. Wine is a perishable beverage that should be protected from fluctuating temperatures, heat and light as well as vibrations and light. Wines that are stored in wine cellars maintain their freshness over a period of time and even become better in complexity, flavor and its aroma.
For a wine cellar to be rated as worthy, it should be able to keep the wine in its original freshness and also improve its quality. The right temperature in a wine cellar should range from 5-18 degrees Celsius and have very few variations. If the temperature changes, it should change by less than 10 degrees Celsius or less. This temperature level was arrived at because caves in France where wines used to be kept ranged around that temperature.
If the temperature is higher than 18 degrees Celcius, the wine will mature too fast and cause the wine to lack some qualities of a well-matured wine. If a wine has matured too fast, it will taste like vinegar as opposed to regular wines that have a sweet and savory taste.
A wine cellar can be actively cooled or passively cooled. Proper insulation and professional work should be done if a wine cellar is to have active cooling systems. These cooling systems need to be installed in order to ensure that the humidity and temperature of a wine cellar are monitored. Most people do not use this type of cooling system unless the weather is too hot. Areas that are naturally very cools are the best areas to have a passively cooled wine cellar. Passive cooling systems do not require any energy to operate and are normally in the basement of a house. They are therefore cheaper albeit unreliable sometimes.
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What Is The Right Temperature For Storing Wine?
You may not have the ideal conditions for storage, but you should always have the optimal level of temperature. The temperature affects the overall quality, flavor and longevity of the wine. Most wines need to be stored for long periods of time, which is why this is so important. The two most important factors when storing wine are the storage position and temperature.
The temperature for storing wine should always be between 50 and 65 degrees F. When stored in this range, the wine will develop nicely. In the days before refrigeration, wine was stored in underground cellars and caves. When refrigeration came along, it quickly became the easiest and most preferred way to store wine, as it allowed you to maintain the desired temperature.
In this day and age, science plays a major role with wine making. Science has proved over the years that aging is actually a chain of chemical reactions that occur over time. Depending on the temperature, the chemical reactions can be either good or bad. Chemical reactions all have unique energy factors that need to be met for each individual reaction to happen. If the temperature isn’t right, the chemical reactions in the wine won’t occur.
If wine is stored in direct sunlight or in a hot area, the increase in temperature can result in a chemical reaction that can damage both the flavor and the quality of the wine. Wine that has been damaged from heat will normally turn brown due to the oxidation. When this happens, the flavor and quality of the wine won’t be any good. Wine that is damaged from heat loses all of it’s flavor and color, making it virtually impossible to drink – or sell.
Colder temperatures on the other hand may slow the aging process and prevent the wine from getting the chemical reactions it needs. Lower temperatures may not affect the quality or taste of the wine, but it isn’t recommended. All bottles of wine, until they have been opened, should be stored in a location at the proper temperature to get the chemical reactions it needs.
You should keep any open bottles in your refrigerator, as the average temperature is normally 41 degrees F. You shouldn’t keep bottles that you haven’t opened in the fridge, as the temperature is much too cold. If you follow the above tips when storing your wine, you’ll find the taste to be spectacular. Storing wine correctly will always raise the value and add to the taste.
