GoGoKitty’s Wine Secrets

If we always got what we wanted we would all wish for a lovely air-conditioned and air-circulated wine cellar. This would allow you to leave them well alone and yet know that they were in the best conditions for aging just right. This is very rarely a reality however and the majority of us just try to make the best out of what we have. Here is some top advice for storing your wine collection properly.

Location. Your bottles, both white and red wine also, are best placed in a cool room, away from the light and with moderate humidity levels. The most efficient temperature for storage of your bottles should be between 10° and 16° C (50° to 61° F).Anything higher than this will lead to a decrease in wine quality but anything higher than 25° C will seriously damage the wine’s flavors and body. leaving the bottle in direct sunlight can not only discolor it but also affect the air temperature inside the bottle. The level of humidity in the room can cause the cork in the bottle to expand or contract. This can sometimes have the effect of letting air into the bottle and causing something called oxidation, an annoying situation that happens when the liquid is in contact with oxygen for extensive time.

Positioning. You should position the wines on their side or at a slight angle when storing them. This is down to the fact that if there is no liquid in contact with the body of the cork for a sustained period of time it will dry out and contract. Oxidation (see previous explanation) can again result from this.

Display. Keep your wines hidden away in a dark place is not always practical. occasionally you have an urge to bring them out and show them off. A good choice is often wooden wine cabinets as these tend to maintain a steady temperature and always go for one that lets you store your wines on their side.  Don’t use one that has a glass covering as this can lead to the greenhouse effect and warm the wines up.

Someone we know recently bought one of those wine refrigerators that are all the rage.  Now he is thinking about moving his collection of quality wines into it, wines that he has been keeping at a controlled room temperature for the past several years. He’s not planning on keeping the refrigerator very cold, but he nevertheless wonders if it will damage the wines to put them in the wine fridge at this point.  He says the refigerator temp will be only slightly cooler than that of the room where he has been keeping the wine all these years.

Our opinion? Yes, he can store the bottles in the new wine refrigerator. We would only recommend this in light of his intention to keep the fridge’s temperature at a reasonable level (not extra cold). For most people and in most cases, we still think that a good old-fashioned wine cellar, or even a spare room or stairwell space that can be kept at an even, slightly cool temperature, is superior to a wine refrigerator, at least for storing red wines.

There are those who actually prefer the simple, rustic appeal of an unfinished wood wine rack. For people who tend to leave projects unfinished, a wine rack is a great project - it’s simple and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to build a good looking wine rack.

However, if you have started building a rack and have run out of steam before finishing, you may well be left with an unfinished wood wine rack. If this is where you’re at, keep reading – there are a few things you can do to finish up this simple project.

Alternative Finishes For Your Unfinished Wood Wine Rack

If your unfinished wood wine rack lacks the final touch to make it presentable, here are several suggestions to jazz it up or just finish it. An unfinished wood wine rack could still be used for the very purpose it has been made. The problem with it is just the final coating or veneer to make it more presentable.

If you want to add a finish to your unfinished wood wine rack, you’ll first have to decide exactly how you want the finished product to look. One way you can decide is to look at the room where you intend to use the wine rack. Try to match your unfinished wood wine rack to the color scheme of this room or make it a complimentary color by painting it.

You could also choose to tint or varnish your unfinished wood wine rack rather than painting it. You can choose from many different shades of tint or varnish. Just as with painting, you’ll most likely want to make this color compliment or match the color scheme of the room where you intend to use it. However, if you are not sure where you will place your unfinished wood wine rack, then you can use the tint or varnish of your choosing.

Another option for finishing your unfinished wood wine rack is just to sand it well and buff it to a smooth finish. This is great for wood that has a beautiful grain. Painting it may cover up the wood grain and tinting or varnishing it will cover up the natural color of the wood. Buffing the wood will eventually bring out the natural shine and color of the wood.

If you’re wondering what to do with that unfinished wood wine rack you’ve been working on, these are all possibilities. However, there are many others, so don’t be afraid to get creative with your wine rack.

We heard from someone who is plunging into buying wines in a big way.  This is an individual who admits to not knowing much about the subject, but is eager to buy and store some rather expensive wine, perhaps as an investment. The problem is, he does not have a cellar or even a rack at this time for storing the collection he hopes to amass. Until he does, he’s wondering how he should treat the wine to make sure he doesn’t inadvertantly mishandle or damage it.

This person should find a cool (but not chilled) place where he can lay his bottles down on their sides, preferably on a slant, cork end lower than the bottom in order to keep the corks moist.

In addition to being cool, the location should not experience much temperature variation throughout the day or from day to day. Since hot air rises, it might be better to store the wine nearer to the floor than to the ceiling.  Of course, you should avoid keeping the bottles near heaters, heat registers, etc.

Some possible specific locations include a closet, a crawl space, beneath a stairway, or with a garage or basement. Think creatively, as long as the basic requirements of temperature and positioning can be met.

Make sure the place you store your wine does not have a strong or unpleasant odor of some kind.  Although unopened wine tends to be pretty well sealed, some experts contend that a minute amount of the surrounding air does manage to find its way through the cork and into the wine.  Over time this could affect the smell and taste of the wine.

One option, if you really want to keep a valuable wine collection in a cellar, there are companies or societies in larger cities that offer this service.  You simply keep your wine in their cellar, for a fee of course.  Get in touch with a local wine enthusiasts’ group or club to explore all the options.

The wine rack is perfect for both the beginner wine lover of fine wines as well as the connoisseurs. In fact, anyone who would like to collect wines and thus start a relationship with these white and red bottled wines.

When you think about it, the more attractive these racks are the more they need the very best of wines to be stored in them, and the best part about these wine racks is that they come in all sizes as well as shapes and even descriptions, which make them ideal to fit into different rooms and suit different tastes as well.

Show Off Your Collection Of Fine Wine

The more elegant the wine rack is the more class it will exude in the room and it will also help enhance the surrounding environment. That is why most wine lovers and even connoisseurs are driven to buying wine racks that will help show off their fine wine collections, and often the wine racks are so attractive as to become the center of attraction in them.

The wine rack can also be designed to blend in with all kinds of décor or even different room styles and it is often a key item of furniture that is also space-saving at the same time. The sizes and shapes can be made to suit all needs.

There are so many kinds of materials that can be used to make the racks, which ensures a good fit with any style of room. The wine rack displays your wine collection effectively, which makes it an important part of the décor. It is often found with open racks and sometimes can be stacked. Quite often it will have locking doors of glass or wood as well.

It is the norm for a wine rack to stand on a flat surface, however often to save space, a hanging wine rack may be used. This, of course, helps in saving more space but can also enhance the look of the wall.

Although some racks might be complicated most others do not require too much assembly. There is usually a tabletop above an area where wine bottles are stored and displayed. Often there is a spot for wine glasses to be kept also.

There are so many styles of wine racks to choose these days, definitely making it possible to find one that fits your individual tastes. You could opt for the very modern looking chrome racks, or instead you might choose the traditional look and go with racks made out of wood. The bottom line is that a wine rack is ideal for storing your wine, making the room look great, and saving you space.