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But you don't need a special room, or a dark musty cellar to preserve your fine wines. Despite all the hoopla about proper wine storage, it's not rocket science. Tricks to keeping your wine in quality conditions include tilting the bottle to keep the cork moist; controlling temperature, light and humidity; and knowing which wines age better. Heat (no warmer than 60 degrees) and sunlight are the two main factors to guard against if you don't want your wine to age too quickly. Given that wine is still made with natural cork stoppers, humidity levels should also remain high - at about 70% -- to keep corks from drying out and letting air in.
With the right conditions, even the bottom of a hallway closet will do for a small collection. You can even turn part of your home basement into a personal wine cellar as long as it's a safe distance from the furnace or water heater. Temperature-controlled wine coolers -- basically, small refrigerators with glass doors -- which can hold up to a dozen or more bottles are generally available for less than $US200. Racks, cabinets and cellars come in all sizes (you'll even find some to fit in a tiny city studio apartment.) Or, if you're ready to get seriously into wine collecting, try outsourcing a cellar. You can always trust your prized wines to professional wine storage warehouses with some offering white-glove service delivery at your beck and call.
Le
Cache Wine Cabinet Storage Guide - Le Cache makes wine racks and storage cabinets.
Their site has some good information on storing wine and storage systems as well
as providing a nice comparison chart showing pricing and features for the top
brands. |
There are techniques
for storing quality wine that can help make sure the expensive bottle you're saving
for a special occasion doesn't turn into prime vinegar before you drink it. 
By tradition, some wines age better than others. If you're bothering to store wine at all (instead of drinking it!) you should know that Bordeaux is a top choice for wine that ages to perfection. Other French reds on the list of wines that age well include Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Among the white wines are Chardonay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling.
