There are many wines that need to be stored for several years before they are ready to drink. It is important that these wines are kept under the right conditions. So first of all, here are the criteria for storing wine properly:
- A constant temperature between 10 and 14° C
- A high humidity level between 60 and 75%.
- Sufficient aeration
- A dark environment
- A vibration-free environment
- Free of odors
House with wine cellar
If you are the lucky owner of a house with a wine cellar, you should mainly be concerned about temperature and humidity. When we talk about a storage temperature of 10 to 14° C, we mean that the temperature may drop from 14° C in the summer months to 10° C in the winter months. This is, of course, very gradual.
To measure the ideal humidity, you need a hygrometer. Too high a humidity does no harm to the contents of the bottle, but then there is a risk that the labels will be affected (and of course we do not want that), but too low is worse: the cork dries out, shrinks and air can enter the bottle. Therefore, a relative humidity between 60 and 75% is ideal. If your wine cellar does not meet these conditions, take a look at the INOA, EuroCave's wine cellar cooling system.
House without wine cellar
If your home does not have a wine cellar and you still want to store wine, you may choose to convert a room into a wine cellar (wine room) or purchase a wine cabinet.
The following steps will help you in making the right decision.
Number of bottles
The number of bottles largely determines whether you are going to convert a room into a wine cellar (or wine room) or get a wine cabinet. The largest wine cabinet can hold up to 250 bottles. For space and cost, you are better off with wine cabinets up to 500 bottles. These take up much less space and are cheaper than making a wine room.
Available space
If you have a lot of wine and little space, it is better to choose wine cabinets. To do the math: for a wine room of 1,000 bottles, you need a space of about 150 x 270 cm, i.e. an area of over 4 m²; to store 1,000 bottles in wine cabinets, you need 4 cabinets. These take up 1.8 m², so if space is limited, the choice is quickly made.
Making an above-ground wine cellar (wine room)
Once you have found a suitable space, proper insulation is important. You will need to air-condition the space and the better insulated it is, the less the refrigeration needs to work. Good for the environment and your wallet. However, a wine cellar cooling system is indispensable; otherwise, the room will start taking the temperature of adjacent rooms, no matter how good the insulation is. EuroCave s INOA wine cellar cooling system takes care of the temperature, humidity and air circulation in your space.
The equipment
Without wine racks you have no wine cellar. You can choose wine racks on appearance, functionality and/or modularity. Always keep in mind a changing inventory. If you start with a box of 12 bottles in one compartment, then over time these will be drunk and then it is nice if the compartment can change with your wine stock. Also, always choose a wine rack where it is possible to place the bottles individually. Ideal for the warriors and leftovers. For more information on wine rack options, please refer to our wine racks page on the website.
Almost everything considered
You have arranged the main things for the proper storage of wine: temperature, humidity and air circulation. The wines are in a good wine rack, so if all goes well, free from vibration. That leaves 2 important aspects for storing wine properly: free of odors and dark storage.
Free of odors
As long as you keep only wine in the wine cellar, no problems will arise. If you also want to keep other things in the wine cellar, you should think about everything to make sure it does not give off odors that are harmful to the wine. What should not be kept with the wine: potatoes, onion and leek-like vegetables. But also paint, gasoline and all related items.
Dark
Then your wines should still be kept dark in your wine cellar. The issue is the UV radiation in the light which is bad for the wine. So make sure windows are darkened. Provide lighting without uv rays and anyway limit the "on" of lighting because it generally also gives off heat.
Advice
EuroCave is happy to give you advice on storing (and serving) wine. Ask your questions to one of our advisors and they will be happy to help you find the best solution for making the best storage place for your wines.
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