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HOW TO STORE BOTTLES WITHOUT A CELLAR A good cellar is irreplaceable, but there is always a solution for storing a few bottles at home. |
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Wine is a living thing. Here are some wise precautions in case a cellar is not available, to preserve its qualities. Possessing a cellar is highly unusual. Having a cellarman at hand is even more utopian. Thus, to clink glasses with friends dropping in unexpectedly, or for sudden cravings, it is necessary to keep a few bottles in reserve. And there is always a place, even if you live in an apartment, suitable for your wine. You must protect it from its implacable enemies: heat, light, vibrations, and odors. |
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Harmful differences in temperature
It is mostly changes in temperature that are damaging to wine. Ideal storage is at about 12ºC, the temperature of a natural cellar. In case these conditions can't be found, it is best to keep the wine in a warmer but stable room, than in a place where temperature often varies. In brief, the bottom of a room closet (usually well isolated) or a corner in a garage is better than the kitchen, where temperature constantly changes to the rhythm of cooked dishes and washing machines. Do not forget that heat rises: so systematically place your bottles on ground level, it is more practical, and the temperature is at least 5ºC lower than at the top of the room. |
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| One can never protect wine enough from light. It is however very easy, all one has to do is leave it in its original case. Be even more careful about the sun, whose rays enter far into rooms at the end of the day: it combines disadvantages of both light and heat. Systematically place newspapers or an opaque cloth on the wine case. | |||
| Beware of vibrations and odors
Wine is also exposed to other risks. For instance, do not leave your bottles near a washing machine or on a refrigerator. The engine's vibrations disturb the wine. Also be careful about odors, which travel easily through corks. Keep your bottles away from cleaning products, vinegar and onions. |
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