Ideal Wine Storage Environment: What You Must Know and How Our Experts Create it

Let Our Wine Storage Experts Create a Safe and Stylish Wine Storage Room for Your Collection

Imagine choosing a bottle of wine to open only to find out that it was spoiled? Wine defects and degradation are caused by poor storage conditions. Fluctuating temperatures and varying humidity levels have adverse effects on the wine’s overall quality. Working with a wine storage expert like Coastal Custom Wine Cellars will ensure that your wine collection will be safe from harmful external factors such as heat, light, odor, and vibration. 

Wine Storage Environment: What You Must Know 

Wines are one of the few commodities that get better with time.  The aging potential of wines is determined by several factors, including grape variety, wine region, and wine-making style.   

Aging is a process that involves the reaction of tannin and other phenolic compounds with various chemical components, such as sugars, esters, and acids in wines.  The wine storage environment can also be a significant factor in influencing the wines’ taste, aroma, and flavor. 

Types of Wine Aging 

There are two types of aging:  oxidative and reductive.  Oxidation aging occurs when small quantities of oxygen are allowed to enter unsealed bulk containers.  Reduction aging occurs the moment wines are bottled. 

There are varietal wines that require only a short period of time to develop while some wines age well from a prolonged maturation and aging process. Although wine aging can be done in a range of containers (like cement-lined vats or stainless-steel tanks), most wines are aged in oak wine barrels. 

Wine barrels produced from oak are the ideal storage solution for aging wines.  Oak wine barrels can also help enhance the taste and flavor of wines.  These storage vessels not only allow the slow introduction of oxygen during the aging process but also impart features and traits of the wood into the wine. 

Why Keep Your Collection in a Stable Wine Storage Environment?   

Proper Wine-Storage is Crucial in Wine Aging

Once the wine is bottled, it is essential to store them in a climate–controlled wine cellar.  Wines require a secure and stable environment to age to their full potential.  To achieve the desired conditions for storing and aging wines, a wine cellar space should be equipped with a cooling system and proper insulation and quality vapor barriers. 

Extreme Changes in Temperatures and Humidity Levels Can Ruin Your Wines 

A proper wine storage environment provides the best possible climate conditions for cellaring wines.  In a climate–controlled wine cellar, the temperature is regulated between 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit while the humidity is kept within 60 to 75 percent. Maintaining a balance between temperature and humidity is essential to the aging process.   

Importance of Stable Temperatures in Proper Wine Storage  

Fluctuating temperature levels can accelerate wine aging and lead to spoilage. Too much heat will have an adverse effect on the sealing ability of the cork. It will push the cork out of the bottle and reduce its size, causing an unwanted amount of air to enter the bottle and mix with the wine. When this happens, the wine will have a nutty or caramel flavor. It will become maderized, a condition that occurs when the wine is exposed to too much heat.

In addition to keeping your wines away from heat sources such as appliances, hot water pipes, and radiators, installing an efficient wine refrigeration system is also essential. Very low temperatures will slow down the aging process of your wines, which can result in unpleasant tastes and aromas.

Importance of Maintaining the Ideal Humidity Levels in Wine Storage  

A Climate Controlled Wine Storage Room Equipped with a Reliable Cooling System and Proper Wine Cellar Lighting

Humidity is another vital factor that must be regulated to achieve the optimum conditions needed by wines to age gracefully. If humidity is too high, it can encourage mold growth that can damage wine labels and affect the overall quality of wines.  Humidity levels that are too low can dry out the cork and cause oxidation in wines. With proper wine cellar construction and the right wine cooling system installed in your wine room, your prized wines will taste better as they age.

At Coastal Custom Wine Cellars, we always make sure that every wine cellar we build is well-insulated, equipped with sealing components, and is cooled by a reliable climate control system.

Too Much Exposure to Light Can Alter the Chemical Properties of Your Wines 

Another factor to consider in wine storage is light.  Consistent light exposure can be detrimental to the chemistry of wine.  The lighting system in a wine cellar space should be enough to view wine labels and move around the room.  Exposure to bright, incandescent light can negatively affect the phenolic compounds in wines that can potentially create wine faults. 

Too Much Vibration Can Accelerate Wine Aging  

Reducing vibration is also significant to the storage of wines in a climate–controlled wine cellar.  It has been said that vibratory motion contributes to speeding up the aging process of wines.  Hence, a wine storage space should be situated away from loud machinery or equipment in order to create a calm and soothing environment where wines will age undisturbed. 

Seek the Help of Our Wine Storage Experts  

Wine cellar innovation allows wine collectors to build a storage space where they can safely stash their wine collectibles, and at the same time, create a cozy enclave where they can hold tasting parties.  Innovations in wine cellar design and construction provide an opportunity for builders and collectors to work together to develop the perfect wine cellar space. 

To learn more about wine cellar construction and wine cellar innovation, visit this page – www.winecellarsbycoastal.com/wine-cellar-builder/, or talk to one of our wine storage experts at +1 (949) 200-8134.