Fans of wine are willing to spend big money on a unique or special vintage and some bottles have even sold for thousands of dollars. But proper storage is important to wine whether it cost two figures or five. Unless you plan to drink an entire bottle of wine in one sitting, you must store it properly, or you will end up with an expensive bottle of vinegar.
A Wine Cellar
If you happen to have a cool basement under your house or could dig one out, you could have a real wine cellar. Some palaces sit on a wine cellar big enough to hold thousands of bottles of wine. Other people can literally dig a little wine cellar out of a finished basement room for just a few bottles. A wine cellar is an elegant solution to wine storage because it naturally stays cool and damp without electricity.
However, a wine cellar is no solution for apartment dwellers. But if keeping the wine underground is a priority, there are private wine cellars that have space for rent. Customers can keep one or one hundred bottles in someone else's wine cellar for a certain fee.
A Wine Refrigerator
If the story-book setting of a wine cellar is not available, a wine refrigerator is often a good idea for someone with a medium size collection. Wine refrigerators come in many sizes, from tiny eight-bottle holders to cases as big as a regular refrigerator.
People like wine refrigerators because they can set the temperature to the exact degree and dryness necessary to best preserve wine. Some wines like to be a little warmer or cooler than the regular refrigerator.
Also, a little humidity can damage wine. Cork is actually tree bark; it is porous. If too much outside humidity seeps in, the wine will definitely taste different. For people who also like to collect the wine labels, too much humidity will completely ruin their hobby.
And if you have tens of bottles of wine, that could crowd your food out of the regular refrigerator. For just a few bottles, tuck them in the very bottom of the refrigerator, resting on their sides.
A Wine Rack
The simplest way to store wine is without refrigeration, on a small wine rack. Even for the less expensive grocery store wine, horizontal storage helps the drink hold its flavor for longer. The wine touching the cork from the inside helps keep the cork moisturized and tight.
