Wine Storage Solutions: Ideal Conditions And Peak Flavors
Has anyone ever called you an oenophile? If someone did, did you know what they meant? An oenophile is someone who loves wine. Wine has been a revered beverage used in religious ceremonies since ancient times. It may have come into being accidentally. Since yeast is everywhere in the world, at some point some of it was bound to end up in some grape juice or other sweet liquid causing fermentation, and wine was born!
Ancient people found that yeast did not ruin grape juice but changed it into a completely different drink with a kick, because the fermentation changed the sugar into alcohol. Ancient people did not see this a a bad thing so they began to make juices, mostly grape juice, into wines.
In that time period wine storage solutions were not so much of a problem. Crocks and ewers were the choices that you had and there was hardly a way of controlling temperature or humidity. This made it uncertain that when you opened the crock if you would find vinegar or wine. The first wine cellars came to be after caves and cellars were found to be good conditions for wine to reach it's peak.
Just as they learned that wine needs different conditions to develop and quite another set for aging and storage, modern wine lovers have learned that wine storage solutions (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Storage-Coolers.html) need to meet different situations. For modest wines in a home that is kept at a reasonably moderate temperature and humidity, open wine racks (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Racks.html) provide adequate wine storage for many tastes.
Other more exacting wine lovers may want more precise conditions and opt to purchase and use wine storage coolers (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Storage-Coolers.html) to protect the wine at its best possible quality. These can be tiny one bottle sizes to chill a bottle for individual use, or room sized refrigerated chambers or anything in between. What is being stored and the tastes and budget of the household will have a lot to do with which wine storage solutions are chosen.
If wine is to remain at it's peak flavor or to reach it through careful aging, it is fussy. Wine has a very narrow temperature array ranging from 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit with as little variation as can be. Temperature variations should occur as infrequently as possible. Under one time per year is recommended, and humidity should be kept at more than fifty per cent as well. A cooler should be free from light or out of direct sunlight that is harmful to wines.
One important factor to consider in a wine storage unit is the angle the bottles will be housed at. Preferably, the bottles should be stored on horizontally on their sides, but can be stored at up to a 45 degree angle. Wine racks (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Racks.html) are the best storage method, but coolers are also sometimes used to stack bottles. A storage rack should be able to accommodate both standard wine bottles and unique sizes and shapes. A final consideration is appearance, if the storage unit will be on display.
An oenophile is an appreciator of wines, and they have existed since wine was invented in ancient times. Wine storage solutions (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Storage-Coolers.html) weren't a big problem when there were so few options, but today many solutions are available. Wine should be stored between 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, at least 50% humidity, direct sunlight should be avoided and bottles should be as horizontal as possible. Wine racks (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Racks.html) are a good idea for modest wines, but serious oenophiles might want to consider wine storage coolers (http://wines-vineyardtours.com/Wine-Storage-Coolers.html) instead. These are available in many different sizes and for many different budgets.