Thursday, June 18, 2009

Wine Racks - Methods to Storing Your Wine

By Rachel Kuptz

Temperature of room where wine is stored: Wine usually tastes best when kept at room temperature, or 55 degrees. Here's where it gets difficult -- sparkling wine should be kept in a wine refrigerator, while white wines are best kept in temperatures of 45 degrees. Temperature controlled wine refrigerators allow you to set the temperature based on the wines you most frequently store, but wine racks placed in a cooler spot of your home will do just as good. Just make sure that the spot you decide to store your wine isn't next to a heater or vent, as any fluctuations in temperature can impact the taste of the wines, as well the quality.

Height where wine will be stored: When using a wine rack, remember to keep sparkling wines on the bottom shelf, white wines in the middle, and red wines on the top. Since heat rises, the wines that are best served cooler will do best towards the bottom of the wine racks.

Wine rack surroundings: Did you know that keeping a wine next to fruit or vegetables can cause the wine to mold? Foods that are known to rot can send the moldy flavors into a cork of the wine, causing the wine to have unfavorable smells and tastes.

Keep Wine Away from Sunlight: When wine is exposed to light, it can age faster and lose it's flavor. Keep your wine racks or or any wine stored in a rerigerator away from any sources of natural light, and preferably in a darker area of your home.

Sideways: Keeping wine on it's side will keep the wine in contact with the cork, preventing air from escaping into the wine bottle. Different types of wine racks will allow you to tilt the wine to an optimal level, allowing the wine cork to stay wet and prevent oxygen from coming in.

Air Circulation of storage room: Wine can mold. If wine is kept in a closet or dark room, make sure that there is a steady amount of circulation. Just like you wouldn't keep clothes in a moldy closet, make sure your that the place you choose to store your wine is clean and free of mold.

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