Features Of A Good Wine Cellar

Posted on July 21st, 2011 July 21st, 2011 by news-team

A wine cellar can be a storage space for wine in barrels or bottles and it is usually constructed underground. It is a necessity in a quality wine cellar to produce a favorable environment to ensure that the wine kept there continues in a fresh condition even after a number of years cellaring. Consequently the temperature and humidity in the cellar area have to be controlled at a level that will permit the wines to age slowly and also develop complexity.

Whenever a cellar is constructed above ground level, it might better be defined as a wine room and if it contains less than five hundred bottles and is above ground, it may be referred to as a wine closet. The main reason for building a wine cellar is always to shield the wine from environmental variables that can damage the quality of the wine. Elements like light, hot temperature as well as reduced humidity will all affect the wine in an negative manner. Wines are a living thing that must be safeguarded from fluctuating temperatures, heat and light in addition to vibrations. With appropriate storage, wine not only maintains its liveliness but in addition increases the standard of its nose, complexity and also flavor.

For that reason, a suitable wine cellar ought not to simply maintain the freshness of the wine it should also improve it. The right temperature in a wine cellar will need to range between 13 to 18 degrees C and it must always be free from vibration. In the event that the temperatures vary from season to season, the variance should be under 10 degrees C. For centuries, the French have stored their wine in subterranean caves at these temperatures and that is how people gauge the correct level of temperature for wine storage. In order that the end product has qualities of a nicely matured wine, temperatures must not be higher than 18 degrees C as the wine will mature too fast. Wines that mature too rapidly usually taste more like vinegar and not have the sophisticated and pleasurable taste of a fine wine.

Passive or active describes the type of cooling found in the wine cellar. A wine cellar having an active cooling system must have insulation and a vapor barrier installed. A specialized wine cooling unit is then positioned in the wall structure to ensure that the humidity and temperature are managed at the appropriate levels. Many above ground cellars will require a cooling system in order to keep a constant temperature level. Geographic regions that are naturally very cool are sometimes suited to a passively cooled wine cellar. Most subterranean cellars are passively cooled and frequently a well-built and well-insulated basement cellar can be passively cooled. A passive wine cellar requires no energy to function. Consequently they are less costly to build as well as operate albeit they are sometimes unreliable in extreme weather.

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Categories Vintage Wines
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