Tasting a good glass of wine is a great pleasure, almost like magic.
Sipping a good wine, in fact, combines several inebriating perceptions. And not only that, in moderate consumption it favours the intake of numerous minerals and it is antioxidant. ‘Good wine engenders good blood ‘, a saying that is certainly not accidental.
“A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.”
Louis Pasteur
One of the best ways to enjoy wine at its best is in good company, to accompany any kind of occasion. What is important is to make moderate use of it.
If you are a lover of the so-called ‘Nectar of Bacchus’, then set up a wine cellar in your home!
This is a perfect idea to cultivate your passion. You can either exhibit your collection, devote yourself to conserve it like a pro and also invite friends and family for wine tasting of top quality.
Where to organise a wine cellar at home?
A wine cellar can be so much more than just a storage space, you can also use it to entertain guests, while beautifully displaying your collection.
The first step is to take into account the ideal conditions, in order to ensure proper bottle storage.
Let’s start with the location. The characteristics for an ideal environment for the wine ageing process are:
- stable temperatures between 10 and 14 degrees
- constant humidity between 70% and 80%
- poor lighting
- absence of odours
- minimal vibrations
Therefore, ideal accommodations in a house can be a basement, a crawl space or a basement.
No space with such characteristics?
Kitchen and living room are not exactly suited to a professional wine cellar. But exceptional situation calls for exceptional measures. Not everyone has rooms at their disposal, so in this case it is necessary to equip yourself and recreate the most ideal environment as best as you can. Here are some ideas:
Insulation. To prevent light, smells and vibrations, try to insulate the area you have in mind by covering the walls with a suitable material, such as polyethylene. For example, cement does not offer proper insulation as it is very porous. If you this kind of walls, build a double thick layer. In addition, think about any windows and doors, which can be coated with a polyurethane cavity.
Temperature and humidity control. The room climate is of paramount importance. An effective system to guarantee a certain level of humidity is to create a vapour barrier. To do this, coat the outside of the cellar by using polyethylene. With regard to constant temperature, there are various ways to cool a room that is too hot. Some examples are the ducted cooling system, although a bit expensive, or an airtight seal or wall refrigeration.
How to set it up?
Store your bottles horizontally for optimal storage and ageing. In detail, several levels are needed due to the different requirements of wine:
- sparkling and white wines should be stored at the bottom. They need lower temperatures
- red wines need milder temperatures. So, they should be stored higher up
- spirits are the only ones to be stored vertically
The most appropriate and elegant furniture are shelves and racks made from wood. This material is able to maintain constant humidity levels. Furthermore, by using practical dividers you manage to subdivide the bottles individually. Simplify classification by applying labels with name, region of origin and year of production.
As an alternative, you can either pile up bottle cube racks or use the vertical space thanks to shelves and wall brackets.
The wine-tasting area
Set up an area dedicated to savouring the finest brands stored in your wine cellar together with your guests. If you have enough space, you can do this directly in your wine cellar. In other cases, arrange a suitable area in the kitchen or living room. What is relevant is to make your guests feel comfortable and introduce everything properly.
Comfort. Having a firm foothold for bottles and wine glasses is of great importance. By doing so, you won’t have to worry about them ending up on the floor. For instance, choose a pretty table. Make everyone comfortable with nice chairs or stools. Even better if dressed with soft cushions.
Presentation. If you are really proud of your collection, use elegant bottle holders to expose them. Place them on a shelf in plain sight, inside a cupboard or wherever you wish. Make use of trays or crates to carry everything you need. Finally, if you want to offer some quality wine bottles to your guests after the tasting, choose natural wooden wine boxes. They are very convenient for a gift with style.
Ambience. Place scented candles in the room to recreate a suitable ambience, place scented candles in the room. Without excess, the smell of wine when you bring the glass to your mouth should prevail. Then, soft light from candles or lanterns fit very well. For a more elegant and cosier environment, place also plants and natural baskets.
Once everything is organised and prepared for your wine cellar, all you have to do is invite your loved ones and show them all its originality and expertise! They will remain open-mouthed and will look forward to enjoying a wine of top quality stored with the best care.