The ins and outs of wine storage

Do you have room for a wine cellar? Even if your home wasn’t designed specifically with a dedicated space for a wine collection, you almost certainly have a space that can be converted into storage for your personal assemblage of wines.

Of course, there are certain fundamentals that must be followed when constructing a wine cellar. At PAPRO Wine Cellars & Consulting we understand how much your wine collection means to you and how important it is to properly maintain and display your wines in a manner that appeals to you and fits with your lifestyle. Our award winning team of professional wine cellar designers and builders can work with you to fulfill your vision of creating the ultimate wine cellar for your home or establishment, no matter what the existing space looks like. We’ll start by choosing the perfect location, installing the proper temperature, ventilation and humidity controls, carefully creating optimal lighting conditions and ensuring that the ideal climate is maintained by correct sealing.

And then, because aesthetics are of great importance to most collectors, you still need to decide how to display your wine.

Wine storage options determine the look of your wine cellar

Ultimately, the way you choose to display and store your wine will make all the difference; even two identically constructed wine cellars can have an entirely different look and feel based on how the collector chooses to actually show the wine. Usually, multiple wine storage methods can be employed together for an effect that’s organized rather than eclectic; a mixed look works best for many collectors because it allows for showcasing fine wines while providing easy access to everyday selections.

Here are some things to consider when thinking about how to display your bottles:

  • Custom shelving: Racking and shelving custom-built to fit your space, with accommodations made for increased volume in the future.
  • Ready-made racking: available in various materials, from classic wood to futuristic acrylic.

Your Papro Wine Cellars consultant will help you choose racking from a wide range of styles and materials to suit your needs and the look of your cellar. Depending on your vision, you may choose to use materials singly or in combination for dramatic effect.

The imperative of proper wine storage

Beyond aesthetics and even functionality, why is proper wine storage so important? Because wine must be protected from oxygen, otherwise it will spoil. That is why wine bottles have historically been stored on their sides, so that the corks remain saturated and swollen enough to act as an airtight seal. Of course, screw top bottles have no such restriction…for what it’s worth!

Some believe that the ideal way to store wine bottles is at an angle, which uses the laws of physics to keep the cork damp at all times while accounting for expansion and contraction due to temperature variations of more than 10 degrees Celsius. Of course, this is only really useful when storing wine in cellars that are insufficiently climate controlled, but tilting the racks can provide an interesting aesthetic.

For a wine cellar so impressive that it will be a conversation piece among your guests every time you entertain, contact us to discuss a private consultation or make an appointment to view our Toronto wine cellar showroom.

 



Papro Wine Cellars