By: Perry Sims
Wine matures quickly in open-air environments. Plan to drink wine stored at room temperature within a few years of its vintage release to enjoy its intended flavors and aromas. You will have greater latitude when choosing open-air sites than for locations suited for a climate-controlled cellar, but always pick spots that protect the wine from temperature variation, excessive light, and vibration. Balance your desire to display the wine with the need for convenient access. These considerations also limit your choices when you select a location for a temperature- and humidity-controlled wine storage area.
Look seriously at both the surroundings found in various parts of your home and your storage needs; weigh the cellar's form and function with your needs as you choose a spot for your collection.
Surroundings
Consider locations for wine storage that blend in with or complement existing furnishings and decor, including a room's colors, textures, and styles and finishes, so that your wine reserve enriches the space.
To protect the wine, choose a place with minimal foot traffic; jarring is less of a concern than bumping. A spot that intrudes too far into a room invites breakage. Select an area where the wine can be seen and admired, but one that is free of heavy traffic.
If possible, place your wine collection near other storage and serving areas- by existing bars, counters, butler's pantries, or buffets. Consider multipurpose units that store wine and keep glassware, utensils, and other tools and accessories close at hand. Freestanding wine racks are available with optional tabletops and with built-in glassware storage, as are many built-in racks.
Finally, give your wine cache a fighting chance to reach its peak potential by avoiding storage locations in direct sunlight, next to heat sources-such as a kitchen's oven, range, or dishwasher-or prone to harbor food or waste odors, or areas with very low humidity.
Space Needs
The amount of wine you want to store-and rotate-in any racking system, storage cabinet, or true wine cellar will, in large part, determine its dimensions, final location, and overall design. For collections of up to 100 bottles, consider a bookcase, a wine cabinet, an understairs conversion, or perhaps use several smaller storage options in multiple locations.
A large wine collection can easily dominate a room's decor, and you may wish to consider designing the room to fit your wine collection. On the other hand, for a more subtle statement, look for opportunities to showcase only a few bottles at a time, keeping the bulk of your collection's reserve in another, more protected environment, such as in a garage, basement, butler's pantry, a converted closet, or another hideaway.
In addition to capacity, allow space for all the types and sizes of wine bottles you plan to store or display (see Bottle Sizes graph) , and decide whether you will stock bottles of the same label, vintage, or variety together or individually.
From the book The Home Wine Cellar by Perry Sims et al. Copyright © 2004.. Reprinted by arrangement with Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group, www.perseusbooks.com. All rights reserved.