Aging Wine and Wine Storage
Are you interested in wine storage only, or do you want to also display your wine collection on custom wood racks, metal racks or in wine furniture? Consider a locking wrought iron wine jail or a glass front wine cellar to both display and protect your investment. There are several styles of each of these options at the end of this article.
Things to consider when aging wine include how long to age the wine, what kinds of wine racks to use to hold the wine for aging and what the best conditions are for wine storage. If you know what type of wine storage or wine display racks you want, skip ahead to the purchase wine racks and wine furniture section.
Before beginning a discussion of what wines to age, how long to age them and what types of wine racks to use you may well ask;
Why age wine?
Wine changes over time. Think of wine as being alive, with a fairly predictable curve to its life cycle—progressing from simpler fruit dominate flavor to more complexity. Wine that has been produced from quality fruit (grapes), harvested at the ideal level of ripeness and sugar content and processed in a manner appropriate for the grape (exposure to skins and stems, aging in oak, etc.) and then stored under the right conditions for an extended period of time, develops flavors that are more complex and engaging. Aromas are intensified, color deepens and flavor nuances allow the wine to be paired with a greater variety of foods.
While the majority of wines being produced today are ment to be drunk within a year of purchase, top wines need anywhere from three or four years to several decades to reach their peak maturity. Unfortunately by the time these wines are ready you won't be able to find, or afford, them. This is why you need a wine cellar.
Most white wines are intended for drinking within two to three years from their date of vintage. Many of the red wines being produced today are designed to reach their peak drink ability at a young age..
Very generally speaking, Old World wines last longer than New World wines and Cabernet Savignon-based wines last longer than Pinot Noirs. Most whites evolve faster and don't last as long as reds. Keep in mind that these are general rules of thumb. The slower maturing and longer lasting wines may reach their plateau in about 10 years and last for another 10. With proper storage, most California Cabernet Sauvignon will improve for ten to fifteen years after the vintage date. Pinot Noir and Zinfandel wines continue to improve for up to five to ten years after the vintage date.
Modestly priced wines seldom improve dramatically over long periods and may in fact begin to decline before a more expensive fine wine has reached its plateau. Modest wines may improve markedly in the short term, but their balance of tannins, acids and so on wasn't designed to develop over 10 to 15 years like the top vintages of the '70s, '60s and earlier. Today many vintners produce wine for almost immediate consumption, as research shows that as much as 95 percent of table wine is consumed within three years of the vintage date.
You should also know that contrary to most red wines, sparkling wines do not improve with age. They are at their best for drinking when they come out of the cellars. From then on, their preservation will depend on the way they are stored.
Whether your needs are for long term or short term wine storage, the conditions that you are trying to avoid are; heat (and especially temperature changes), light, insufficient humidity and excess movement. The longer you plan to store your wine the more important proper storage conditions become.
Wine racks, when well designed and well made solve at least two wine storage challenges. They keep the wine from being agitated and with the wine in a horizontal position the wine keeps the cork moist so that it doesn't dry out and allow air into the bottle.
A good wine rack, appropriately located, may be all you need to store your wine, whether it is a wood wine rack, iron wine rack or any other sturdy material. The questions that need to be answered before choosing a storage method are; how many bottles are you going to store and for how long will you be storing your wine.
The most important criteria in long term wine storage is maintaining a consistent temperature. Variations of less than 3° a day and 5° a year are best. The aging of wine is a series of complex chemical process and temperature has a major effect on the speed at which each takes place. Storing wine for the appropriate amount of time at an ideal temperature will allow it to reach and maintain peak drink ability. Too warm and some aspects of the wine will mature and start to decline before other desirable traits have had time to be optimized. Too cold and the wine will not reach an ideal drink ability in your lifetime.
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Sturdy affordable wood wine racks
in a variety of styles from table top to cellar
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Vibration, constantly changing temperature and exposure to light make a wine rack on top of your refrigerator the worst possible location for storing wine. A cellar or cave would be ideal for your wine storage racks, of course, and if you have access to a cellar, that is definitely the place for wines you plan to keep for a few years or more. Second best might be to place your wine rack in a closet on the north side of your house.
An increasingly popular option is the temperature-controlled storage unit. These free standing wine cellars are the perfect all-in-one solution for properly storing wine. Capacities range from a few dozen to several hundred bottles and the upper-end units are attractive enough to be considered fine furniture.
If you have invested in a quantity of fine wine, and particularly if you are considering it to be a long term investment, you might want to check out one of the regional commercial wine storage facilities such as Portland Wine Storage, Inc. in Oregon or The Wine Storage Cave, in the New York area.
In Europe, very humid cellars are a mark of distinction and Northern California wineries have been using caves for storing wine almost since wine has been made there. I've written an illustrated article on wine caves in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys including panoramas shot inside ten wine caves and wine cellars.
Scroll down for wood or metal wine racking systems that allow you to custom design your own wine cellar of any size.
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Wine Display Racks and Wine Furniture
Wine racks and wine storage units come in incredible variety, some designed to display a single bottle and others to store hundreds of bottles or cases, and everything in between. Materials also vary considerably.
Wood wine racks, range from inexpensive pine wine racks to more expensive oak, walnut, cherry and even more exotic wood wine racks. Redwood wine racks are popular and functional. Metal of numerous kinds is used to make wine racks — iron wine racks in a variety of styles are available. There are even glass wine racks.
Wine racks can be designed as hanging wine racks, table top wine racks (or counter top wine racks), floor wine racks or cellar wine racks. Cellar wine racks are often designed as expandable, stackable wine rack systems to grow with your collection.
Wine rack tables are a convenient way to serve cheese or other snacks with your wine. Wine cabinets are usually made of wood or iron and come in styles to fit most interiors. Locking wine jails are an attractive way to display your wine collection while keeping it secure.
Wine racks, wine furniture and wine cabinets also frequently incorporate some type of wine glass or stemware display and storage. Several companies offer Wine inspired home decor and house wares.
Climate controlled wine cabinets, also known as free standing wine cellars, are another option. They are available in many sizes, styles and price ranges and can be ideal for an office or satalite bar area where an open rack wouldn't provide optimum storage conditions. The question of what to do with a small wine cellar designed to be built in to your cabinets can be answered with an entertainment center like the one to the top right.
Continue to the next section — Purchase Wine Racks and Wine Furniture — to view a wide selection of wine racks, locking wine jails, wine storage tables and other wine furniture.
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Purchase Wine Racks & Wine Furniture
Inexpensive and Sturdy Country Pine Wine Racks
Wine Cellar Racks available in 54, 72 and 90 bottle capacities.
Table Top Pine Wine Racks in 24, 36, & 48 bottle capacity are sturdy and inexpensive.
Delux Wine Racks made with furniture-grade country pine cabinet and hand-sanded pine rails — 36, 64, 100 and 144 bottle capacity.
Stackable Modular Pine Wine Racks add space as your collection grows. Stack up to five 18, 36, 54 or 72 bottle capacity modules.
Wine Cubes give maximum storage capacity for the dollar and look great in multiple-rack configurations — 24, 96 and 120 bottle sizes.
Scalloped Wine Racks are an inexpensive and stackable way to display and store wine — 9, 18 and 27 bottle capacity.
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Flexible Metal Wine Racking System
In addition to its flexibility the biggest benefit of this metal wine racking system is that the wines label is displayed. These features make this system very popular with wine stores and restaurants.
The Vintage View™ racking system features 3 foot and 4 foot modules with one, two or three deep options for 9 to 36 bottle capacity each.
Vintage View™ racks can be stacked or cut to fit your niche.
Line a long wall with single deep 4 over 4 modules and have an impressive 8 foot tall display of every single label. I have 2 four foot tall 3 bottle deep racks on order which I'll mount side by side in a relatively small oak armoire for a 72 bottle capacity wine cabinet.
Store wine bottles in almost any space. A great solution for wine storage in narrow spaces including hallways, under staircases and on any wall. Wine bottles apear to float in air.
Vintage View Wine Racks
 are finished with a superior quality baked powder coating in wine bottle green for a durable finish. Rubber tips cover the end of high tensile ASTM A1018 cold rolled steel rods that are welded to rectangular steel uprights.
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Click picture to enlarge image and
view the size and capacity of each rack
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Hanging Stemware Racks and Wall Mount Wine Racks
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Highest Quality Wrought Iron Locking Wine Jails
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Redwood Wine Tasting Table, Wine Bars with Stemware Racks
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Modular Pine Wine Rack
Priced right solid pine wine racks. These modular pine wine racks are the lowest-priced stackables on the market. Each rack stores 18, 36, 54 or 72 bottles and can be expanded as your collection grows. Enjoy the beauty of pristine pine or finish it with your favorite wood stain.
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Winestar Mini Wine Cellar - 60 Bottle
This sleek ultramodern wine cellar is surprisingly affordable. Everything about the new Winestar Cellar is innovative and super-efficient. Features include: A convex contoured smoked glass door quiet CFC-free cooling with digital controls and LED display. The 60-bottle cellar features chrome shelves that slide out and can be adjusted to your storage needs. A security lock and an interior light are just two more of the many included features.
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EuroCave
Temperature controlled storage cabinets for your wine. Sophisticated technology and superior French styling. Individually handcrafted. Versatility and steadfast reliability are hallmarks of the EuroCave Brand. Widest selection available.
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