You have taken the time to collect wine and curate a collection that suits your unique taste. Now you have stacks of wine crates or bottles cluttering your home in need of a storage solution. While keeping your wine in your pantry may suffice for the short term, wine is a delicate substance that needs specific conditions to ensure it ages gracefully and does not spoil. A wine cabinet is a great storage option that can store your bottles in the appropriate environment while keeping your wine organized and safe.
Consistent Temperature and Humidity for Aging Wine
There are two types of wine cabinets; active and passive. A passive wine cabinet is simply a cabinet with racks. An active wine cabinet is insulated and has a cooling system that controls the temperature and maintains the humidity inside the cabinet. The cooling system is the brain and heart of the cabinet because it can keep your wine at a steady 55 ◦F, which is the ideal temperature for the aging of wine. Maintaining a stable, cool temperature is essential for wine because as wine is exposed to heat, it cooks. Proper humidity helps to keep the cork moist, maintaining the seal of the bottle and preventing oxidization. If you already own a wine cellar that is temperature-controlled, you can simply place a passive wine cabinet inside the cellar without the need for a cooling system.
Vibration Free Storage Solution
One common mistake is to place wine inside the kitchen refrigerator. Not only is the fridge too cold for wine, but the door of the refrigerator is opened frequently by family members or roommates looking for food. This constant movement will disturb the sediment inside the bottle and affect the taste of the wine by causing chemical reactions. Having a designated place for your wine, such as a wine cabinet, means your bottles can rest undisturbed.
Darkness is Key
In addition to temperature, humidity, and stillness, wine requires a dark environment safe from harmful UV rays. While the dark color and thickness of most wine bottles offer some amount of protection from UV rays, prolonged exposure to light will cause a wine to taste flat. Since many wine cabinets have a solid door or glass door with thick insulated glass, bottles remain safe from destructive sources of light. Wine cabinets may have an interior light that makes it easier to view bottles, but these are often LED, which have a soft glow and do not emit excess heat.
Beautiful and Convenient Wine Cellar
While wine cabinets create the perfect environment for wine, they are also beautiful and can add style and luxury to any space. Wine cabinets are often customizable, which means you can specify the type of racking, door, lighting, and color to match the room. Wine cabinets are available in many different styles, from modern to farmhouse, there is undoubtedly a cabinet that will achieve the look you desire. Moreover, having your wine in a designated area that stacks bottles vertically frees up a lot of wasted space.
Budget-Friendly Wine Storage
Wine cabinets are cheaper than traditional wine cellars. A new cellar project requires a great deal of time, project management, and a significant investment. Wine cabinets can often be built on-demand or are available in ready-made options that can arrive on your doorstep within a few weeks. Wine cabinets can hold 100 bottles or several hundred and can grow with your collection. As you add to your collection, you can always add another wine cabinet to your space.
