Should wine bottles be stored on their side?

Definitely! Here's why. Oxygen is the worst enemy to the wine inside the bottle. Most wines are sealed from the oxygen with pliable, expansive cork. If the cork dries out, it will shrink and possibly let oxygen enter the bottle and oxidize the wine. Storing wine on its side will keep the cork moist and maintain the protective seal for a long time.

Quick Storing Tips

1. Keep bottles on their sides
2. Store in cool place with little temperature fluctuation.
3. For long term storing, maintain high humidity levels (65%-90%)
4. Keep out of direct sunlight.
5. Keep away from heavy vibrations.
6. Buy a little more storage than you think you need.
7. Find out the age worthiness of your wines before they are past their prime.

Why is mahogany the best wood for a wine cellar?

The finest wine cellars in the world are created from the finest hardwoods for durability and wine protection. Softer woods, like pine and redwood can dent after years of use. Pine and other woods, like birch, oak, and cherry, can actually retain moisture, which can cause them to rot and mildew. Rot and mildew can affect the taste and quality of your wine. So, the finest wine cellars are built of mahogany. A fine mahogany wine cellar will last longer and protect your wine investment.

What Are the Optimum Conditions for a Wine Cellar?
In a wine cellar, aesthetics are certainly an important part of the design. However, the ideal conditions to store wine are also of primary concern. A cellar should keep wine at approximately 55 to 65 degrees, with humidity of about 55 to 65 percent. When you choose a wine cellar, your primary concern is to keep your wine at these optimum conditions for long life, the right aging, and stellar storage of your wine investment.

What is the ideal wine cellar environment?

The ideal wine cellar environment is about 50 to 55 degrees. However, if you want to hold wines in their current state without adding to the aging process, you may want to hold them as low as 45 degrees. Temperature is important, but so is humidity. The ideal relative humidity in a cellar is 60 to 70 percent. This high humidity helps keep moisture inside the wine bottle, rather than allowing it to eventually travel into the cork and ultimately evaporate.

Can I serve my wine directly from storage?

When you bring your wines from wine storage to table, there are some things to think about. Champagnes and white wines should spend at least an hour in the refrigerator to make sure they are properly chilled to the right temperature. Reds should stand upright for at least an hour, and perhaps more, to ensure any sediments settle to the bottom. You can serve white wines and Champagnes from a chilled cooler on the table. You can also decant red wines to remove sediments and allow them to breathe. Whatever you do, plan ahead when you serve your wines, and don't just serve them directly from your wine storage to the table.

Can white wine and champagne be stored in the same cellar with reds?

Yes, however you will need to put them in a refrigerator for approximately one hour to get them to the ideal drinking temperature.

How long will wine last stored in ideal conditions?

In general, red wines are aging wines and whites are drinking wines. Actual maturation times for red wines depend on the type of grape, the quality of the vintage, and size of the bottle. Tannins, which come from the grape stems and skins, are the backbone of the aging process. Tannins produce a sharp, bitter taste, which over time will precipitate out of the wine allowing the other characteristics of the wine to come forth.
Red wines get their color from the grape skin where as white wines may not have contact with skin at all during the process of making the wine. Therefore red wines usually have greater tannin content than whites and therefore are generally aged longer.

Who do I contact for more information?

We are available to answer your wine storage concerns at any time. Use our convenient online form or call us at 914.835.9463.