Wine Cellars In Houston, TX: Wine Storage 101

When you think of wine cellars, you probably think about true underground spaces for storing wine; but in fact, the term ‘wine cellars,’ especially wine cellars in Houston, TX with the area’s sandy soil issues, can refer to any kind of storage specifically for wine. It can be above-ground, underground and it can be a whole room or just one cabinet. The limitations when it comes to storing your wine are your budget, the space you have, the amount of wine you plan to collect and whether or not you want to use your wine cellar for entertaining as well as storage. After size and placement have been decided, you must also ensure that your wine is stored under a set of conditions that are fairly strict: ✦ Cool Temperatures Heat is very bad for wine. It can cause wine to age too rapidly and extreme heat can cook wine and make it undrinkable. That’s why wine cellars in Houston, TX must be kept cool, but not too cool. Temperatures in your wine cellar should be kept between 45℉ and 65℉ with a temperature of 55℉ considered optimal. If the ‘cool rule’ makes you think you can store wine in your refrigerator and not bother with a wine cellar, consider that refrigerator cooling temperatures often fall well below 45℉ and with falling temperatures comes falling humidity. Without some humidity corks dry out and shrink, which allows air to seep into the bottles, which will potentially damage your wine over time. ✦ Steady Temperatures Almost more important than storing wine at an optimal 55℉ is storing it at a steady temperature. If the temperature in your wine cellar fluctuates too much, especially from warm to cool, it can cause the liquid inside to expand and contract, which can move the cork and cause wine to seep out of the bottle. Minor temperature fluctuations likely won’t hurt your wine but try to keep those fluctuations in the 45℉ to 65℉ range. ✦ Controlled Humidity Though even wine experts are split on the subject of humidity and wine health, it’s best to err on the side of caution and maintain a humidity range of between 50% and 80% in your wine storage area. Conventional wine wisdom says that 70% humidity is best for keeping corks from drying out from too little moisture and to keep labels from developing mold from too much moisture. ✦ Controlled Lighting Sunlight and UV rays can prematurely age and degrade wine; that’s why most wine is stored in dark-colored bottles. In the past, storage in complete darkness, with only a minimal amount of light for reading labels, was the standard. Today, with so many low-UV and no-UV lighting options available, it’s possible to light your wine cellar safely to create any kind of atmosphere. ✦ Horizontal Storage The traditional way of storing wine bottles on their sides is intended to keep the wine in contact with the cork, which keeps it from drying, shrinking and allowing oxygen into the bottle. With the growing popularity of screaw caps and artificial corks, wine can now be stored upright; but generally, sideways is still better because it’s more space-efficient and allows you to store a lot of bottles in your space. For the finest wine cellars in Houston, TX, call Vineyard Wine Cellars at (866) 615-4008. You can also visit us online at www.vineyardwinecellars.com to find out more about the process and to see a gallery of our completed wine cellars. WINE CELLARS IN HOUSTON TX Vineyard Wine Cellars 15020 Beltway Dr. Addison, Texas 75001 866-973-1100 972-712-9600