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Books and Wine: The Storage Connection
The great thing about wine storage racks is that they have multiple uses. In the same way you display your favorite books on a bookshelf, you can show off your best wines on a wine rack. When you buy a bookshelf, you don’t necessarily feel obligated to stuff it full of books – same thing goes for wine racks. Empty spaces can be filled with theme-appropriate accessories or knick-knacks. Stemware or sterling silver wine openers can be stored on shelves of your wine rack. You can also highlight a particular bottle of fine wine on its own shelf. Unlike bookshelves, however, wine storage rack location is important. Place your wine rack in a popular (but quiet and not-too-bright) area of your home such as the living room or dining room, or a climate controlled wine room.
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VigilantInc.com Tip: Creative Wine Storage Has Never Been So Easy
Once you run out of room in your countertop wine storage system, you may start trying to think of creative ways to incorporate your wine storage systems into other areas of your home. With the wide variety of wine storage plans, finding the right wine rack kit or wine storage furniture is easier than ever. Don’t think of being creative with your wine storage as a way to stack more bottles on your existing wine rack, but as a way to bring your love of wine to a more prominent place in your home.
One of the easiest ways to get creative with wine storage plans is the wine cube. Wine cubes come in a variety of sizes and styles. Mixing and matching cubes creates a wine storage system as unique as you are, showing off your taste in both wine and home décor.
Wine storage furniture such as a wine table or wine rack kit can be easily incorporated into any room you use for entertaining or relaxing. For example, wine storage furniture can also take the place of the traditional china cabinet in your dining room, showing your dinner guests how much appreciation you have for the wine you serve.
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Types of Wine Racks
If you regularly keep more than a few bottles of wine in your home at a time, it’s wise to invest in a wine rack. The type of wine rack you choose has much to do with the amount and quality of your wine. A table- or counter-top rack is fine for wine lovers who like to have a few bottles easily at hand for entertaining or for regular drinking. Larger wine racks, such as wall-mounted, modular or free standing wine racks, are ideal for larger collections intended to store wine, rather than open immediately. The former wine racks are typically made from wrought iron or wood – choose the material that best suits your décor. The latter wine racks are typically made from wood, but can be stained or painted to match your personal room/cellar style.
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VigilantInc.com Tip: Design Your Own Wine Cellar Piece by Piece
You’ve considered your wine cellar design options and there are a lot of items on your wish list. It may seem daunting that you can’t get everything you want right away. However, by spacing out the purchases of your wine cabinets and other storage accessories, you can slowly build your wine cellar exactly the way you want it, while still being able to fill the cabinets with wine.
If you are assembling a wine cellar design a little at a time, a style that uses kit wine rack cabinets can allow you to design a wine cellar that will match the pieces you purchase later. Kit wine racks typically have several stain and finish options, so by choosing a color that comes standard you can be sure that when you are ready to expand your wine cellar storage space you can be confident the pieces will match.
A wine door should always be one of the first items you purchase for your wine cellar. A wine door is more than just a stylish entryway. It is a seal that helps keep your wine cellar in the proper temperature and humidity range.
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Bad Vibrations
Did you know that movement plays an important part in wine storage? If you’re considering building a home wine cellar, you’ll need to determine if the location you’ve chosen (closet, basement, etc.) has any ongoing or recurrent vibrations within it. For example, generators, heaters, and motors of any kind can cause vibrations that will affect your wine’s aging process by keeping the normal sediment in the wine from settling. Keep your wine cellar away from such vibrations or movements and your collection will benefit.
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VigilantInc.com Tip: Using Space Effectively with Wine Cabinets
Wine cabinets come in such a variety of sizes it’s possible to fit one in almost any room. However, being able to best utilize your space is a concern when purchasing wine cabinet furniture. Whether you are building a wine cabinet or purchasing a wine rack cabinet, you have to be sure you can easily access your wine and keep it in optimal condition to ensure the best quality when you drink it.
The biggest space waste always seems to happen in the corner of any room. Look at any kitchen setup and the bottom corner cabinet always has some wasted space. The same can be true of a wine cabinet layout if the wine cabinet plans don’t use the corners properly. If you're planning on building a wine cabinet, expect to test your skills at woodworking trying to optimize the space in corners. However, professionally designed wine cabinet plans include specially designed corner wine cabinets. A corner wine cabinet usually has a flowing curved edge and a layout that maximizes the space available. Be sure to consider the corners and you can be sure you are using all the space in your wine cellar to get maximum storage capacity.
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How to Build a Wine Rack
Sure, you can build a wine rack out of pine, cedar, or other decorative woods, but did you know they are prone to rot, and the rot can taint your expensive wines? The best way to build a wine rack is to use mahogany or redwood. Redwood is endangered, though, so try to stick with mahogany or your retailers suggestion. These woods may be a bit more expensive, but they are mildew and rot resistant.
They are also strong, durable woods, so they won't dent as easily as many other woods, although redwood is softer than mahogany. For a lifetime of enjoyment and utility, learn how to build a wine rack with the right wood. That way, you won't have to worry about replacing your wine rack someday, and you'll know your expensive collection is housed in the best wine rack available.
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VigilantInc.com Tip: How Are Refrigerated Wine Cabinets Different than Refrigerators?
The main reason to store wine in a wine storage cabinet is to keep it at a consistent temperature near 55 degrees. Seems simple enough, right? Just get a cheap mini-fridge and use a thermometer to set the temperature. Unfortunately, these kinds of refrigerators also dehumidify. Humidity levels for wine need to be kept at 60-65% relative humidity to ensure the cork does not dehydrate and deteriorate. Although vegetable drawers often provide a higher humidity than the rest of the refrigerator, they are not consistent enough to depend on, or big enough to store more than a few bottles of wine.
Special refrigerated wine cabinets, more than your average mini-fridge, regulate humidity as well as temperature, which make them a good investment. If you are buying wine for the sake of drinking wine, and not as part of a collection, refrigerated wine cabinets offer a smaller-scale solution to installing a wine cellar in your home. No matter what wine varieties you purchase or experiment with in wine making, you can be sure that your refrigerated wine cabinets will keep every bottle in prime condition during wine storage until you want to enjoy it.
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Grappa
Grappa is made from distilling pomace (grape skins) left over from the wine-making process. Distillers ferment the skins and produce a strong clear drink that can be enjoyed as a digestif, or added to coffee for an extra kick-start in the morning.
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Wine Varieties
A varietal is simply a single type of grape used in wine production. A "varietal wine" is made predominantly from one type (or varietal) of grape. Examples of varietals include Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Syrah. A varietal wine must contain at least 90% of its wine from a single variety of grape. The other 10% may come from blending in other varietals, a practice commonly employed by wineries to produce unique flavors in their wines. This other 10% may also result from a vineyard whose vines containing a few "stray" varietals, which, unless expressly detected, may go unknown for years.
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Wine Storage Racks
Wine storage racks are an affordable way to build a top-notch cellar yourself, especially since they come in kits. In fact, they are so simple to put together, most handy homeowners do it themselves rather than calling in a contractor. Remember, if you are not into constructing and carpentry, this may be over your head!
The wine storage racks are all pre-drilled and come with all the hardware you need. All you need is a few common household tools and you'll be storing wine in no time! The wine storage racks also come with complete, detailed instructions, and design professionals are available to help if you have any questions about the installation.
Wine storage rack kits are a great way to add value to your home while you store your growing wine collection.
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Wine Cellars for the Small Space
If you don't have enough room for a wine cellar, you can still create a small storage area in many areas of your home. How about sectioning off a corner of your garage? Do you have a closet you aren't using? Under the stairs can be a perfect spot. How about an extra bathroom you don't use any more? If you look around your house you many find a nook or cranny that can be converted into wine storage. Small home wine cellars are popular too, and you can add a wine cellar rack to maximize your space.
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Humidity
Humidity is important, since it keeps your cork from rotting and destroying the wine, but too much can be a bad thing for labels. An average wine storage cabinet should have a humidity level between 60% and 75%. If you have a very dry climate or your house is heated and cooled by central air, it might be a good idea to place a saucer of water in your wine storage area. The water with put a little humidity in the air and should be a great help in preserving the wine. The other problem with humidity, though, is that too much can ruin wine labels. If the humidity runs in excess of 80%, mold could start growing on wine labels and your identification of the wine, as well as the value, is lost. One good suggestion for preventing mold growth is to wrap your long-term bottles in saran wrap. This effectively keeps out most mold and doesn't have any unpleasant odors, such as shellacking or applying hair spray as a sealant would cause.
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Maintain Good Air Quality In Your Wine Room
Another essential component of properly maintaining your wine room is good air quality. Wine breathes and can incorporate unpleasant smells and debris into the wine through the cork. This can contaminate the bottle and cause the overall flavor to become harsh, sour or generally unpleasant. A clean wine room environment is important to the health of your wine collection. Make sure the wine room is properly ventilated and cleaned regularly to rid the area of dust, dirt and other unwanted irritants.
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Location
When looking for a place to store your wine, keep in mind the temperatures, not only in your house but outside as well. Wine does not do well stored in the attic unless the attic is finished (insulation, heating and air conditioning, etc.). The same goes for storing wine outside in an unfinished storage building; temperatures can fluctuate wildly and this will only harm your wine. Good locations for building a wine cellar include under your stairs, if you have them, or within an insulated cabinet in the house. Root cellars and underground cisterns work as well as long as you have monitored the temperature in the room and found that it does not fluctuate too wildly and that it stays around a comfortable 55 - 58 degrees year round.
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