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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: Wine Storage Without the Wine Cellar
Not everybody has an entire spare room to dedicate to wine storage. Not everyone lives in a climate that allows for year-round unaided underground wine storage, either. But this doesn't mean you can't have a great wine storage system. A wine cube or wine rack kit is great for short-term storage or display, and it gives you many options to create your own custom design.
A wine storage refrigerator can easily be incorporated into the design of a kitchen, dining room, or bar area; but wine storage plans shouldn’t be relegated just to cellars and refrigerators. By keeping your wine in an easily accessible location, you can be sure that when you want to enjoy your wine you will be able to locate exactly the bottle you are looking for in minimal time. Creative wine storage is a great way to show off your taste and style in any room of the house.
When designing the layout and décor of your room, don’t limit yourself to one type of wine cube or wine rack kit. By interchanging different shapes or styles of wine storage systems, you can have a unique design that suits both your functional and aesthetic needs.
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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: Wine Cellar Cooling and Climate
Different areas and climates have significantly different temperature ranges and normal humidity levels. For example, the United States has four distinct climates that each pose their own challenge to the wine connoisseur when constructing a home wine cellar or retail wine display. When determining which wine cellar cooling system you need for your climate, consider the following climate requirements and you will find you have made the best choice in wine cooling units for your needs. Depending on which climate zone you live in, the requirements for wine cooling units will vary.
First, determine which of the climate types you reside in: cool, temperate, hot/arid, or hot/humid. Proper insulation, a vapor barrier, and a wine cellar door are needed in any climate. However, depending on which climate zone you live in, the requirements for your wine cellar cooling system can vary. For example, in cold and temperate climates, humidity control is normally only needed during the fall and winter months and the cooler climate requires a lower ambient protection of the outdoor condenser than in hot climates. Hot climates require more energy-efficient wine cellar cooling equipment. Humidity control needs in hot/humid and hot/arid regions is vastly different. In fact, in hot and humid climate zones, it may not even be necessary to control the humidity in your wine cellar, whereas in a hot and arid climate, humidity control is a year-round concern that is very important when choosing wine cellar cooling systems.
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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: It All Starts at the Door of Your Wine Cellar
You’ve taken the time to design a custom wine cellar, but all of those details don’t make the first impression; the door does. Set your customized wine cellar apart from the other rooms of your house with a wine cellar door that sets the tone of your wine cellar experience. Your wine cellar door gives your visitor the first impression of the style and tone of your customized wine cellar and lets them know this isn’t just another room in the house for you.
Wine cellar doors are available in several basic style types, each with a wide variety of choices. Styles include classic styles with glass, arched styles, styles featuring wrought iron, or a speakeasy door. Think of the wine cellar door as the punctuation you put on the sentence that is your custom wine cellar design. Match the style of your wine cellar door to the rest of your customized wine cellar and bring the room together. Make sure you consider any climate considerations when choosing your door style.
For a more pronounced effect, you can even add matching sidelights to many wine cellar doors. You must be sure that the door type you choose will keep your wine collection in premium condition.
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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: Build Your Own Wooden Wine Rack
Sometimes a modular wine rack just won’t fit the space you need it to. Then the options become to either get a custom wine rack or to build one. Building wine racks can be a great weekend project that creates a great conversation piece in your wine room or wine cellar. Building a wooden wine rack requires knowledge of woodworking and a few basic power tools such as a circular saw, a router, and a few large clamps.
Begin by finding a basic wooden wine rack design. Then measure the space you're looking to use for the rack. Modify the plans to fit your space and any specific bottle sizes you may want to accommodate. One of the biggest advantages of building your own wine racking is the ability to create a custom rack that no one else has but fits your needs exactly.
Once you have the plans worked out, decide on what type of wood you want to construct your wine rack out of, as well as what color stain, finish, or paint you will be using on your wooden surface. When you build your own wine rack, you can choose exactly the wood and finish that will best suit your wine room décor.
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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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