Wine Complete

Confused about chilling your wines? Your not alone. As you may have heard, wine refrigerators are becoming very common in the home. A large percentage of new constructions either come with wine refrigerators standard, or as an option on many of the available build out packages. Far from being considered an absolute necessity, they are however not overly expensive, and are definately something to be considered for anyone with more than a casual interest in wine.

Not just for chilling and then consuming, wine refrigerators can be used for long term storage as well. Temperatures for storing wine are considered ideal at just around a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius(55 degrees Fahrenheit). This makes a lot of sense historically as well, since this is what the natural temperature underground evens out at. Traditionally in the past, wine was stored in caves and deep cellars, which naturally end up having the same temperature as the earth around them.

If at all possible, try to keep your wines at this temperature with little fluctuation. Wines above 15 or 16 degrees Celsius(60 degrees Fahrenheit) may not age as well as wines at the ideal temperature. Many experts agree that wine slightly below the ideal temperature is not detrimental in any way except that it could slow the aging process slightly. Higher temperatures are definately something to be avoided if at all possible. This can make a wine refrigerator important to the long term preservation of wines if a naturally cool area is not available.

Typcially white wines are served at a lower temperature than reds and oftentimes people will just store them in a normal refrigerator. In that case, the white wine should be allowed to warm for a time before serving. Reds are typically served at temperatures between 15 degrees Celsius and room temperature. I have been seeing alot of reds served straight at room temperature lately, or with just a slight chill. I prefer my reds with just a slight chill to them, and if they are in a refrigerator, about 10-15 minutes of sitting out will bring them right up to the perfect temperature.

Wine refrigerators have been used commercially for quite awhile. They are often monstrous walk in units that can hold hundreds or even thousands of bottles of wine. Many wine distributors have warehousing facilities set at 13 degrees Celsius specifically for storing wine.

There are also many sizes of home refrigeration units available. These tend to range from 200-1000 dollars and typically hold anywhere between 12 and 64 bottles at once. Many of these units offer dual-zone types of systems that will keep one side of your refrigerator at one temperature, and the other side at another. This is great for storing whites and reds in the same unit. Many of these units can just be unpacked and plugged right in, although if you are serious or have space issues, you may want to consider having a professional come in and do a more robust installation straight into your cabinets or wall etc.. although the cost can go up considerably. Definately do some research on the internet and shop around so you know exactly what it is you are looking for if you are considering purchasing your own home refrigeration unit.