Even if you don’t consider yourself a serious wine collector, you may have a sufficient number of bottles to warrant protecting them. Because wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes, it changes over time.
If you keep your wine in a room or space that’s not at an appropriate temperature and humidity, you may inadvertently speed or retard its growth.
“If speeded up, the wine oxidizes and eventually may turn to vinegar. If kept too cold, it may never mature,” says Adam A. Strum, owner and chairman of the Wine Enthusiast Cos. in Hawthorne, N.Y., which publishes catalogs and magazines about wine.
At the same time, the good news is that wine is more durable than many think, and just a little bit of care and common sense can help keep it at its prime, says Todd Hess, wine director at Sam’s Wine & Liquors store in Chicago.
The best conditions, Strum says, are a temperature of between 53 and 57 degrees and a humidity of 60 to 70 percent, which mimic the cellars in French chateaux.
But where, specifically, should you keep your bottles? You have several choices, and the deciding factor should be how many bottles you have, how many you expect to add over the coming years and how large a space you can devote to your collection.
If you plan to stock a few hundred bottles and have the room, you may opt for a separate temperature- and humidity-controlled cellar with wood racks that allow you to lay bottles on their sides to guard against the corks drying out and allowing air in the bottle.
If you’re not handy or knowledgeable about constructing such a cellar, hire an experienced contractor to be sure you have sufficient electrical and cooling power.
Many cellar owners furnish their “rooms” with a table and some chairs and even a piece of art to create a pleasant ambience for their tastings, plus shelves for stemware, wine books and magazines, a notebook or computer to inventory treasures, a small refrigerator to stock cheeses, crackers and other foodstuffs to go with the wine, and maybe a sink to wash glasses. You should definitely check your homeowner’s insurance policy to be certain that your investment is covered.
Be prepared that such an addition can cost upwards of several thousand dollars, depending on how fancy you get. Therefore, it may not prove cost effective if you have fewer than 100 bottles, says Jamie Ritchie, a wine specialist and managing director of Sotheby’s Chicago.
If you envision a smaller collection and don’t have the square footage to devote to your hobby but want to have the bottles handy and properly cared for, consider storing them in a temperature-controlled, free-standing or built-in wine cooler. Many companies manufacture various coolers that are capable of keeping as few as 24 bottles or as many as a few hundred.
Some resemble a fine piece of wood furniture, such as the EuroCave, which is made in France and which the Wine Enthusiast distributes. One model for 260 bottles with three temperature zones and both fixed and sliding shelves runs about $2,000. Custom finishes are available to suit your decor, and the unit comes with a five-year warranty on the compressor and a one-year warranty on parts and labor.
The Wine Enthusiast also offers a smaller version that looks like a small refrigerator and can be placed under a counter and fronted with glass. One for a maximum of 50 bottles retails for about 1,000; one for 24 bottles, about $500.
One caveat: Be sure you keep coolers away from ultraviolet light or check that any glass doors are tinted. The reason? Sunlight discolors wine and prematurely ages it, Hess explains.
Still another option is to store your bottles with one of the increasing number of companies that have set up properly equipped and insured facilities and offer customer-friendly hours so you can easily add or remove wine according to your needs. Hess recommends this option if you have fewer than 200 bottles or live in a small house or apartment.
Prices are reasonable. For example, The StrongBox Wine Cellar, a self-storage facility with two locations in Chicago, rents space by the case. An eight-case space costs $110 a year, a 16-case space $204 a year, says owner Owen Deutsch. Again, check with any company about its insurance and check your own policy as well.
At what temperature you drink your wine is a matter of personal preference, but experts have definite opinions on this topic. Ritchie of Sotheby’s thinks many people drink white Burgundies too cold and reds too warm. The reason, he says, is a misunderstanding about what “room temperature” means. “Room temperature generally referred to English and French homes of long ago, but they had no central heating so the room temperatures were cooler than the centrally-heated apartments and houses of Chicago today,” he explains.
Generally, he says, you should drink a red a bit warmer and a white a bit crisper so you enhance rather than detract from its taste. Exactly how warm or cold does that mean? While you’re not likely to take a bottle’s temperature every time you uncork it–though devices exist that allow you to do so–Ritchie recommends 65 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit for a red and 55 to 60 degrees for a white.
Or do as Hess recommends: “Feel the side of a bottle for whether it feels too cold or warm. Learn by trial and error.”
Two good basic books to get you started on your education are Kevin Zraly’s “Windows on the World Complete Wine Course” (Sterling Publishing Co., $24.95) and Robert Parker’s “Robert Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide” (Simon & Schuster, $25).
BUILDING A PORTFOLIO OF LIQUID ASSETS
Don’t worry that you’ll have to rob a bank to build a decent selection. Before you buy, read some books and magazines, peruse wine stores until you find a shop and knowledgeable salesperson you feel comfortable learning from and working with and possibly attend some auctions.
If you’re starting at ground zero, Todd Hess, wine director of Sam’s Wine & Liquors in Chicago, suggests buying two dozen bottles, which will give you a good variety. Hess’ suggestions cost less than $370.
Wine What to buy Cost
Champagne Two bottles of Nicolas Feuillattc $39.98
Crisp dry whites Chateau Grinou Bergerac Blanc, 1997 $6.99
Chateau Greffiere Macon, 1996 $8.99
Verget St. Veran, 1997 $12.79
Vietti Armesis, 1997 $15.79
Schoffitt Riesling Harth, 1996 $19.99
Fuller bodied whites St. Clement Chardonnay, 1996 $13.99
Geyser Peak Chardonnay, 1997 $8.99
Clos du Caillou Cotes du Rhone Blanc, 1997 $17.99
JM Pillot Chassagnc Montrachet, 1997 $29.99
Chateau Brown Blanc, 1995 $13.99
Lighter bodied reds Judds Hill Pinot Noir, 1995 $17.99
Vissoux Beaujolais, 1997 $9.99
Medium bodied reds Saccardi Chianti Riserva, 1995 $9.99
Lorinon Rioja Reserva, 1995 $8.99
Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone, 1995 $15.99
Domaine Dubois Beaune Fleuriers, 1996 $17.99
Full bodied reds Les Hauts de Pontet, 1995 $14.99
Mondavi Zinfandel, 1994 $15.99
Franciscan Merlot, 1995 $17.99
Produttori dei Barbaresco, 1993 $16.99
Additional bottles Lustau Dry Oloroso $12.99
Quinta do Noval 10-year-old Tawny $19.99
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