You don’t have to be a rocket scientist understand the basics of wine storage: temperature, humidity and light conditions for wine cellars. Temperature The proper storage temperature of 10 to 15oC enables wine to age slowly to its full complexity. Excess heat cooks off its finer characteristics, while too much chill retards its maturation. Humidity Humidity should also be stable, at about 70 percent, so that corks don’t dry out. When dry, corks shrink slightly, allowing air into the bottles that oxidizes the wine. This is also why bottles are stored on their sides: the wine keeps the cork wet, […]
Cellars & Accessories
How to Start a Wine Cellar: Wine Racks for Reality Budgets
You don’t have to live over a limestone cave, or have the budget of an eighteenth-century aristocrat, to cellar wine. Of course, higher-end options exist including wine fridges and custom-built wine cellars. However, you can start as simply as you like, with one wine rack purchased at a home furniture store, and add more as your collection grows. Here are tips on which wines to stock in your cellar. $200 – $5,000 WINE RACKS Set up racks in a cool, dark area of the house, such as the basement, cold storage room or closet that have the best conditions for […]
Wine Cellars: Ideal Storage Conditions
“Wine likes to grow up slowly in dark, cool conditions,” says Natalie MacLean, author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. If it’s too hot, the wine will age too quickly. It’s the difference between cooking your dinner in the microwave versus slow-roasting it.” The ideal temperature for storing wine is 55 degrees Fahrenheit, with a humidity level around 75 percent. The cool temperature helps the wine mature at a slow, steady rate, maintaining optimal taste during the storage period. Since most fine wines are plugged with natural cork, and not topped […]
Vine Video: Wine Places in My Home
Here are some of my favourite wine places at home … what are yours? Wine places in my home … Vine Video vine.co/v/bgAUBubIdWn — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 23, 2013 Be prepared is the motto for both Boy Scouts and wine lovers … vine.co/v/bgAjXPTnpBP — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 23, 2013
Gifts for Wine Lovers 2
It’s getting perilously close to Christmas and some of us have not finished shopping for the important people in our lives. I know that it can be a daunting task to buy a wine gift for somebody who is really, really into wine, especially if you are not particularly wine knowledgeable yourself. It doesn’t need to be exasperating or expensive to get a great gift for the wine geeks in your life, but here are a few important things to keep in mind: Do – Decide how much you want to spend before you start looking for a wine-related gift. […]
Gifts for Wine Lovers
One of the easiest people to buy for on your list this year is the wine lover. There seems to be no end to the wine books, videos, gadgets and accessories that pour on to the market each year. Even the budding oenophile will appreciate these gifts. The books can be purchased from most major bookstores across the country, while the accessories can be found in specialty wine stores in your area or by calling the stores listed below. In addition to these selections, most of the provincial liquor stores offer special gift packages for the holidays. The beautifully illustrated, […]
Custom Wine Cellar Consultant Rolf Thohauge
What began as a home-improvement project has turned into a small business for Rolf and Charlene Thorhauge, who design and build about four cellars a year. When Rolf Thorhauge retired from the RCMP in 1993, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his new-found freedom: build himself a wine cellar. The keep-busy, home-improvement project soon morphed into a full-time, home-based business for Thorhauge and his wife Charlene. Now in operation for 12 years, the owners of Rolf’s Wine Cellars design and build on average three to four basement cellars a year for customers across the city. “It is […]
Wine Cellar Trends, Options and Designs
Forget meaningless one-night stands. An increasing number of Canadians are having a hot and heavy love affair with wine — a passion that rages on, long after the red roses have wilted and the Valentine chocolates are gone. According to Statistics Canada, “the intake of wine has continued to increase over the last 10 years reaching 13.9 litres (per person) in 2006.” Ottawa wine writer Natalie MacLean says in the last two years alone, wine consumption has increased seven to eight per cent, edging out beer as the alcoholic drink of choice. “Definitely, it’s trending up,” says MacLean, author of […]
