Do you know what the word oenophile means? If you said an appreciator of wines, you are right. You may even be an oenophile yourself. How is wine made? When yeast and grape juice or any other sweet liquid are combined, fermentation occurs and the magical drink that is wine is created.

Ancient people found that instead of ruining the grape juice, the yeast changed it into an entirely different drink, and one with a kick, because fermentation also changes any sugar present into alcohol. Ancient peoples also decided that this, too, was not such a bad thing, and began to deliberately make juices, mostly grape juices, into wines.

Back in those days a vintner had little choice as far as wine storage solutions. He could keep wine in crocks and ewers. He had no way to control the temperature the wine was exposed to or the humidity. Wine that was kept for long periods of time might well have turned to vinegar by the time it was opened. Later it was discovered that the conditions in caves and cellars were good for the keeping of wines, and wine cellars were born.

Just as they learned that wine needs different conditions to develop and quite another set for aging and storage, modern wine lovers have learned that wine storage solutions need to meet different situations. For modest wines in a home that is kept at a reasonably moderate temperature and humidity, open wine racks provide adequate wine storage for many tastes.

Wine storage coolers can be purchased to control the exact conditions your wine will be stored in. Coolers can be found in a multitude of sizes, ranging from a single bottle cooler, best for individual use, to refrigerated walk-in coolers for extensive collections. An individual’s choice of wine storage solutions will depend on both the size of the collection to be stored and the individual’s budget.

If wine is to remain at it’s peak flavor or to reach it through careful aging, it is fussy. Wine has a very narrow temperature array ranging from 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit with as little variation as can be. Temperature variations should occur as infrequently as possible. Under one time per year is recommended, and humidity should be kept at more than fifty per cent as well. A cooler should be free from light or out of direct sunlight that is harmful to wines.

The preferred method for wine storage is that the bottles be lying on their sides horizontally. An angle up to 45 degrees will work, but angles less than 25 degrees are much better. You can use a cooler to stack loose bottles if you like; however, this arrangement makes it difficult to get to bottles in the bottom rows of the stack. Therefore, wine racks work better. When buying a wine rack, make sure it has spaces for wine bottles that are different shapes and sizes. If the rack is going to be on display, you should buy an attractive unit.

Wine was first created by the accidental addition of yeast to juice, which caused the mixture to ferment, producing wine. Currently, wine production is a booming business, and most connoisseurs are faced with the decision of what to store their wine in. Wine storage solutions range from simplistic wine racks up to walk-in wine storage coolers, and nearly every variety in between. A rack or cooler can be found for nearly any size collection and price range. Wines are best stored horizontally, or as close to horizontal at possible, at temperatures between 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit and with humidity at or above 50% to ensure the best flavor.

– Summer Wilde