What Are the Best Wine Cellar Cooling Systems
Although most people tend to open a bottle of wine within a few months of purchase, many people buy wines specifically for laying down for several years or more. Depending on what wine you buy chances are that the bottle will increase in value. In order to keep it in perfect condition people store their wines in a celler which has temperature control. To do this you need to use a wine cellar cooler so that the temperature can be maintained at about 55F or 13C. It doesn’t have to be exactly that temperature but it is a guideline. Wine also enjoys a humidity level of 70%.
Use a Wine Cooler – Not a Fridge
If you plan on keeping bottles for many years it’s important to understand why you shouldn’t use certain types of refrigeration. With regular domestic fridges you will find the wine is kept too cold. This is, after all, because they are designed to keep food fresh which is a completely different purpose to storing wine. Vegetables and meats can keep very fresh in a fridge but it is too cold and dry for your expensive vintage wine.
There are some pieces of equipment you can buy to quickly make food cold to prevent it going off. They work by bombarding the food with cold air so that it achieves the temperature you want. These have a thermostat which controls the switching on and off of the unit. When it gets too cold the unit switches off and when it’s not cold enough the unit switches back on. This is what happens day in day out. Again, this is perfectly acceptable for food but not wine.
Regular refrigeration units not only are too cold but they remove too much moisture. Because wines don’t emit any moisture they are then in an environment which is wholly unsuitable. When the air becomes too dry the corks shrink allowing air to filter into the bottle. When air gets into the bottle it makes the wine undrinkable because of oxidization.
Another reason you shouldn’t use a fridge is because they vibrate. Wine which is vibrated will be ruined so it’s only common sense that you shouldn’t do this.
Air Conditioning Won’t Work Either
Because you want to keep wine cool you may think that using an air conditioning unit is a good idea, especially if you already own one. However this too causes cork shrinkage and oxidization of the wine. And don’t even try turning the AC unit on and off during the day as it causes the temperature to rise and fall way too much.
Hopefully this info will be enough to convince you that you shouldn’t attempt to keep your wine bottles cool using a fridge of air con unit. Luckily there are special cooling units that are designed specifically with wine cellars in mind. These are well worth the money and should be purchased if you are serious about keeping your wine collection in a cellar.
Only Use a Wine Cellar Cooling Unit
These units are specifically designed to maintain the perfect temperature which will allow your wines to age in perfection. Instead of the air suddenly becoming cold, a wine cellar cooling unit will do this gently and slowly. Because they don’t suck any of the moisture out of the air the perfect humidity levels can be achieved. In saying that however, for extremely arid parts of the world such as New Mexico or Dubai you will probably have to supplement humidification with a humidifier.
If you have the cash to spare on the very best wine cellar cooling system then you’ll want to have a look at split systems. They are a lot more pricey compared to standard systems but you may feel they are worth it. The work by installing the unit outside and circulating the air to and from your cellar and they are very quiet. Extras are also available if you wish, for instance alarm units, humidifiers and dehumidifiers.
If you are a true wine buff and passionate about wine and keeping wine stored properly, building a wine cellar is well worth the money. Make sure that you buy the most appropriate cooling system otherwise you’ll only be disappointed when you do eventually uncork the bottle of wine. You might be able to find something affordable just by shopping around.
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