.jpg)
- Long term – longer than six months
- Short term – two to six months
- Near term – one month or less
Many people have only short-term and near-term needs. That is, all of their wine will be consumed within six months of purchase. Similarly, many will have only a near-term requirement in that any wine they purchase will be consumed within the month.
Long-term storage requires careful attention to the environment in which the wine is to be stored. Prolonged storage in an inappropriate environment can damage wine, often to the point of it being undrinkable. Where and how you store wine for the long-term is dictated almost entirely by these environmental requirements. This usually requires a temperature and humidity controlled environment, away from light and vibration. Racks are not required for long-term storage. The cardboard or wooden cases the wine is shipped in are fine as long as they are oriented such that the bottles are horizontal. To avoid breakage and injury, care should be taken not to stack these cases too high.
Short-term storage requirements are less stringent because exposure to otherwise inappropriate conditions will be shorter. However, appropriate temperature conditions are still critical. Even short-term exposure to excessive heat will ruin the wine. An infrequently accessed, dark, cool closet is a good storage location. Store the wine on the floor, as this will be the coolest area. Again wine racks are not required, but will make the wine more accessible than box storage. The most important things to consider when purchasing a rack are stability and density. You want a rack that will be stable when filled to capacity and that stores the most bottles given its height and width. The esthetics of the rack should be dictated by where you intend to put it (i.e. racks in a close don’t have to be pretty). The kitchen is usually the worst place to store wine; too hot, too much vibration, too much light. Temperature controlled basements make good storage areas.
Near-term storage requirements are pretty much the same as short-term, accept that you probably want the wine in an area that is easily accessible. Again, the kitchen is not a good location. Perhaps a corner of the dining room, under the bar, etc. If you can afford to spend $200 to $500 dollars, a small to mediaum capacity wine refrigerator is ideal for near-term storage. The refrigerator can be kept almost anywhere electricity is available (even the kitchen) and it maintains the wine at the proper temperature and humidity. Wine refrigerators come in many sizes from twelve bottles and up. Obviously, the larger the capacity the higher the cost. You will also have the choice of one or two temperature zones. A one-zone refrigerator maintains all of the wine at the same temperature, while a two zone refrigerator maintains a different temperature in each zone, one for red wine another for white. Two zone models are more expensive than single-zone models.
.jpg)