A Fine Cellar

Aging a fine wine is an art, a passion that yields either rich results or sour grapes. You may already have an electric wine-cooling unit, but if you're looking to build a larger collection or plan to have bottles aging over a period of time, you may consider building a wine cellar. The five main elements in properly storing your wine are light, vibration, temperature, humidity and the angle of storage.By attending to these needs you can nurture a full harvest.

Wine should be kept dark and still. Exposure to light, especially sunlight, can alter the wine's organic compounds, changing the flavor and can even cause a bad odor. Red wine is meant to age longer and, like good olive oil, is often bottled in tinted glass to protect it from light damage. In transparent bottles with little protection from illumination, whites can be more susceptible to damage.

Excessive vibration affects the flavor of wine by returning separated sediment to the liquid and interfering with the aging process. Try to disturb your bottles as little as possible.

The ideal temperature range for your cellar should be between 50 and 57degrees Fahrenheit. Because whites are generally kept cooler than reds, storing the two together will require a dual climate system. The most important thing is to protect your wine from sudden changes in temperature - keeping the temperature fairly even, and making adjustments slowly is essential. Because cooking causes sudden changes in temperature, the kitchen is usually a poor location for storing your wine.

The humidity level is another essential element. The cork is the barrier between the air and your wine. Moisture keeps the cork from drying out and letting air in, which would cause oxidization and ruin the flavor of your wine. Too much humidity can damage your labels and cause mold growth on the bottle's exterior, but it shouldn't harm the flavor of your vintage. Humidity levels should be somewhere in the range of 50 to 75 per cent, with 70 per cent being optimum.

The other issue affecting corks is the angle of storage: too low and your cork will dry out. Storing bottles horizontally is ideal, but you may want to see your labels, so anything between 0 and 20 degrees will work. Never store your bottles at an angle greater than 45 degrees.

In fact, how you're going to store your bottles is an important part of the design process. You may want to choose a method in which bottles are clearly displayed rather than storing them in piles, which makes spotting individual bottles more difficult. Shelves that pull out are ideal for storage and easy locating, and may also be useful for differently shaped or sized bottles. Tracking your inventory will also make it easier to monitor what you've got and is useful for insurance purposes.

If you live in an earthquake zone, you may also need to consider further design implications. If you are storing your bottles in bins, the depth of the bin may be important in keeping your wine in one piece. There are also products to anchor your vintage to its shelf in case of a quake. These are a worthwhile investment if you are living near a fault line.

Remember, your wine cellar is a breathing entity - your vintage can absorb odors, which must be considered when you are designing the site. Be aware of the surroundings: keep paint and other chemical fumes as well as strong smelling food like onions and garlic away from the wine.

After your cellar has been up and running for a time you can monitor your success by cracking open a bottle and making a toast: to many years of fine wine.