Any wine connoisseur would definitely find it a joy to have his very own wine cellar. You do not have to be a rich vineyard owner in order to have a wine cellar specifically customized for you. If you have a basement whose space is barely used, you can always turn it into your wine cellar. Storing wine is definitely rewarding. It is a hobby that has been enjoyed by so many people for so long. If you ever plan to store wine in your basement, here are some storage tips that you might want to know:

Keep a good storage design in mind

The very first step in a basement-to-cellar project is design. You need to have a good wine cellar design in mind. As you come up with a design, do consider factors such as how much space will your wine cellar take up in your basement or how many wine bottles do you plan to store. If you are not satisfied with your own design, there is nothing wrong in hiring a wine cellar contractor. In fact, most people cooperate with their contractors in order to come up with an excellent design for their cellar.  

Keep your wine cellar dark

Good wine would age better if it is stored in a dark place. So if your basement does not have windows at all, better keep it windowless. Avoid exposing your wine to light, most especially sunlight. Sunlight has UV rays and these can easily spoil your wine. If your basement already has windows, through which the sun goes through, you might want to consider having these windows sealed.  Keep your wine bottles safe in a cabinet so that they would not be exposed to sunlight. Now, how would you get around your wine cellar without stumbling into your wine bottles? – use incandescent bulbs.     You have to keep your wine cellar as dark as possible so that your wine would not spoil

Keep the bottles on their sides

A common mistake that a lot of rookie wine collectors are guilty of is storing their wine in an upright position. If you would notice, most wine bottles holders, as well as racks, are designed to hold wine bottles on their sides. Also, if you would visit prestigious wine cellar and participate in wine tours, you would see that bottles are stacked up on their sides. Some people even keep wine bottles in a slanted position. Keep your wine bottles on their sides so that the corks would be continually moisturized. Because once they dry out, they would start to let oxygen seep through them. And you would not want oxygen to ruin your fine tasting wine, do you?

Keep the humidity levels moderate

Another thing to take note of is the humidity level of your wine cellar. It is good to have a little bit of humidity in your wine cellar so that the cork would not dry up. A humidity level for up to fifty percent would not have a negative effect on your wine. But if the place where you live has low humidity, then you might want to put a humidifier in your cellar.  Humidifiers are essential most especially in wine cellars that are situated in dry areas or near desert areas. Make sure the humidifiers in your wine cellar are appropriately proportional to the size of your wine cellar.

Keep your wine cellar cool

Basements are quite cool and that is why they can be great wine cellars. But even if that is the case for most basements, it is not necessary true for all.  you should still ensure that your wine cellar is cool. Wine experts suggest that the perfect storage temperature of fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit be followed. Because of the necessity of coolness in wine storage that people install a cooling system within their cellars. If it is hot in your area, or if the temperature in your area drastically changes at a quick and extreme rate, then you should surely consider installing a cooling system for your cellar. It would help you a lot in controlling the temperature of the room and keeping your wine in its best taste.

Keep track with a good system

It would not hard to find the wine bottle you are looking for if you have a collection of less than a hundred wine bottles. But if you are one of those who have wine cabinets that reach from floor to ceiling, then you might want to consider having a good tracking system. Mark your racks and your cabinets in a systematic way. Use tags if you have to. In this way, you would not have to waste a lot of time looking for a certain vintage wine of your choosing. It is not that hard to devise your own tracking system like that of a library.

If you ever need help with wine cellar design and construction, consult as at Basement Bro. Turning basements into beautiful cellars is our specialty.