AmericanWinery.com

A term that can refer to both a storage area for wines and the wines stored there. Traditionally, wine cellars were underground because such a location keeps the wines at the proper temperature. Subterranean cellars certainly aren’t a requirement today with air-cooling and the advent of temperature-controlled units that can be placed anywhere. No matter where wine is stored, the bottles should be lying on their sides so that the cork stays moist and airtight. A drying cork can shrink and expose the wine to oxygen (see oxidation), which can ruin a wine. Ideally, a wine cellar should be dry (but not overly, since a modicum of moisture helps keep the corks from drying out), well ventilated, vibration free, cool, and dark. The cellar’s temperature should remain fairly constant—if it changes, it shouldn’t DO so drastically. The ideal temperature for storing wine is around 55°F, but a reasonably consistent temperature between 45 and 70°F is acceptable. However, the warmer the temperature, the faster a wine will change. University of California, Davis researchers discovered that every 18°F increase in temperature can double the rate of a wine’s chemical changes. In short, the characteristics of a wine stored at 72°F could possibly change twice as fast as one stored at 54°F.