Wine Cellar Cooling Systems

Long before we had technologically advanced cooling systems that we could control with the touch of a button our ancestors stored their wine in caves and underground cellars. They had to struggle to maintain ideal wine storage conditions, and protect their fine wine from the bats and spiders that shared those caves, eww. These conditions are; cool, dark, humid, and stationary. Optimal wine storage is between 55 °F and 58 °F (13 to 15 °C). Temperatures above these can wreak havoc on your bottles by causing them to age prematurely, and temperatures below this can negatively affect the taste of your wine making it more acidic and bringing out the flavor of the alcohol to the front of the bouquet. Consistent temperature is a must as well. Large or quick temperature fluctuations can negatively impact a bottle of wine.

It is possible to either compliment, or mask the taste of wine by manipulating its serving temperature. It is easy to get wine temperatures wrong, especially with so much misleading information out there. For example most people have heard that red wine should be served at ³room temperature.² But what most people don¹t understand is what room temperature is. Here in the US most people think of room temperature as around seventy degrees Fahrenheit, however in most of the world before the introduction of central heat and air conditioning room temperature was most often below 60 °F! So if your dining room is seventy degrees you should be chilling your red wine before serving, and not leaving it out in the kitchen to warm up.

You may be asking yourself if wine needs to be cool, why not simply store it in the fridge? Modern refrigerator temperatures range from around 45 °F to 32 °F. This may be an ideal temperature range to keep your milk and produce fresh but a bit too cool, and too dry for wine. Wine stored at too cool of a temperature will not age properly, and some refrigerators are cold enough to freeze the wine which will wreak havoc on the chemicals in the bottle (and can cause the wine to expand and push the cork out, or crack the bottle). Additionally, a refrigerator has very low humidity which can dry out the cork in your bottle which can allow air to seep into the bottle and damage the wine chemistry. The higher humidity in a wine cellar will help keep the cork from shrinking. Ideal humidity in a wine cellar is between sixty five and seventy five percent.

Most of us don¹t have access to a cave to store our wine; thankfully modern technology has made it possible for us to mimic the primitive but ideal conditions of a French cave. Here at East End Wine Cellars we work with top companies Vinotheque and Vinotemp to install and service energy-efficient, quality wine cooling systems in all of our cellars. There are many choices available in choosing a wine cooling system. You can depend on our years of experience to assist you in installing the right size and style cooling unit for your wine cellar. Our certified HVAC and electrical technicians ensure that your wine cellar will operate at optimal temperature and humidity while remaining energy efficient for years to come.

Ahh, wine.