Wine storage

Storage of wines is important especially if you intend to invest in wine or want to keep some of the better wines until it matures. Wine is very much an organic product which may change with time, temperature, light and movement. Unless you have ideal storing conditions, it is not wise to buy old expensive wines for keeps or wait too long before you drink the wine. Otherwise, you’ll probably end up with the most expensive vinegar around. Fortunately there are many storage options available including storing opened wines. An overview of wine coolers available in Singapore as well.

A.
THE IDEAL CONDITIONS

Storing option

B. STORING OPTIONS

Depending on your location and your budget, you may like to explore different options.
Option 1 : Just fix a rack!
For those who live in favorable tropics where temperature are constant year round. Lucky you! Dig a cave or build/buy racks to put in a small room or cabinet. Just need to ensure that it is dark and vibration free. Suitable for short to very long term storage.
Option 2 : Cooling Unit
For those who want to dedicate a small room or large cupboard for your wine collection. Just buy a dedicated cooling unit like Breezaire, Coolspace or WhisperKOOL. They all have different capacity to handle different wine space and is able to maintain the space at a constant temperature with little vibration. You need to ensure that your room is well insulated so that there is minimum temperature fluctuation. It helps to have two sets of cooler as well to alternate the use to minimize breakdowns and act as a stand-by. Suitable for long term storage. Read this interesting article about tips on building your own cellar.
Option 3 : Wine Cooler or Cabinet
This option is for those who do not have a budget constraint and do not want to go through the messy process of building a wine cellar. There are many commercial models around like Transtherm or others. While there are usually many features, the space for wine is often limited and once your wine collection expand beyond the space capacity, you’ll need a new one. Check out some of the wine coolers available in Singapore here. Suitable for short to mid-term storage.
Option 4 : Convert an old fridge
Yes, it is possible to convert an old working fridge into a wine cabinet but it does require some DIY handiwork. The basic concept is to use a thermostat to regulate the temperature in the fridge. Once the fridge reaches the pre-set temperature, the thermostat would switch off the power to the fridge. It would on itself once the temperature rises again. There is a commercial model available called the WINE-STAT in the US. However, do note that the older commercial fridges have lots of vibrations and tends to be too dry. Hence, it is not very suitable for long term storage.

Option 5 : Your Commercial Fridge

This is probably the last resort if the above options are not viable for you. The commercial fridge is typically too cold and vibrates too much. But again, this is the last resort. You can keep your wine in the chillier (if there is one) but the temperature will basically retard any potential growth in the wine. In other word, don’t expect it to mature. Hence, you may want to keep the wine in a dark cupboard for a while, not more than 6 months, before putting it in the fridge. It may help to wrap the wine in a towel before putting it in the fridge to prevent over-chilling. Suitable for very short term storage (less than a year).

C. STORING OPENED WINES

So, you have opened your bottle of wine but somehow you did not manage to finish the wine. Do you throw it away? Of course not! Opened wine does not keep long as air comes into contact with the wine and oxidize it. If you corked it back and keep in the fridge, it may be good for another day. For you want to keep it longer (about 3 to 5 days) you will need those vacuum pump that basically pumps out the air so that the vacuum remains in the wine bottle. A good brand which I use is VacuVin. I found out that you can keep the wine for a week provided that you pump the wine immediately after serving and put it in fridge. Strangely, the wine always taste best on the third or fourth day! If your wine is half finished, one method is to pour the wine into a smaller wine bottle (375ml) and corked it again. That would minimize exposure to air but do try to finish it the next few days.

For Champagne, it is best to finish it when opened. There is a myth about putting a small silver spoon into the opening of the champagne bottle but it has been proven empirically not to work. There are Champagne stoppers available in the market that can keep well for a few hours but I do not recommend it.

D. BRANDS OF WINE COOLERS AVAILABLE

Here are most of the different wine coolers available here in Singapore. Before buying a wine fridge, consider not just the cost but your future needs as well. I always advise against buying a small fridge as your needs tend to outgrow the fridge. Also, note that while many fridges specify the capacity, it often always refer to the capacity when you stack up the wines fully without the wine racks. Hence, with the wine racks, capacity is often reduced by 30%. Models with glass door may look great but do note that in Singapore’s weather and humdity, condensation often occurs on the doors if the fridge in not placed in an air-conditioned room. Hence, the solid door option might be a better choice.

Wine storage
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