Caring for wine
How to store wine properly at home
To enjoy wine and preserve it from deteriorating over time, it must be stored correctly: UV protection, temperature, humidity... Discover the six essential criteria.
Storing your fine wines and best discoveries over several years in a suitable environment is difficult to achieve in contemporary homes, even for people who own a natural cellar.
The internal and external temperature.
Temperature has a direct effect on development of wine in the bottle. The higher the temperature, the quicker the wine develops. Above all, sudden fluctuations in temperature are harmful and could reduce the cellaring potential of your wine. Wine must have a stable temperature of 10°C - 14°C, whatever the external temperature differences are.
Natural cellar and wine room.
The ideal is an underground cellar with a beaten earth floor, stone walls and effective insulation.
Some traditional cellars are naturally insulated such as, for example, limestone cellars but be aware that natural cellars are not always synonymous with ideal maturing conditions.
A cellar conditioner is sometimes the only way of managing the temperature of your cellar.
The Inoa wine cellar conditioner allows you to control the temperature of your room.
Wine cabinet.
EuroCave manages the temperature inside its wine cabinets taking into consideration the temperature of the external environment (0° - 35°C).
How? With a double hot-cold circuit to recreate the specific climate of natural cellars, real-time management of the temperature via a high-precision sensor, a frost protection device on maturing cabinets, doors with double or triple glazing, aluminium internal walls to favour a uniform temperature…
For peace of mind, EuroCave displays the actual temperature inside the cabinet and not the temperature setting.
Humidity in the cellar.
The second criterion essential for effective wine maturing. A cellar which is too dry can cause significant damage: the corks retract, the wine evaporates and oxidises. On the contrary, a cellar which is too damp could damage your beautiful labels and cause mould to develop. The recommended humidity level for a wine cellar is around 70%.
Natural cellar and wine room.
The walls in rough stone capture the humidity contained in the air and encourage a good humidity level. If this level is too low, you should regularly spray the floor of the cellar with water. The Inoa conditioner developed by EuroCave captures humidity and redistributes it throughout the room, in this way, retaining the cellar’s natural humidity.
Wine cabinet.
The humidity preservation system combined with the aluminium walls of our wine cabinets guarantee an ideal humidity level inside the cabinet. A sensor measures the humidity and you can have the humidity level displayed and a warning system if necessary.
Suitable lighting.
In the case of prolonged exposure, natural or artificial light has undesirable effects on the taste of wine. It causes the tannins to break down.
Natural cellar and wine room.
The best thing to do is to install low-energy bulbs which are less bright and give off less heat. You can also store your more fragile wines in wooden cases.
Wine cabinet.
EuroCave wine cabinets are available with solid doors or UV-screened glass doors. The glass in our doors is technical glass with low emission double or triple glazing according to the collections, and insulating gas.
Protect your wines from vibration.
Wine likes a quiet environment. Vibration disrupts the slow development process of wine and is often fatal to fine wines. Which is why it is important to protect it from any domestic vibration (washing machine, domestic appliance…) or urban vibration (road traffic, underground trains…).
Natural cellar and wine room.
The thickness of the walls and location of natural cellars shield the wine from external vibration. If installing a tailor-made wine room in your home, ensure that you choose a suitable location.
Wine cabinet.
EuroCave ensures an effective barrier against vibration with several layers of protection in its wine cabinets. The compressor is separate from the cabinet body and sits on Silent Blocks which prevent transmission of vibration. Furthermore, our shelves are fitted with shock absorbers and individual "Main du Sommelier" bottle supports, which reduce residual vibration.
The advantages of effective ventilation.
A confined atmosphere constitutes a risk for wine over time. Bad odours can penetrate the cork, mould and bacteria can develop. It is therefore essential to ensure effective ventilation and air circulation inside your wine cabinet.
Natural cellar and wine room.
In an underground cellar, an air vent and a floor in beaten earth may suffice for effective ventilation. In a living space, ensure that your wine cellar has at least one air vent.
Wine cabinet.
EuroCave cabinets benefit from natural ventilation: air circulation is ensured by two openings located at the top and bottom of the cabinet, between which an air flow is created by the pressure difference. The upper opening which allows air into the cabinet is fitted with a charcoal filter to purify the air and prevent entry of bad odours.
Storage suited to wine bottles.
Arranging, categorising, storing, displaying… When creating a tailor-made wine cellar or choosing a wine cabinet, the storage system is essential. Ideal storage is one which suits all types of bottles, regardless of their shape. It must also be able to withstand heavy loads and be able to be changed or added to over time. Above all, it is up to each wine enthusiast to choose the layout the most suited to his requirements.
Natural cellar and wine room.
A cellar is an effective storage area if the wine storage units and shelving are well chosen. But it can also be an exceptional space!
The warmth of wood, elegance of metal, effective bottle presentation…Our different storage solutions pave the way for designing and creating a tailor-made wine cellar in your home.
Wine cabinet.
The interior layout of EuroCave wine cabinets was designed to be modular and customisable. The shelves are repositionable and can store all types of bottle shapes thanks to the individual, detachable “Main du Sommelier” bottle supports. And not only Bordeaux bottles!
In this way, your cabinet’s storage capacity evolves as you make new purchases and discoveries.
Wine is above all about enjoyment.
Discover how EuroCave can elevate your bottle presentation.
