Thursday, November 10, 2011

Build A Wine Closet

If you love wine and are building a great collection, but don't have a vintage cellar in which to store all the bottles, do not refinance your home to afford such a place. A simple closet, preferably located in the interior of your home or in your basement, is all you need to prepare an ideal place for your wine. With a few inexpensive pieces, you can design an area that will both store and protect your beloved wines.


Instructions


1. Install shelves in the closet, if they are not already there. Place dividers on the shelves if you want to delineate between different wines.


2. Lay your wine bottles on their sides on the shelves, with the necks facing you. Place wines you want to age for a while on the bottom and stack bottles you want to consume sooner on top.


3. Write the grape varietal and vintage, and any other information you wish, of each wine on a gift tag. Hang it from the neck so you don't have to pull out a bottle to know what it is. Furthermore, write the date you want to drink it so you know when to pull it out.








4. Set up a humidifier on one of the middle shelves and set it to 60 to 70 percent.


5. Set up a portable air conditioner, to keep the closet between 50 and 60 degrees, if it is not in a basement or cool area of the house.


6. Keep the door closed, as sunlight can be damaging to wine. If the closet is big enough to walk in, set up a lamp with an incandescent light bulb. Walk in, turn on the lamp and shut the door while spending time in the closet.

Tags: your home, your wine