Wine Storage for Oenophiles

by Roberta Murphy

I recall a blustery night in the mountains at Big Bear Lake, when we spent a long evening in our kindly neighbors wine cellar. Rare for Southern California, it was located underground. The comfortable cellar had gorgeous stone walls, comfortable seating and a magnificent mahogany bar. Stacked and buried within this deep paradise were thousands of bottled wines.

A few bottles were ordinary, many were extraordinary and some were reserved only for the Gods.
We were privileged to taste some of each. It was a cellar and a night to remember. But that is a topic for another article. Here we shall focus on wine storage and available solutions.

The smaller and basic wine refrigerators offered as an option by some San Diego home builders and widely available in many stores serve short term needs for wine loving consumers. These are fine for wines that will be enjoyed within a year or two.

For more serious long term storage, you may wish to consider an investment in a larger and more complex unit. Wine refrigeration of this sort will likely offer an aluminum interior for cold conductivity and a pebbled finish for humidity preservation. These higher-end units may also feature wood racks or wood-framed and moveable wire grids.

Choices for wine storage can range from Liebherrs handy wine-fridge-within-a-fridge to the La Cache cherry cabinets for larger collections. The selections and choices are plentiful and many can be seen at the Wine Enthusiast site

And of course, there are always dedicated rooms and cellars for these bottled treasures that invite oenophiles and their friends to relax and share stories in the company of fine wine.