An underground wine cellar

A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice A bottle is a container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container traditionally made of Wood Staves and bound with Iron Hoops The A carboy is a container for fluids Brewing In Brewing, a carboy is also known as a demijohn. An amphora (plural amphorae or amphoras) is a type of Ceramic Vase with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. In contrast, passive wine cellars are not climate-controlled, and are usually built underground to reduce temperature swings. An aboveground wine cellar is often called a wine room, while a small wine cellar (less than 500 bottles) is sometimes termed a wine closet.

Purpose

Wine cellars protect alcoholic beverages from potentially harmful external influences, providing darkness and a constant temperature. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature Wine is a natural, perishable food product. Left exposed to heat, light, vibration or fluctuations in temperature and humidity, all types of wine can spoil. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean Relative humidity. When properly stored, wines not only maintain their quality but many actually improve in aroma, flavor, and complexity as they mature.

Conditions

A sherry solera over the ground

Wine can be stored satisfactorily between 7-18 °C (45-65 °F) as long as any variations are gradual. Sherry is a Fortified wine, made in and around the town of Jerez, Spain. A temperature of 13 °C (55 °F), much like what is found in the caves used to store wine in France, is ideal for both short-term storage and long-term aging of wine. Wine caves are subterranean structures for the storage and aging of Wine. Note that wine generally matures differently and more slowly at a lower temperature than it does at a higher temperature. Between 10-14 °C (50-57 °F), wines will age normally. ^[1]

Active versus passive

Wine cellars can be either active or passively cooled. Active wine cellars are highly insulated and need to be properly constructed. They require specialized wine cellar conditioning and cooling systems to maintain the desired temperature and humidity. The term air conditioning refers to the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air for Thermal comfort. In a very dry climate, it may be necessary to actively humidify the air, but in most areas this is not necessary. Passive wine cellars must be located in naturally cool and damp areas with minor seasonal and diurnal temperature variations—for example, a basement in a temperate climate. Passive cellars may be less predictable, but cost nothing to operate and are not affected by power outages. A power outage (also known as power cut, power failure, power loss, or blackout) is the loss of the Electricity supply to an

Debate on humidity

Some wine experts debate the importance of humidity for proper wine storage. In the Wine Spectator, writer Matt Kramer noted a French study which claimed that the relative humidity within a bottle is maintained 100% regardless of the closure used or the orientation of the bottle. Wine Spectator is a Magazine that focuses on Wine. Founded as a newsprint tabloid by Bob Morrisey in 1976 it was purchased three years later by publisher This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Relative humidity is a measurement of the amount of Water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water Alternative wine closures are substitutes used in the wine industry for sealing Wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures ^[2] However, Alexis Lichine says that low humidity can be an problem because it may cause organic corks to dry prematurely. WikipediaPersondata --> Alexis Lichine (1913-1989 was a wine writer and entrepreneur An inch of gravel covering the floor periodically sprinkled with a little water was recommended to retain the desired humidity. ^[1]

Wine racks

Wine racking

A wine rack is a storage device that holds bottles of wine (usually on their sides), and are often found in wine cellars. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice ^[3]

References