Are you interested in wine? Perhaps you’ve been educating yourself as a lockdown hobby, and you’ve even invested in a couple of bottles.
Or maybe you’ve been storing wine for a while now, and you recently pulled out a bottle you know is exceptional, poured it out for your friends and been disappointed. It doesn’t taste the same. It’s changed, somehow.
Storing wine in the optimum environment is vital to preserving its taste. A dark, humid space kept to a specific temperature is the only way to maintain the quality of the wine you’ve invested in.
Whether you’ve got a private collection or are interested in investing and selling your bottles decades down the line, storage is an aspect of wine collecting you can’t skimp on.
A wine cooler is a fantastic option if you have neither the funds nor the capacity to invest in a wine cellar.
Four benefits of a wine cooler
Keeps wine at the ultimate temperature
It may sound like a no-brainer, but did you know that different wines need to be stored at different temperatures? And we don’t just mean white wine should be kept under cooler conditions than red wine. One bottle of white will require a different set temperature than another bottle of white.
Chilling or heating wine to the wrong temperature can drastically influence the taste, and not for the better.
Before you buy an expensive bottle of wine, ask the seller what temperature it needs to be stored at to ensure every bottle you buy is compatible with your storing facilities.
Some wine coolers come with dual temperature zones, like this one from Amica, and it means that you can collect red and white wine or even champagne and store them together correctly.
Protects wine from vibration and light
Even small vibrations, like those created by your washer-dryer combo or even your stereo system, can disturb the sediments that usually lie at the bottom of the wine bottle. Not only will this increase the chances of you pouring sediment into your glass (not a pleasant experience), but it can also have a detrimental impact on the ageing process.
Additionally, your wine bottles should never be left in direct sunlight. The UV rays will damage both the taste and aroma of your wine.
Designed for horizontal storage
Have you noticed that pretty much all wine coolers are designed to hold bottles horizontally? There’s a reason for that, and it has to do with the cork. The wine keeps the cork moist, preventing it from drying out and shrinking, letting oxygen in (the same as opening the bottle) or the precious nectar leak out. No one likes cleaning up spilt wine; talk about waste!
If you’ve opened your bottle and recorked it, you may be concerned about it leaking out anyway if you store it horizontally. Not to fear, though, by using a rubber wine stopper or wrapping wax paper around the cork before popping it back in, you can continue to store your wine on its side, preserving the taste and preventing leakage.
Maintains the perfect humidity
Which is incredibly important. If the atmosphere isn’t humid enough, the cork will dry out, which we’ve already learned isn’t a good thing. But too high, and you’ll find the wine labels peeling off, which isn’t ideal if you’re hoping to sell them later down the line.
Who would have thought wine coolers could have such an impact on your collection?
Is a wine cooler worth it?
If you’re serious about preserving the quality of your wine, then a wine cooler is an absolute must, especially if you don’t have access to a wine cellar. Essentially, a wine cooler does so much more than just keep your wine chilled. It protects your bottles from detrimental environmental changes that impact taste and aroma.
Where to buy a wine cooler
If you’re ready to get serious about wine collecting or know someone who is and are on the lookout for a wine-related present for them, then look no further. At Wellingtons Electricals, we stock a wide variety of quality wine coolers right here.
We also offer a price match promise and have finance options available. If you have any other questions about wine coolers in general or about a specific model, please get in touch, and we’d be happy to help.
