by Charlotte | Jan 7, 2018 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News, Wine-tastic Fact
Wine racks (Photo by Rosehill Wine Cellars)
A custom wine cellar is ideal for storing wine. The temperature is controlled by a wine cooling unit from a manufacturer specializing in creating the right environment for wine. There is insulation from floor to ceiling, to ensure a steady temperature that doesn’t fluctuate and harm the wine. These may be things you already know about wine cellars, but the following are lesser known facts about wine cellars and the wines they store.
1-Label-Up
All wine bottles that will be stored for more than a couple of months should be stored horizontally on wine racks. As most people know, this ensures that the cork stays wet, protecting the wine from a shrinking cork that allows excess oxygen into the bottle, which spoils the wine. What many don’t know is that there are several good reasons to be careful about storing your wine with the label up. It helps in the following ways:
- The label is better protected from damage. Whether or not you are storing your wine as an investment, a damaged label can understandably impact the eventual enjoyment of the wine.
- It’s helpful for the sediment to form on the side opposite of the label, so that you can more clearly see whether decanting is needed when it’s served, due to an excess amount of sediment.
- You won’t need to disturb the wine bottle in order to see what type of wine it is, and eliminating movement and vibration is one of the basics of proper wine storage.
2-Causes of UV Damage
A bottle of wine is prematurely aged by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, which penetrates even the darkest glass used for bottled wine. Sunlight isn’t the only source for harmful UV rays. The lights in a wine cellar can also cause UV damage. Fluorescent lights, for example, are sources of significant amounts of UV lighting. LED lights don’t release UV rays or heat; they are ideal for wine cellars. If you have a glass door or window on your wine cellar or wine room, keep in mind that UV rays are transmitted through the glass.
3-Aging
A low-quality wine isn’t improved simply because it has aged in a proper wine cellar. There are certain types of wine that improve with age, but the process of aging doesn’t upgrade a poor-quality wine into a fine vintage.
4-Corked Wine
Corks and wine are forever pared, like horses and saddles, and needles and thread, they are symbiotic partners. Years ago, wine was much more reliant on good quality corks. Over a long period of time, it was determined that approximately 8% of all wine bottles with corks became tainted or “corked”. In response to the clear evidence of such a problem, synthetic corks – plastic corks were developed and sold by the millions. The cork industry relies in large degree on the wine industry.
The cork industry has over many decades researched ways to prevent the naturally occurring chemical called tri-chloro-anisole (TCA) from combining with the chlorine bleach that was used to sanitize the corks, which was the cause of the problem. They developed a new process, which has significantly reduced the number of corked bottles of wine.
5-Benefits of Cleanliness
A wine cellar should be completely free of foodstuffs and anything with a penetrating odor. If there are strong smells, they can penetrate the cork and spoil your wine. If there is food, such as cheese, in the wine cellar, mice will be drawn to the area and can begin chewing on corks and labels. Also, if you store anything with its own yeast in the wine cellar, it’s likely to ferment; so don’t.
If you’re interested in making a custom wine cellar space in your home or business, contact Rosehill Wine Cellars. We are experts who know all the secrets of proper wine storage, and we will work with you to create the perfect space for your wine collection.
by Charlotte | Jan 4, 2018 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News, Thirsty Thursday
A custom wine cellar makes organization of your wine collection easy (Rosehill Wine Cellars Custom Wine Cellar)
It doesn’t take long for a disorganized collection of wine bottles to feel unmanageable, especially if your storage space doesn’t have wine racks. If you are a wine lover with a growing number of favorite vintages, then constructing a custom wine cellar may be just what you need to simplify your life and better enjoy your collection. A wine cellar cooling unit from a leading manufacturer will help to ensure that your wine is properly stored. Wine racks will provide you with a system for organizing your wine and storing it so that the corks don’t dry out. Anyone who has crates and many individual bottles of wine will benefit from a well-organized custom wine cellar.
Wine Bottle Organization Tips
A wine collection may begin with a few favorite vintages and surprisingly grow to the point that you don’t know exactly what you have or where to find it. The worst part about it is that some of the wine could be at its peak or going beyond the best time to drink it. This defeats the purpose of a wine collection. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all the wine nicely organized so that you know where to go for that perfect bottle for a particular meal with dinner?
There are many ways to categorize a wine collection in a wine cellar. The best way to organize largely depends on the types of wine the collector purchases. The following are a few helpful ideas:
- Put all of the bottles of a particular wine type in the same row. This could mean rows for red wine, white wine, champagne, other sparkling wines, and dessert wine.
- Place bottles in rows according to the type of grape, such as Bordeaux, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Noir.
- In the various categories that you set up in your wine cellar, order the wine bottles according their drink date.
- Another approach is to keep a “drink now” section with all the different varieties in your collection.
The Right Atmosphere
Organization is important, but nothing about a wine cellar is as essential as the fact that you can rely on the wine being properly stored for many years. Simply placing wine in a room with a wine cooling unit doesn’t provide the right kind of protection against potential temperature fluctuations. A wine cellar has insulation from floor to ceiling. Bottles are also protected from harm caused by UV rays and vibrations. The fact that you have many bottles and crates of wine is proof enough that a wine cellar could be a daily asset that simplifies your life.
by Charlotte | Dec 31, 2017 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News, Wine-tastic Fact
The most champagne and sparkling wine that is served in North America is served during the holidays, especially on New Year’s Eve. Are these wines different from others, as far as storage needs? With one minor exception, storage for champagne is actually the same as for other wines. A wine cellar with a wine cooling unit by a major manufacturer such as Breezaire, Cellar Pro, CellarCOOL, or Koolspace provides the right temperature range of about 55°F. Humidity levels also need to be controlled to about 70%, for optimal storage.
What is Different about Champagne?
For wine to be referred to as “champagne,” the grapes used must have been grown in the Champagne region of France. The area has defined boundaries and various growing areas. Strict procedures must be conformed to in order for a wine to legally be packaged and presented as champagne. These matters are coded into international treaties and trade agreements. Those specifications include:
· Types of grapes used
· Growing conditions
· Blending
· Storage
Champagne is typically made from a three-grape blend of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. This makes champagne a cuvée, which is a type, blend, or batch of wine. Blanc de noir and chardonnay champagnes are made from Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, or a mix of the two.
The bubbly aspect of champagne is a matter of science. Once a Champagne cork has been popped, yeasts ferment sugars, forming carbon dioxide gas.
Ideal Long-Term Champagne Storage
Like other wine in long-term storage, champagne should be stored on its side. This ensures that the cork stays damp. If the position of the bottle keeps the cork dry on the inside, the cork can dry out to the point of shrinking. This leads to more air getting inside, causing oxidation, which spoils the flavor.
There should be no UV rays that can get to champagne. Because bubblies such as champagne are highly light-sensitive, they are usually stored in dark bottles that provide extra UV protection. The type of lighting used in a wine cellar is an important issue, since some types of bulbs emit UV rays that can spoil wine the same as direct sunlight does.
Short-Term Champagne Storage
Bottles of champagne and sparkling wines that will be stored for up to a month but no more are best left standing up, according to some wine experts. The bottles must, however, be protected from artificial or bright light.
A Toast to Auld Lang Syne!
You can count on enjoying your champagne that has been stored properly in a custom wine cellar kept cool by a Breezaire, Cellar Pro, CellarCOOL, or Koolspace cooling unit. Rosehill Wine Cellars if you’d like to create the perfect custom wine storage in your home for future New Year’s toasts.
by Charlotte | Dec 29, 2017 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News
CellarCOOL wine cooling system.
If you have a wine cellar cooling unit in your wine cellar that’s made by a leading manufacturer such as Wine Guardian, CellarCOOL, or Koolspace, you can be confident that your wine is in a safe environment. Every cooling unit has a lifespan, however. There comes a time when you need to replace your custom wine cellar cooling system. The last thing any wine lover wants is for their cooling system to go out without their knowledge, causing wine to potentially get too warm, which can spoil it quickly. It’s very helpful to know signs to watch out for so that you know your wine cellar refrigeration system may need to be replaced.
Making Strange Noises
Wine refrigeration systems are usually very quiet. If you ever hear noises, it could be an indication that the unit needs to be repaired or replaced. The following provides an idea of various sounds a cooling unit makes plus what may be causing it:
- Squealing is an indication that the fan belt may need to be replaced.
- Rattling could mean that a panel is loose or perhaps that the motor or fan blade is rubbing against another component of the cooling system.
- A hissing noise usually means you have an air or refrigerant leak. This usually occurs near the reversing valve or the compressor.
- A gurgling sound could be a sign that there is excess air in the lines.
Temperature or Humidity Inconsistencies
Important aspects of wine storage include maintaining a constant temperature of 55° to 58° F and a certain, consistent humidity level. Sometimes a faulty thermostat is the problem and all that’s needed is to replace batteries or the thermostat itself. If humidity has become a problem, however, it could be the refrigerant levels in your cooling system are low. Contact a professional technician to determine the refrigerant levels and add more, if it’s needed.
Leaking
It’s normal for wine cellar refrigeration units to need repair for water leaks. Condensation is produced on evaporator coils on normal days, and it drips into a condensate pan that drains the water. If the drain becomes clogged, the pan will overflow and leak onto the floor. Refrigerant can also leak, but that’s far less common.
If you have your wine cellar built by the dedicated experts at Rosehill Wine Cellars, your cooling unit will be professionally installed and can also be maintained by experts. Always call professionals for wine cellar cooling unit repair as soon as you suspect a problem. Remember that wine cooling units by even the best manufacturers, such as Wine Guardian, CellarCOOL, and Koolspace, have a lifespan and eventually need to be replaced. It’s unnecessary for your wine to get spoiled in the switch from one wine cooling system installation to another.
by Charlotte | Dec 27, 2017 | Rosehill Wine Cellars News
Store wine in a custom wine cellar by Rosehill Wine Cellars
What would it be like to live like Royalty in 2018? When it comes to drinking wine, we can do as the British Royals do, since some of their choices have been publicized through the years. It’s always good to adopt new habits at the dawn of a fresh beginning. Why not make a habit of drinking like royals in the New Year? As all oenophiles know, life is better with wine. And the wine itself is better when it has been stored in the perfect environment provided by a custom wine cellar with a wine cooling unit by Breezaire, Wine Guardian, Cellar Pro, or another top wine refrigeration manufacturer.
The Queen’s Wine Habits
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom reportedly has daily habits which include drinking wine several times of the day. She famously enjoys Dubonnet, a fortified wine, with gin just before lunch daily. She garnishes the cocktail with a lemon slice. Dubonnet is a sweet fortified wine produced in France. The alcohol content is 15%. The Queen is onto something because serving Dubonnet with gin is the oft-preferred method. Her Majesty also reportedly drinks wine with lunch and one or two glasses of champagne each evening; the vintages haven’t been named, which may mean that she drinks a variety of wine and bubbly at dinnertime.
Drinking like the Queen of England won’t fit every lifestyle, considering that by UK government standards, she qualifies as a binge drinker. Being sober is a requirement for anyone with a job they’d like to keep.
The recipe for gin and Dubonnet is 1 part gin and 2 parts Dubonnet with the optional lemon or orange garnish. Stir and pour over a generous portion of ice in your cocktail glass.
How a Future Princess Celebrates Her Wedding
The night before Kate Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge, she enjoyed a meal at the Goring Hotel in the Belgravia district of London. The wine she chose to drink with her salmon and steak Chateaubriand was Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc 2009, which was available at that time for about $50 per bottle. Quite unpretentious for a future royal.
Drink like the Royals!
Probably the best way to drink like the royals is to keep a supply of your favorite wines and champagnes in your custom wine cellar. With the temperature and humidity kept within the perfect range for wine storage by a top wine cooling unit from a manufacturer such as Breezaire, Wine Guardian, or Cellar Pro, every bottle of wine should be jolly good.
