Wine Storage, Wine Storage, What you always wanted to Ask (Voices 1)

I'm Simon Jacob, your host for this episode from Jerusalem.

Before we get started, I ask that wherever you are, please take a moment and pray for

the safety of our soldiers and the safe return of all of our hostages.

With Sommelier happening next week in Tel Aviv and a number of winemaker interviews

happening over the next few weeks before Passover, I decided to record this additional me-to-you

conversation focusing on just one of the many daily questions I receive from listeners.

If you're commuting in your car, please focus on the road and enjoy.

If you're home, please choose a delicious kosher wine and sit back and listen in on

this personal wine conversation.

Welcome to this episode of the Kosher Terroir.

This week, I'm going to discuss a rather mundane but important topic, a topic I get

asked a ton of questions about, wine storage.

There are actually many sides to this question, so I'm going to break it down into a few

basic categories.

The first is environment, the environment you need to keep your bottles of wine in.

The second is time horizon.

How long are you planning to store this wine for?

The third is budget, which is self-explanatory.

The fourth is show and display.

Of the storage component, do you want to show your wines, do you want to display them?

What are you going to do?

And finally, the fifth is scalability.

How can you grow that storage in a reasonable way?

So under environment, the very first thing that comes to mind is temperature.

In my experience, wine storage temperature is extremely overrated and receives way too

much focus.

Don't get me wrong, either freezing bottles or cooking bottles can and usually will destroy

bottled wines, but there is a vast range of temperatures between those two outcomes.

The right temperature for wines surprisingly depends on your cultural background.

Some examples are when it comes to storing white wines long term in the United States,

the general consensus is that you should aim for temperatures between 45 degrees Fahrenheit

and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 7 degrees Celsius to 13 degrees Celsius.

This range is cool enough to preserve the quality of the wine, but not so cold that

it could negatively affect the wine's flavor or texture.

It's worth noting that while some wines might benefit from slightly cooler or warmer temperatures

within this range, the difference is generally negligible.

While white wines prefer cooler temperatures for storage, in the U.S., reds are usually

stored at a slightly warmer temperature of between 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 65 degrees

Fahrenheit, or between 13C and 18C.

This allows the tannins in red wines to soften and evolve over time, enhancing their flavors

and aroma.

It seems that while the general guidelines for wine storage temperatures are the same

in France and the U.K. as they are in the U.S., I've noticed that the French tend to

keep their wines 5 to 10 degrees colder in Fahrenheit, and that this practice has spread

to the U.K. and also to Israel.

There are some nuances to consider, though.

For example, different wine regions in France produce wines of varying aging potential,

so it's essential to know which wines are made for aging and which are best consumed

fresh.

In summary, while the basic principles of wine storage apply globally, understanding

the specific characteristics of the wines you're storing can help ensure that they

are stored optimally.

Under environment, let's talk about vibration next.

Where temperature seems always to get people's attention, vibration is commonly mistakenly

ignored.

Vibration can certainly have an impact on wine storage.

Frequent and intense vibrations can disrupt the delicate aging process of wine, potentially

leading to unwanted chemical reactions that can affect its taste, aroma, and color.

That's why wine cellars are typically in the cellar or basement, attached to the foundation.

Wine storage facilities often have vibration-reducing features like shock-absorbent floors, sturdy

wine racks, and secluded locations away from heavy machinery or traffic areas.

The country where you reside makes a huge difference with regard to this.

In Israel, construction is mainly of stone and concrete, and in the U.S. Northeast, wood

structures are the norm.

In the U.K., it's a combination of both.

The most ideal location for storage is close to your building's foundation in the basement

to avoid vibration.

Putting even a specialized wine fridge with vibration dampers on the second floor of a

wooden home in New Jersey subjects your wines to the constant vibration of people walking

across the floor and throughout the house.

While minor vibrations might not cause noticeable harm to your wines in the short term, long-term

aging will definitely be affected.

So if you're living in a lovely wooden house and you keep your wines in one of those wooden

wine racks on the floor of your dining room or in the break front, just understand that

those wines, though they won't be harmed in the short term, don't expect that you're

going to be able to go back 20 years and take a bottle out of that cabinet or out of that

rack and get anything that's of any quality at all.

I've seen so many people's wine collections stored in their dining rooms ruined over a

long period of time.

People hope and they pray for, you know, they buy bottles of wine that are great, they store

them, they purposely don't drink them because they think they're going to appreciate in

value and they leave them in that situation and after years and years of people walking

across the dining room floor, they're just absolutely ruined.

So I believe and I've found, at least in my own collection, that vibration is more, much

more important than keeping bottles of wine cold.

You certainly, if you're going to bake them again or chill them until they're frozen,

that's terrible.

But if you're keeping them within an environment that a human being can be in, it's not nearly

as much a problem as the vibration.

So it's always best to err on the side of caution and minimize vibrations as much as

possible for optimal wine storage.

When it comes to wine storage, maintaining the right level of humidity is also crucial

for preserving the quality of your wine.

Here are some guidelines and reasons why humidity matters.

The ideal humidity range is a relative humidity of between 55% and 75%.

This is generally considered optimal for wine storage.

Adequate humidity prevents corks from drying out, which can cause them to shrink and let

air into the wine bottles.

This can lead to premature aging and the potential for spoilage of your wine.

Proper humidity levels also help preserve wine labels and present them from drying out and

peeling off.

By keeping an eye on humidity levels, you can help ensure your wines and their bottles

stay in the best condition possible.

But a lot of these requirements are totally dependent on the time horizon of your storage

requirements.

Not all wines are created equal when it comes to aging potential.

There are some general guidelines for how long different types of wines can be stored.

Most white wines are best consumed young, within 1-2 years of their vintage date, although

some of the new premium white wines—white burgundies, chablis, rieslings, and some of

the higher-end Italian and Spanish varietals—need a year of aging before even attempting consumption,

and can even age gracefully for 5-10 years or more.

Roses are typically meant to be enjoyed young, within 1-2 years of their vintage, though

there are some examples of roses, too, that can age well beyond.

Many red wines can benefit from a bit of aging, with mid-range reds often improving with 2-5

years of aging.

Premium reds, like some Bordeaux blends, Barolos, and Burgundies, or some Spanish and Italian

wines, are able to age and improve for 10-20 years or more.

There are a number of Israeli and California wines that can age for 20 years, but there

are few that can improve through such a long aging process.

Of course, these are just general guidelines, and the aging potential for a specific wine

will depend on various factors, like the grape varietal, winemaking techniques that are used,

and your ultimate storage conditions.

Wine storage doesn't have to break the bank—here are some budget-friendly options for storing

your wine collection.

You can save money by creating a do-it-yourself wine rack.

Build your own wine rack using simple materials like wood or PVC pipes—there are plenty

of tutorials available online.

You can repurpose furniture, converting an old bookshelf or cabinet into wine storage

units by adding wine racks and adjustable shelving.

Or simply store your wine in a cool, dark closet away from direct sunlight or heat sources.

Just make sure to monitor the temperature and humidity, especially people's environments

change between summer and winter.

By exploring these budget-friendly options, you can find a wine storage solution that

works for you and your collection.

A key feature to wine storage is the ability to display certain wines and provide accessibility.

While proper wine storage is essential for preserving your wine's quality, it is also

important to consider accessibility and display.

Here are some tips.

Display a selection.

Keep a few bottles of wine on display, whether in a wine rack or a countertop or in a wine

fridge for easy access and conversation starters.

Showcase your favorites, displaying some of your favorite wines or unique bottles as a

way to showcase your collection and add a personal touch to your space.

Consider a wine cellar.

If you have the space and budget, a wine cellar can provide both proper storage and

an impressive way to display your collection.

Accessibility matters.

Make sure that the wine is accessible so you can easily retrieve the bottles you need when

you need them, whether it's for a special occasion or a casual night in.

Accessibility is just as important when it comes to adding new wines to your cellar as

taking wines out.

Regularly adding new wines to your collection keeps things fresh and exciting.

Ensuring your cellar has easy accessibility makes it more convenient to store new wines

properly and promptly.

A well-organized cellar with easy access also allows you to monitor your wine inventory

and make informed decisions about which bottles to drink and when.

Accessibility can also reduce the risk of accidents or damage to your wine collection

when moving bottles in and out of the cellar.

I've seen so many instances where bottles have been knocked over or cases have fallen

where it's terrible.

It's terrible when that happens.

So accessibility isn't just about retrieving wine from your cellar.

It's also crucial for adding new bottles to your collection safely and efficiently.

Striking a balance between proper storage and accessibility will ensure your wine collection

is both well-preserved and enjoyable.

Scalability.

There's no hard and fast rules for how many bottles of wine per person a cellar should

contain as it depends on personal preferences and drinking habits.

However, there are some general guidelines.

Among casual wine drinkers, those of you who enjoy a glass of wine occasionally, a small

collection of 20 to 50 bottles might suffice.

Enthusiasts for those who enjoy wine regularly or like to explore different varietals and

vintages, a cellar with between 50 and 200 bottles might be appropriate.

Collectors, serious collectors, may aim for 300 plus bottles, though I've seen some collections

that are easily over 1,000.

Allowing them to build a diverse collection, invest in rare wines, and age their wines

for longer periods, especially with a lot of the new kosher wines coming from different

places that really require, really need to be aged for longer periods of time.

If you're going to get into some of the French Bordeaux wines or some of the really fancy

new Italian or Spanish wines, it's probably better to be able to store at least five or

ten vintages before you start drinking them in over a period of time.

Scalability is an important consideration when planning a wine cellar as your collection

may grow over time, which it usually does.

Start small, but plan big.

Even if you're starting with a smaller collection, consider designing your cellar with potential

expansion in mind.

Choose a wine rack system that's modular and can be easily expanded, such as stackable

wine racks or adjustable shelves.

Maximize your cellar storage capacity by utilizing vertical space, such as with floor-to-ceiling

wine racks or tall shelving units.

And if you still have some money left over, invest in climate control.

A well-designed climate control system can help maintain optimal temperatures and humidity

levels even as your collection grows.

Because our listenership stretches across 37 different countries, I don't want to suggest

any one specific unit, because there's all different power requirements across these

countries.

But I want to tell you that there are so many options now, it's just amazing.

Small options, large options, options that are far away from walls or windows, options

that can even pop in a wall or window and give you climate control that you need.

So if you've got the money to do it, it's a worthwhile feature.

But again, temperature control is not as important as consistency of temperature.

You don't really need to chill the bottles down as long as they are consistent.

Having consistency, it's really, really important.

And as I said before, by keeping scalability in mind, you can ensure that your wine cellar

is ready to grow along with your passion for wine.

Remember, the size of your cellar should ultimately reflect your passion for wine and your personal

needs.

Quality is more important than quantity.

I'm going to repeat that.

Quality is much, much, much more important than quantity.

So focus on building a collection that you truly enjoy and that you want to drink.

So many times I have in the past bought bottles and a year later or two years later I've looked

and I said, why am I taking up my wine cellar with those bottles?

Quality, quality, quality is what you want to try to get.

So while the overall principles of wine storage remain the same, the specifics might vary

slightly from country to country.

Maintaining consistency is key.

You don't want your reds or your whites to experience storage fluctuations that could

affect their quality.

Finally, if you can't provide an environment for your wines, you're either in a small apartment

or you're sharing a house with other people, there are many third-party wine storage options.

A few weeks ago I interviewed Honest Grapes in the UK who provides such a storage option.

I know here in Israel there's an organization called Cork and Cellar that has a very reasonable

approach to storing wines and there are many, they're all over the United States, a bunch

around the New York area, a bunch in California.

So if you don't have real access to storage in your own house, get a small local wine

refrigerator and store the rest of your collection in one of these third-party storage facilities.

One of the benefits of the third-party storage facilities is they keep track of the wine

that you have stored there, most of them, and they allow you typically to access that

via an app so that you can keep an app on your phone with the bottles that you have.

Some of the other features that they allow, these third-party storage facilities allow

you to actually trade wine with other wine collectors and actually they facilitate purchasing

wine and having it shipped directly into your storage rather than having you schlep it

back from even a winery or a wine store.

I hope that's answered your questions with regard to wine storage.

There are a few other little tips that you should know about.

Wine bottle sizes have become very awkward, where in the past they were pretty standardized

in size.

Many of the new rosé bottles are kind of this awkward trumpet shape almost and you've

got to plan for being able to store those in your wine cellar.

The other things are being able to store oversized bottles like magnums.

It's worthwhile planning to be able to store those.

And there's some smaller, thinner bottles like Rieslings that all of these now fit into

different size slots, though for the most part Rieslings aren't a problem because they

fit into any of the sizes, but the rosé bottles and some of the newer sized bottles

are really annoying to be able to fit into the racks properly.

So just to make you aware of that.

If you have any further questions, I don't know what you might, but if you do, please

feel free to drop me a line.

The email is there and please feel free to send me an email and I'll be sure to respond

to it as quickly as humanly possible.

Actually it's easy to reach me, anyway it's called thekosherterroir at gmail.com.

That's the fastest way to reach me.

So feel free, drop me a question or drop me a suggestion and I'm happy to come back to

you.

Also, I'm trying this shorter format for a couple of the episodes.

I will be going back to longer episodes, but if you prefer the shorter, please let me know,

or if you hate the shorter episodes, please let me know that too.

All right, so thank you very much for listening to The Kosher Terroir.

I look forward to visiting with you again next week.

Shabbat Shalom Baruch.

This is Simon Jacob again, your host of today's episode of The Kosher Terroir.

I have a personal request.

No matter where you are or where you live, please take a moment to pray for our soldier

safety and the safe and rapid return of our hostages.

I hope you have enjoyed this episode of The Kosher Terroir.

It was exciting and informational for me as well.

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