Have you opened a bottle of wine from a cabinet in your kitchen or a box under your sink and found out that its smell is not floral, fruity, or spicy? Have you noticed some discoloration? You should know that these are signs that your wine has a defect and may be undrinkable.

Let us find out the different possible wine defects and learn the ideal wine storage options that will preserve wine’s quality and desirable characteristics.

Oxidized 

When unwanted air mixes with wine, it is subjected to hot temperatures, or is aged too long, oxidation occurs. The original vibrant fruity scents in wine become lifeless or flat, losing their aroma, flavor, and color.

This results in stale, stewed fruit and a burnt marshmallow, sherry, or vinegar-like smell. The moldy smell is caused by the TCA or Trichloroanisole in corked wine due to high level of oxidation.

The insipid taste in oxidized wine is caused by the bacteria that oxygen promotes when it gets into the wine. The alcohol in wine turns into acetic acid, causing unpleasant taste.

The color of an oxidized wine is usually a shade of brown, while other wines look dull. These are the clues that indicate wine defects.

Oxidation can happen prior to or after bottling of wine and even while it is stored at home or in a restaurant. So, next time, you will know when to pour wine down the drain or return it to the restaurant or wine store where you bought it from.

Corked  

The cork of wine bottles functions as a seal to protect wine from being exposed to unwanted oxygen. How can a cork cause wine to spoil? When wine comes in contact with a contaminated cork, it will smell and taste like a wet newspaper, rotten cardboard, or damp cloth, resulting in what they call “corked wine”.

A cork is contaminated when 2, 4, or 6-Trichloroanisole (TCA) is present. This chemical compound is usually formed when the natural fungi that reside in cork come into contact with chlorides.

Chlorides are found in sanitation products used in the winery, such as bleaches. Using infected corks will cause cork taint, a wine defect that destroys the natural aromas and fruitful flavor of wine.

Maderized  

Maderization is a process where wine is heated and oxidized to make it taste like Madeira wine that has a nutty and caramelized character. When talking about wine defects, the term “maderized” refers to the condition of wine exposed to too much heat or very high temperatures (greatly higher than 55 degrees Fahrenheit). This usually happens in wines with low alcohol content.

There will be greater chances that your wine will become maderized when you keep it near a radiator or any heating device in your house. An under-the-stair space where hot water pipes are installed is also a bad storage place for wine.

Too much heat exposure increases the rate of wine’s aging, resulting in spoiled wine. This is why proper wine storage must be practiced to preserve wine the right way.

Ideal Wine Storage Solutions – Wine Cellars and Wine Cabinets

One of the major reasons wine gets spoiled is from storing it in a place where stable temperature and humidity levels are not present. Wine needs to be stored in an environment with temperature ranging from 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity levels between 50-60 percent.

The two most in-demand and efficient wine storage solutions are custom wine cellars and refrigerated wine cabinets. When choosing between a wine cellar and a wine cabinet, consider the size of your collection, your space, and your budget.

Residential Custom Wine Cellars 

Nowadays, home owners in many parts of the world, including Canada, who have the right budget, invest in a residential wine cellar to keep their finest wines safe from harmful external factors.

Wine cellars are carefully designed and installed to ensure that a climate-controlled environment is provided to your finest wines, especially those intended for long-term aging. Proper room insulation and installation of a vapor barrier are the primary steps to prepare the room for construction.

Blue Grouse Wine Cellars Designs and Installs Custom Wine Cellars in Canada

In Vancouver, Canada, a team of experienced designers and installers, Blue Grouse Wine Cellars, has been building custom wine rooms for many years. With their expertise, any extra room can be converted into a functional resting place for your wines.

For them to achieve the ideal temperatures and humidity levels in their client’s wine cellar, they use efficient wine cellar refrigeration systems suitable for the storage needs and requirements of the collector.

The right wine cellar door material and seal must also be installed. Other things that must be given consideration are the wine rack material and design and wine cellar lighting. All of these can affect the stability of the conditions inside a refrigerated wine cellar.

Building a home wine cellar in Canada may not be affordable to some, but in the long run, you will realize that having one will save you money since it lowers the risk of having a defective wine in you collection.

Below are some photos of high-end wine cellars built by Blue Grouse Wine Cellars:

Wine Cabinets  

If having a wine cellar in your home is not possible due to budget and/or space constraints, you shouldn’t worry because there is another wine storage option that is more affordable – the wine cabinet.

Wine cabinets with a built-in wine cooling system are called refrigerated wine cabinets. Even though it is a budget-savvy option, a refrigerated wine cabinet has the ability to maintain an environment similar to wine cellars.

One of the most popular brands of wine cabinets in Canada is Eurocave. Their sturdy, high capacity and stylish products are being used by Blue Grouse Wine Cellars in many of their wine cellar projects. Learn more about Eurocave wine cabinets by clicking here.

Eurocave Wine Cabinets – a Top Choice of True Connoisseurs

In addition to sturdiness, style, and capacity, other features that you should look for in a wine cabinet include internal lighting, an alarm system, and vibration exclusion. Keep in mind that wine cabinets only accommodate a certain number of bottles, unlike wine cellars that allow your collection to grow in the future.

A collector’s goal is to store his wines in such a way that its desirable characteristics are preserved properly. Storing them in a climate-controlled environment is the key to achieving this. Depending on your needs and budget, make sure that your choice of storage solution can help prevent wine defects.

If you need expert advice in choosing the right wine cabinet to suit your needs, call Blue Grouse Wine Cellars at 1.888.400.CORK (2675) or visit their website at http://bluegrousewinecellars.com/.

No residential custom wine cellar in Florida will ever be complete without a beautifully designed and skillfully built custom wine cellar door. A home wine cellar door is an essential part of proper wine storage, because without it, a wine cellar cooling unit would not be able to maintain the temperature and humidity within the storage room at their ideal levels. When choosing a home custom wine cellar door, here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. What Material Do You Want For the Wine Cellar Door

Just like custom wine racks and custom wine cellars, custom wine cellar doors can be made from a variety of materials. The most popular materials used for wine cellar doors are wood, glass and iron. All three are beautiful options for a cellar door.

Wine cellar doors can be made from a variety of materials, such as wood, glass, and iron. Each one has its own advantages. Wooden doors are the most popular kinds. There are various kinds of wood species you can choose from, but the most popular are Mahogany, Pine and Redwood. You can opt to have wooden wine cellar doors that are plain, or that are elaborately designed with carvings. Wine cellars can also be made from glass, but not just any type of glass. Average glass is not a good material for making an airtight door. Insulated or thermal glass panel doors are ideal for custom wine cellars in Orlando, Florida. These glass panels should also be at least double or triple pane, and in between the panes should there should be a vacuum or gas filled space. Lastly, iron is another choice for the material for your wine cellar door. Some people use wrought iron only as an additional material or an accessory to their wooden or glass wine cellar door, but you can opt to have your entire door made from iron as well. You can also have a separate wrought iron cellar door mounted in front of a glass door. This will not only keep your wine storage room airtight, but also secured.

2. Always Check Your Cellar Door for Airtightness

Airtightness is an essential component of custom wine cellars in Orlando. Whether your wine cellar door is made of wood, glass, or iron, you should make sure that it is airtight. When choosing a home wine cellar door in Orlando, Florida, check its frame for weather stripping and its bottom for a sweep. If a door has no frame, it cannot provide the airtightness that is necessary for residential wine cellars in Fl to provide proper wine storage. Without it, the heat load within storage room will be high and you will need to have a bigger wine cellar refrigeration unit to keep the temperature and humidity in the ideal levels.

3. Add Your Personal Style to the Wine Cellar Door

Whether you choose a wooden wine cellar door, a glass wine cellar door or a wrought iron wine cellar door, you should always have it designed according to your personal preference. The design should also match the décor of your residential custom wine cellar in Orlando, Florida.

Wine, unlike most beverages, is very sensitive. It can spoil easily if exposed to light or heat. Wine requires specific conditions in order to mature properly. This is why, if you plan to start a wine collection, you need to understand the essentials of wine storage first.

Wine can be stored in a variety of ways. One of the best is through a residential custom wine cellar in Dallas, Texas, with a quality wine cellar refrigeration system installed. In fact, this is the most ideal wine storage solution.

Wine Cellar Spec, a leading wine cellar builder company, designed and built one of the most interesting custom wine cellars in Dallas. This unique wine cellar was built in a home in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Learn more about this home wine cellar by reading through this page.

Home Custom Wine Cellar Wine Racks in Texas by Wine Cellar Spec

In one of the residences in Frisco, Dallas, Texas, Wine Cellar Spec converted a kitchen pantry space under a staircase into a lovely home wine cellar.  The design of this custom wine cellar was made to match the existing home décor and maximize the given space.

For this wine cellar, Wine Cellar Spec used wine racks made from rich Mahogany. In order to accommodate bulk storage, lower double deep solid x bins were designed for the custom wine racks. A wine tasting table top was included too. Since the wine storage room was under a staircase, a full wall of horizontal single deep racks and a waterfall style rack were added, to complement the slanting ceiling.

Lacquers and finishes are important, too, when it comes to wine storage. The wrong type of lacquer or finish can potentially damage your wine collection. In this residential wine cellar project in Dallas, Texas, not only did the wine cellar designer choose a lacquer that would complement the home décor, but also one that was non-aromatic. There are many wooden wine rack finishes that produce an odor that can ruin your wines. It is important to remember that home wine cellars are rooms that are tightly sealed, which means that even the slightest odors can build up after some time. Bad odors can affect not only the aroma, but also the taste of your wines.

Custom Designed Wine Cellar Door

A wine cellar door is another important aspect of a custom wine cellar, because its design and build can affect the consistency of the temperature and humidity inside the storage room. For this home wine cellar in Dallas, Tx, the custom wine cellar door was built with a square top and an arched dual plane glass panel with a wrought iron inset. To match the existing cabinetry and molding style in the client’s home, custom stain was applied and custom made moldings were added.

Home Wine Cellar Refrigeration System

A wine cellar refrigeration unit provided by US Cellar Systems was installed in this wine cellar in Frisco, Dallas, Texas. More specifically, a Rack Mount 2600 was chosen in order to meet the requirements of the wine storage room. Wine cellars in Texas need an efficient wine cellar cooling unit because the temperature and humidity in the state vary a lot throughout the day and through the seasons. A quality wine cellar cooling system can make sure that the ideal temperature and humidity inside the residential wine cellar are kept at constant levels.