Other Wine Facts

Here are some other points of interest.

• Ideal Conditions:
  Keep the room dark and properly insulated to control temperature. A cool dark room is an ideal environment for wine.
  
• Insulation:
  A properly insulated room will help to maintain a constant temperature and humidity.
  
• Isolation:
  Isolating the room from any type of vibration will help to insure proper aging. Constant vibrations from a busy road or nearby machinery may prevent the normal sediment in an aging wine from settling.
  
• Contaminants:
  Avoid leaving food, cardboard boxes or paint in the cellar. These toxic fumes can, and will, to some extent be transmitted into the wine.
  
• Temperature:
  The optimal temperature is between 52 º and 59º F (12º and 15º C), though any constant temperature between 45º and 65º F (5º and 18º C) is acceptable. It is important to maintain this temperature range because too much heat cooks off wines finer characteristics, while too much chill retards its maturation.
  
• Humidity:
  A relative humidity of about 70% is ideal although any range from 50% to 80% is acceptable.
  
• Light:
  Many experts maintain that exposure to light prematurely ages wine.
  
• Racks:
  Stainless steel and wire grids, though cheaper, are least desirable since the metal conducts temperature at wider extremes then do the bottles, and can cause hot or cold streaks where it comes in contact with the bottle.