Wine Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Storage == {{Main|Storage of wine}} [[File:Wine Barrels.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Oak]] [[wine barrel]]s]] [[Wine cellar]]s, or wine rooms, if they are above-ground, are places designed specifically for the storage and aging of wine. Fine restaurants and some private homes have wine cellars. In an active wine cellar, temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate-control system. Passive wine cellars are not climate-controlled, and so must be carefully located. Because wine is a natural, perishable food product, all types—including red, white, sparkling, and fortified—can spoil when exposed to heat, light, vibration or fluctuations in temperature and humidity. When properly stored, wines can maintain their quality and in some cases improve in aroma, flavor, and complexity as they age. Some wine experts contend that the optimal temperature for aging wine is {{convert|13|C|F}},<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-11 |title=On TV : Simply Wine with Andrea Immer : Storing Wine : Fine Living |url=http://www.fineliving.com/fine/simply_wine/article/0,,fine_15098_2518659,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111025534/http://www.fineliving.com/fine/simply_wine/article/0,,fine_15098_2518659,00.html |access-date=2023-09-23|archive-date=11 January 2010 }}</ref> others {{convert|15|C|F}}.<ref>{{cite web|website=maridajesgourmet.com |url=http://www.maridajesgourmet.com/vinos/vino/vinocuidadovino/temperatura.html |title=Storing Wine Temperature |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708100910/http://www.maridajesgourmet.com/vinos/vino/vinocuidadovino/temperatura.html |archive-date=8 July 2009 }}</ref> Wine refrigerators offer a smaller alternative to wine cellars and are available in capacities ranging from small, 16-bottle units to furniture-quality pieces that can contain 500 bottles. Wine refrigerators are not ideal for aging, but rather serve to chill wine to the proper temperature for drinking. These refrigerators keep the humidity low (usually under 50%), below the optimal humidity of 50% to 70%. Lower humidity levels can dry out corks over time, allowing oxygen to enter the bottle, which reduces the wine's quality through oxidation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.intowine.com/wine-fridges-and-wine-cabinets|title=Wine Fridges and Wine Cabinets|date=20 August 2007|website=IntoWine|access-date=4 May 2020|archive-date=11 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311133158/https://www.intowine.com/wine-fridges-and-wine-cabinets|url-status=live}}</ref> While some types of alcohol are sometimes stored in the freezer, such as [[vodka]], it is not possible to safely freeze wine in the bottle, as there is insufficient room for it to expand as it freezes and the bottle will usually crack. Certain shapes of bottle may allow the cork to be pushed out by the ice, but if the bottle is frozen on its side, the wine in the narrower neck will invariably freeze first, preventing this. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page