Wine Storage Solutions | Wine Cooler Blog

Wine Storage Solutions: Red Wine Storage

There are many different types of wine and probably just as many different ways to bottle and market great vintages. Many of my personal favorites are a part of the red wine family. There are some unique red wine characteristics that need to be considered to store and serve red wine correctly. Important factors to consider are the red wine type, the storage and serving temperatures, the storage humidity, and red wine storage environment.

RED WINE TYPES

Some of the most popular red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Grenache grapes are often used as a blending additive when wine making from other grapes and are one of the most planted red wines in the world, especially in Spain and France. Other red wines that are not as well-known but deserve mention are Barbera, Malbec, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo and Gamay. Syrah and Shiraz wines are made from the same grape, but are developed using uniquely different grape processing techniques. The modern era has brought an increasing popularity for red organic wine, produced with no fertilizers or chemicals.

RED WINE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS

The best rule of thumb for red wine storage is to store them at a temperature between 50 and 60 degrees F. When temperatures approach 90 degrees F., red wine can easily be damaged. Imagine it is August in the Arizona Desert; you stop to buy your red wine for dinner and leave it in the trunk of your car while you continue to shop for several hours. Your red wine will be damaged. You will not be able to undo the damage if you rush home and stick the red wine bottle in the freezer. That action of moving your wine from one temperature extreme to another will also cause damage to it. Alexander J. Pandell has written an excellent article on How Temperature Affects the Aging of Wine that is worth reading.

Red wines are best stored in a wine fridge, bottles properly racked in a horizontal position and with the temperature precisely regulated. The horizontal position will insure that the cork won’t crack or leak from drying out. Relative humidity should be around 70 percent. Leaking corks can cause premature oxidation of the wine. Disturbance of the bottles should be minimized to the best of your ability, particularly if you intend to age them awhile. Look for slide out shelving in your wine cooler appliance to make access to your bottles easier and to minimize movement of the other stored bottles. Your storage appliance should be placed out of direct sunlight to maximize your wine cooler’s ability to hold a constant temperature.

RED WINE SERVING TEMPERATURES

Most red wines should be served at room temperature, which means an average of 60 to 65 degrees F. If the red wine is served too warm, the taste will be dominated by the alcohol and if it is served to cold, it will definitely be less flavorful. Red sweet and sparkling wines should be served much colder than room temperature, about 45 degrees F. Lighter reds like Pinot Noir and Zinfandel should be served around 60 degrees F. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, full bodied red wines, are best when served at 65 degrees F. Use the serving guidelines, but good wine tasting often comes down to personal preference in balancing flavor and alcohol taste. It is best to experiment on your own when serving your favorite red to find your personal temperature niche.

The more you refine your red wine storage and serving parameters, the more you will appreciate the quality of your taste experience. As popular as wine is becoming as an addition to our lives, I still recommend to everyone to buy the wine you like best, store and serve it the proper temperatures and enjoy it any time you want to. Wine refrigerators are designed today to address all the critical conditions needed to keep make your red wine storage easy and keep your bottles ready to enjoy.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, May 2011

Wine Storage Solutions: Popular EdgeStar Dual Zone Wine Cooler (CWR261DZ)

EdgeStar recently introduced a new dual zone wine refrigerator that was especially designed for undercounter applications. It did not take long for this new wine cooler to become one of our customer’s favorites. Our EdgeStar 26 Bottle Dual Zone Undercounter Locking Wine Cooler is designed for either free-standing or undercounter applications. The wine refrigerator comes with a classic black cabinet and stainless steel trimmed glass door and venting grate. You can store either red or white wines, because this wine refrigerator has dual zones with independent temperature controls. The upper zone stores 8 bottles and has a temperature range of between 54 and 65 degrees F. The lower zone stores 18 bottles and has a temperature range of 40 and 54 degrees F. This premium wine cabinet stores bottles in a staggered reverse racked style. The wine cooler has a reversible thermopaned glass door. The digital temperature controls, auto defrost, security lock, blue interior lighting and stainless steel towel bar handle will make owning this wine cooler a real pleasure. The powerful compressor based cooling will keep all your wines stored at just the right temperature. This wine cooler is currently on sale and it ships FREE from our warehouse to your front door. Look no further for superior wine storage.

FEATURES:
* Use in Free-standing or Built-in Applications
* Black Cabinet with Stainless Steel Trimmed Door
* Digital Temperature Controls
* Stainless Steed Trimmed Wood Shelves
* Stainless Towel Bar Style Door Handle
* Powerful Compressor Based Cooling
* Auto Defrost
* Dual Temperature Zones
* Blue LED Interior Lighting
* Reversible Door Hinges
* Security Lock
* Upper Zone Temperature Range is 54 to 65 Degrees F.
* Lower Zone Temperature Range is 50 to 54 Degrees F.

CAPACITY:
* 26 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 15.0 Inches x Depth 23.5 Inches x Height 32.0 Inches
* Depth With Door Handle 24.5 Inches

SHIPPING:
* FREE

MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY:
* 90 Days Labor/1 Year Parts

If you ever had thoughts about having a wine cooler to store and age your favorite vintages, now is the time to take a hard look at this EdgeStar Wine Refrigerator.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

Wine Storage Solutions: Wine Cooler Shipping Cost Truths

As a web based retailer of wine coolers, beverage centers and other beverage cooling products, the single most frustrating part of our business is shipping. Adding another side to the equation, consumers are often reluctant to pay for shipping of these beverage appliances. I don’t blame consumers for seeking the lowest possible price when buying one of these appliances, but they need to realize shipping these items is not cheap.

Weight and Distance

If one is looking for a wine refrigerator that will store 24+ plus bottles of wine or a beverage center that will store over hundred cans, you must realize these appliances are going to weigh in at 100 pounds plus. Weight is not the only factor related to shipping. UPS, FedEx or standard freight shipping is also based on distance from the warehouse pick-up spot to the home or business of the consumer. Obviously, an item warehoused in Los Angeles, for example, will cost more to ship to New York City than the same item warehoused in New Jersey.

Over Sized Package

Most shipping companies also have restrictions based on package sizing. UPS typically will add an additional charge of over $50.00 per package for shipments exceeding their predetermined size limits. This additional charge often results from “double-boxing” the wine cooler and beverage center appliances. These appliances often come with glass doors and adjustable legs making them particularly vulnerable to damage from the shippers without the added box protection.

Delivery Issues

UPS and FedEx home deliveries are really geared to handle smaller packages quickly and efficiently, but give them something that weighs over 100 pounds and that quick and efficient operation begins to deteriorate. Image a package delivery driver that comes to your neighborhood to deliver a heavy package to you and has to “man-handle” this heavy package to your door. Our neighborhood UPS driver doesn’t even have a dolly to move it with. One of our customers reported that their driver struggled with their delivery and eventually dropped it on the ground. Our “double-boxing” requirement saved it from damage.

Wine Cooler Pricing Verus Cost

Any seller of wine and beverage refrigerators obviously has to purchase their products from a factory or wholesaler. They also must determine the best pricing structure for retailing the appliances considering base cost, overhead expenses and required profit margin. Shipping costs also become part of the marketing consideration. Consumers are going to look at the bottom line by adding up product cost, shipping cost and potential sales tax costs. The retailer that can market the “best bottom line” to the consumer will get the sale. Retailers will use several different strategies for determining market bottom line figures.

Consumer Bottom Line

Consumers will rightfully continue to look at their bottom line total cost. However, I believe they need to be more aware of the shipping dilemmas related to appliance weights, distance and boxing protection. Before you buy take the time to call the retailer, some times better deals can be made than are presented on the web site. For example, if a buyer is from an area near our warehouses, they will have much reduced delivery prices that apply or they may even be able to pick-up the item themselves. Lastly, look for personal customer service where you can talk to a human-being and get the true facts about your bottom line.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers