What is the best temperature to serve and store your favorite wines?  I have been asked this question many times.  Trying to be responsive to Blog readers and business clients, I embarked on what turned to be a two-day research project.  What I found is hundreds and hundreds of websites that present information on wine storage and serving temperatures.  As you can imagine, the opinions about temperature facts were all over the board.

Keeping your wine at the correct temperature is critical to maximizing its value and taste.  Wines kept at too high of a temperature will age faster than desired.  Wine stored at too cold of a temperature can develop deposits or other sediments in it.  Each type of wine has its own desirable storage temperature range.  Keep in mind the ideal storage temperature is not always the same as the ideal serving temperature.

Some general information was reasonably consistent from one website to another.  The common refrigerator generally operates at 35 degrees F.  The lighter the wine the cooler it should be served.  The warmest you should serve any wine is 60 to 65 degrees F.  Wine should be stored where humidity is about 70 percent.  If you had to pick one temperature to store wine, store it at 55 degrees F.

Based on website research, the following table represents averages of all the information that was found.  This table for obvious reasons cannot be portrayed as the definitive answer to the best temperatures for storing and serving your wine.  It can be used as a guide for your information and use.  With over 1,000 different types and variations, the wine temperatures evaluated were limited to a few varieties that are more common.

No one can tell you the precise storage or serving temperatures of wine.  The biggest variable to consider is what your own personal tastes tell you.  Having a wine refrigerator to better control the temperatures of your stored wine can help you experiment to find just the right temperatures for your tastes.

For more information and temperature management solutions see: idealwinecoolers.com.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, Jan/2010

The Wine Consumer Issue revolves around three primary axes.  One axis is the ever-increasing demand by the consumer as wine popularity soars.  Another angle to the wine consumer issue is the wholesalers, the traditional intermediaries, seek to protect their state-sanctioned monopolies, in other words, they want their share of the “American Money Pie”.  The last issue axis revolves around the old-fashion laws regarding shipment of wine across state lines.  All of these issue components serve to restrict your ability to buy and ship your favorite wine no matter where you get it.

An ever-increasing favorite beverage of many people is wine and demand for wine is increasing rapidly.  With over one-thousand different wine varieties, the choices seem nearly infinite.  Wine tasting parties are very popular and great events to get to know other people.  In the past thirty years, the number of wineries increased by several hundred percent.  There is now at least one winery in every state, but distributors in all fifty states represent less than twenty percent of these wineries.  The issue is consumers do not have the freedom everywhere to obtain wine from their favorite vintners.

The traditional American business model starts with a producer that leads to a wholesaler that leads to the consumer.  The wholesalers in this equation are naturally fighting your ability to purchase and ship directly from the producer of your choice, strictly a matter of money.  In last 30 years as wine popularity and demand has increased the number of wine wholesalers has drastically diminished.  The wines currently marketed are generally limited to two or three distributors in each state with a great deal of interest in keeping direct wine shipping laws in place.

Did you know that only thirty-five states now allow the retail shipment of wine to adult consumers across their respective borders?  In those states, the shipping restrictions range from limited to very restrictive.  Fifteen states continue their ban on any form of cross border shipping of wine.  Some of these states even classify that act as a felony.  Imagine; obtaining the wine you want from where you want could have you facing criminal charges.

This wine consumer dilemma became apparent to me after visiting the website of a great organization: Free The Grapes.  This organization was established in 1998 to address directly the wine consumer issue that is summarized above from their website.  By visiting their website, you can get more specific information regarding the wine consumer controls associated within the state you live.  Their web site can be found at http://www.freethegrapes.org/index.html.

Maybe it is time we wine lovers got involved with this issue so our enjoyment of wine can continue unabated.  Of course, that is my opinion; you should develop an opinion of your own with regard to this issue.

More information websites dedicated to wine and wine issues can be found in the “Links” Section at http://idealwinecoolers.com/page/favorite_links.html.

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, November 2009

Wine is becoming an ever-increasing favorite of many people. With over 1000 different wine varieties, the choices one has seem nearly infinite. As wine’s popularity with us increases, the requirements for good wine storage need consideration. Wine is a perishable food that when improperly stored will lose value and flavor and eventually could end up undrinkable.

How does one get the right wine storage appliance to meet their needs? If you are the person that brings home the occasional bottle of wine for that special dinner or party, it is okay to store the wine on its side in the refrigerator until you use it. However, if you are thinking about having several bottles of wine on hand for future use and aging them to perfection, your refrigerator is a poor choice for storing your wine. Several factors need your consideration to find the wine cooler that fits your needs.

FIRST, you need to decide what your wine storage objective is. How much wine do you want to store? What kinds of wine do you want to have on hand? How long do you plan to store it? Wine coolers are available that can store from a few bottles to hundreds of bottles. If you plan to store a mix of red and white wines, a dual-zone wine cooler would be a good choice; different wines should be stored at their optimum temperature. The best place to store your wine undisturbed until it reaches it best age is a wine cooler.

SECOND, especially in today’s world, the cost of the wine cooler is an important factor. Wine coolers range in price from under $100 to several thousand dollars. Custom built wine cabinets can easily cost over $10,000. Dual-zone wine coolers will cost more than single-zone coolers and front-venting wine coolers for under-counter applications will cost more than freestanding ones. Some beverage centers can store wine as well as a good mix of canned beverages.

THIRD, the space you have available for a wine cooler is another important consideration. If you live in a small apartment or condominium, several wine coolers are available that can fit on top of your kitchen counter. Freestanding wine coolers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and can be installed anywhere you have a niche to fill. Built-in wine coolers, designed to fit under your countertop, come in the same dimensions as standard kitchen cabinets.

FOURTH, consider your home’s decor when selecting a wine cooler. Wine coolers on the market today come in all different styles and colors. From basic white and black to models with gleaming chrome or stainless steel finishes, there are many choices that will make your wine cooler accent your décor instead of detract from it.

I truly believe that an investment in a wine cooler that fits your needs is an investment in improving your enjoyment of wine. You will need to evaluate and balance all the decision criteria. Consider the factors that are appropriate for you and then invest in a cooler that will keep your favorite wine cool and ready for you to serve.

For more information see: http://www.idealwinecoolers.com/page/home/index.html

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, September 2009