Collecting and drinking wine can be a hobby or a business. To protect your wine and investment, storing it correctly is very important and has a direct impact on how the wine will look and taste. It will also preserve the integrity and value of the wine. The primary factors to consider when storing wine include:

• Temperature variation can change the maturity of the wines. It is preferable to have minimal temperation variation.
• Humidity affects the performance of the cork. Low humidity may cause the cork to shrink and crack which will cause leakage. High humidity may cause contaimation and mould development of the cork. 70% humity is a good reference point.
• Sunlight - never store wine in direct sunlight. Sunlight will cause premature aging of and damage to the wine which is not desirable
• Bottle Angle - wines should be stored horizontally in order to keep the cork moist.

Whether you are cellaring your wine at home or using a professional storage facility, it is important to consider the above few points.

For home cellaring, you can store your wine under the stairwell, under the house or even in a dry dark corner somewhere so long as you consider the wine storage tips above. For those who invest in wine fridges, these are also suitable for home wine storage.

There are many professional wine storage facilities available throughout Australia that offer secure climate controlled storage facilities at competitive prices. In addition to storage services, they also offer additional services such as

• managed solutions
• insurance
• online access to your wine
• access to sell wine

Refer to the business directory for some professional wine storage facilities.