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Monday, August 20th, 2018
Fine Furniture Design Bar and Game Room Raylen Wine Cabinet 320-852
Have you recently bought wine and now you’re planning to store it for future use? Before you buy an entire crate, it’s important that you know that only a small percentage of the finest wines are good for long-term storage. Majority of those that you find in the market are best consumed within a few years that they are released.
Wine storage is best for the professional grade kind of wines. Here are some simple guidelines to follow when you’re serious about storing your best wines –
Cool Throughout
Remember also that the top enemy of any bottle of wine is heat. Temperatures that are higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit will age undesirably. If the temperature goes much higher than this, then the wine literally get cooked, hence, the flavors and aromas are flattened.
Don’t get too worried if your assigned wine room is not too cool. So long as you consume the wines within a few years, you should be good.
But Not Too Cool
Refrigerating your wine bottles for just a couple of months is fine but to go for years of fridge storage means you will soon dry up the cork stopper. Your fridge lacks ample moisture to keep the cork stopper on the bottle’s mouth.
If refrigeration can become an enemy of wine storage, then so is freezing. Frozen wine produces ice crystals which expands the wine in the bottle. This results in the cork being pushed out.
Lights Off Please
Sunlight, and just about any type of direct lighting, is a potential problem for wine storage. The UV rays of the sun could age wine prematurely which is why most wine bottles come in dark colors.
The bulbs in the wine room may not age the wine but they can, over time, fade the wine labels.
Just Go Sideways
More often than not, wine bottles are stored on their sides – and they are stored in this manner for a good reason. This is not just a space-efficient way of storing wine bottles, it is also a definite way to keep the corks damp. Standing bottles keep the corks dry over time which results in bland-tasting wine.
If you’re going to consume the wines that you bought in the next few years, though, then it’s perfectly fine to have them stored – standing – in a cabinet.
Shake Not
There are many theories which state that vibration can cause chemical reactions which can damage the wine. The world’s most serious wine collectors are quite obsessive about the non-vibrating setup for their wine bottles. It’s been observed that significant vibration has disturbed older wines’ sediments making them gritty in the process.
And Now the Essentials
For the inexperienced, the world of wines can be daunting. There are, after all, many different tastes to consider and storage rules to remember. Although this is the case, wine storage does not have to be complicated.
You can begin by shopping for the right wine cabinet. This rack or cabinet must also be able to hold other wine storage essentials, not just your bottles of wine.
There are also different kinds of racks. The free standing wine rack can easily blend with any kind of décor. This is mostly made of metal or wood. This fits well in modern settings and can also be considered as the pièce de résistance of your design.
Countertop wine racks, on the other hand, are ideal for kitchen counters. They can also be set up in any part of your home or in a dedicated wine cellar.
The wine cabinet comes with drawers and often has extra shelving where you can store wine glasses, towels, and other home bar paraphernalia.
The wine console table is a fusion of the wine rack and an accent table so it is a stylish accent piece that you can place in any area where you want to entertain people.
For a wide array of wine racks, check out this link.
Tags: how to store wine, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, shopping for wine rack, wine cabinets, wine cellar, wine racks, wine storage, wine storage tips
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Special Rooms In Your Home | Comments Off on Correct Wine Storage
Monday, May 1st, 2017
FFDM’s RayLen Wine Cabinet satisfies both vertical and horizontal bottle storage.
Alright, so you have bottles of wines that you’re not planning on drinking straightaway. What are you planning to do with them? Before you begin setting up a wine cellar of your own, it is crucial to know that not all fine wines can be stored for aging. Majority of wines in the market should be consumed within just a few years that they were made. If you want to collect wines that you would want to mature, then you should consider investing in a professional-grade storage equipment.
For someone who wants just a simple wine cave, here are the fundamentals –
Cool It Should Be
Heat and wine are never best friends. Wine temperatures that go beyond 70⁰F will inevitably age a wine more quickly and the results are usually far from desirable. This pretty much like cooking wine instead of aging it.
The ideal temperature in any wine cellar is anywhere between 45⁰F and 65⁰. Of course, this is never an exact science especially since the location of your chosen wine cellar will also add to the eventual flavors and aromas of your wines.
If you really can’t help having a slightly higher temperature in your wine cellar, then just be sure to consume the wines stored there within a few years that they were made.
Too Cool Ain’t the Way to Go
While keeping wines cool is a prerequisite, it wouldn’t also be good for them to stay in cold temperatures for too long. You can place wine bottles inside a refrigerator just for a month or two. The lack of moisture inside this appliance could dry up the corks allowing the air to seep through. This will result in damaged wine.
No to Natural Light
It’s time to turn the lights off. Sunlight and other forms of strong lighting are not welcome inside wine cellars. They pose a threat to the wines’ aging. This is also the reason why most wines have colored bottles. The UV rays of the sun can potentially degrade the wine.
It is best to use incandescent bulbs than fluorescent lamps.
A Little Humidity Please
The ideal humidity for wine storage is at 70%. Since dry air can dry out the corks and eventually spoil the wine, it is best to have just a little moisture. Keeping a pan of water in your wine cellar should improve the wines’ condition. Make sure also that you consume the wine within 10 years or you will need to worry about professional storage.
Stanley Furniture Living Room Crosley Sideboard 436-11-06
Horizontal Storage
Bottles are stored on their sides so that the liquid touches the cork at all times. This, theoretically, keeps the corks wet. This storage technique is especially useful where there are no glass, screw caps or plastic corks to stop your wine bottles.
The Basement for a Cellar?
If you don’t have a not-too-damp room such as a basement, then you can always improvise. The simplest racks should be fine to begin with. Don’t even think about storing wine bottles inside the kitchen, the boiler or laundry rooms. These are usually areas that sustain hot temperatures so wander off of there.
Any vacant storage area can actually be repurposed as a wine cellar. This is a location that’s far away from the sun and one that has at least one cooling unit. There are now standalone units called wine coolers that can also be added to your newly set up wine cellar.
If you want to get the best out of this new room in your home, then you just have to install a through-wall cooling unit. Such units can also control the humidity inside the wine cellar.
Tags: how to store wine, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, storing wine, wine cellar, wine storage
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Special Rooms In Your Home | Comments Off on The Wine Cellar Startup Basics
Monday, January 11th, 2016
Wine bottles in this photo are from FFDM’s RayLen Vineyards Collection.
Choosing to highlight the rooms in your home with a vineyard or wine theme can add a casual ambience that is often linked to country French or Tuscan style. Wine accents permeate your place with a glamorous yet tranquil atmosphere. Pick hues that are commonly found in nature to harmonize with your wine accents. Use sage green, burgundy, and deep blue for a calming effect. Sunshine yellow and red, on the other hand, can make a room come to life. If you want to add a hacienda feel or mission touch, then use rustic textures.
This lovely wine rack is also from FFDM’s RayLen Vineyards Collection
Guidelines for the Innovative Vineyard Theme
First, what is a wine theme without bottles of wine, right? Keep those wine bottles in a wine rack made of wrought-iron. If you can find those with grapevine and grape bunch embellishments then do so. Display this kind of rack inside your Napa Valley design kitchen.
You can also set up a wine bar with different kinds of wines placed on a glass-topped, wrought-iron table. If you don’t want to take the risk on metal, then go safe with the traditional beauty of wooden racks. To add a country feel, wind some grapevines among the wine bottles.
As guests arrive, place fresh grapes with cheese board showcasing a number of cheeses, crackers, crusty bread, and fruits. Place a terracotta ice bucket complete with a vineyard logo and wine glasses and you’d be the talk of the town!
Now don’t think that the wine theme is just great for your kitchen. You can bring this same rustic look to your bedroom by grouping grapevine wreaths on the place where the headboard should have been. Embellish these with sunflowers to achieve the sunniest Tuscan atmosphere. Here, you should opt for faux grapes complete with dried herbs or some yellow starflowers.
Put this same treatment above the couch in your living room. You can pick one oversized wreath or settle with a group of smaller ones.
Of course, just like any design, one of the fundamental guidelines in achieving cohesion or balance is the use of a focal point.
Make a focal point inside the dining room or kitchen by using a wine puller collection showcased on a bead board backsplash. Put this on the side of the kitchen island or right above the counter.
You can reach a higher level for this look by filling up a pottery bowl (preferably brick red or muted yellow) with different fruits. Use purple and green grapes with all the other fruits, of course. Place this fruit bowl in the middle of your vintage farm dining table. None can be more perfect as a rustic centerpiece.
The bathroom can also be given an eclectic flair as you place vineyard-themed towels, bathrobes and a shower curtain. If you cannot have these theme towels made, then you can just combine white towels with towels in red or purple shades. Highlight the walls with wallpaper in the same hue or print.
Winners Only Dining Room 52 Inch Franklin Server DFD470B at McCreerys Home Furnishings
Designing a Wine Cellar
You may not be a wine connoisseur but if you enjoy a glass of wine after dinner, then it won’t hurt to use this unique them when you remodel your home. Here are some ideas before you set out to build or remodel –
Never think that the wine cellar is merely a storage area. This is an important room just as much as the dining or living room. Obviously, wine bottles need to be kept in a quiet, undisturbed, cool and private place. While this is so, you should not decorate the space as if no one is ever going to see it.
Add a wooden wine rack or cabinet, even a wrought-iron bar in the corner. These furniture pieces are not just there to beautify; they can also serve as storage units in your cellar or wine room. Add a framed artwork on the wall to complete the artistic vibe in your wine-themed home.
Tags: color harmony, country, country cottage, country style, country style interiors, eclectic, eclectic design, eclectic interiors, eclecticism, French design, French design elements, French furnishing, French furniture, French interior design, French interiors, French Romantic, harmony, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, Napa Valley design, rustic, rustic charm, rustic interiors, rustic look, rustic style, rustic theme, Tuscan design, Tuscan interiors, Tuscan style, vineyard theme, wine bar, wine cellar, wine cellar design, wine theme
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