Archive for the 'Wine Storage' Category

After listening to the needs of some of our trade customers, we are excited to announce the launch of a dream wine service unit: N’Finity Wine Cellars.

What are the special benefits of an N’Finity unit?

As a restaurateur, wine retailer or wine maker you will be able to provide proper and convenient wine service for your customers with a unit designed to fit your needs.

•    The N’finity cellars allow easy access to wines by simply sliding out one of the many included rolling shelves to find a customer’s selection
•    The front vented technology enables you to place the unit in a corner of the restaurant, on your selling floor or in any storage room without occupying important floor space.
•    Smooth, elegant, blue interior lighting will add to the ambiance of your space, rather than taking away from it.
•    Reversible doors mean you’ll find an N’Finity unit that is perfect for your space
•    Two-zone digital temperature control gives you flexibility with storage and service temperatures for both reds and whites.

About 2 weeks ago, a client of mine in the NY metropolitan area was handling a major corporate event party. Unfortunately, they ran out of Chardonnay within the first hour of the event! Because of the dual temperature zones, the sommelier was able to re-stock the N’Finity’s top (cooler) compartment and chill the whites down to 44 degrees, making them ready-to-serve by the time the main course was out. A major fiasco avoided! The flexibility this unit has brought to that establishment has been huge.

Myself and the team are so happy to have this custom-built, dream wine service unit to offer, with many happy customers already putting them to great use. Any questions? Give us a call at 800.377.3330

This post launches an exciting new series here on Winston’s Wisdoms, “Wine Enthusiast Wine Cellar Design” in which we will feature real photos of our custom cellar designs, put to use! Today’s featured cellar is a Vintage View cellar utilized by one of our clients, Custom Millcraft at Ocean Prime restaurant in Orlando, Florida.

The vintage view style makes the labels easily readable and creates a gorgeous display. If you are interested in building a cellar like this or of a different style, simply call us at 800.377.3330 and one of our wine storage consultants will be happy to help!

“I’m wondering if I need to buy a Multi-Temp for my reds & whites?”
This is a common question I hear from customers looking to buy a refrigerated wine cabinet. There is really no wrong answer to this, because it is all about your needs and lifestyle. For optimal aging conditions, we recommend all wines (reds, whites, champagnes and even ports) to be stored at 55 degrees. However, if you entertain a lot and prefer immediate wine service, then a multi-temp dual-zone wine cellar is a fine solution as you have compartments to instantly enjoy reds at 65 degrees and whites at 47 degrees. (Although you lose out on some of the benefits of long-term aging at these temperatures.) If you have the ability and time to take a red out, decant it and let it warm up to slightly below room temp, or you can chill a white down on ice, then a one-temp might be for you! One advantage to a single temp cabinet is that you generally can store more bottles in the unit.

Most people are familiar with 1-temp or 2-temp units, Eurocave even makes a 3-temp model. The lower section houses approximately 12-18 standard size bottles, the temperature is set for white wine service. The very top of the unit has another separated compartment that houses approximately 8-12 bottles at red wine service temp, while the rest of the unit is at recommended 55 degree storage.

Of course if you have any questions or are unclear as which application would suit you the best, our Wine Enthusiast Storage Consultants are available at 800.377.3330 to make it easy for you!

One of the most important things when selecting the proper storage for your wine collection is the position of the bottles. We recommend that you store all of your wine bottles horizontally. Why?

With horizontal storage, the cork stays moist by its contact with the wine and any sediment that develops will sit at the bottom. If your wine bottles are stored vertically, the corks are at risk for shrinking and drying out, which means they will crumble when you decide to open the wine. It’s best to store the wine horizontally and parallel to the ground, on an even plane. If the bottle is angled downward the sediment falls toward the neck and if angled upward, you will have the same cork drying issue as if the bottle were vertical! Plus, horizontal storage is the best way to keep your bottles organized!

Thanks to Robert Dwyer at Wellesley Wine Press, for asking this great question!

A great majority of wine is made to be enjoyed right away and does not need to be aged. However, wines of supreme quality can evolve with time in the bottle, offering a rewarding experience to the patient cellar keeper. The two major factors that determine the ageability of wine are its tannins and its sugar content. Tannic reds and dessert wines can typically age longer than whites (though there are exceptions), because these qualities preserve the wine over time, allowing further development without spoilage.

A wine’s ageabilty can vary greatly depending on the producer, style, and quality but the following is a handy starting point:

15-20+ Years: French Cabernet-based wines and tannic Italian reds like: Bordeaux, Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino
10-15+ Years: Sauternes, Late-Harvest Riesling, Tokaj, Vintage Port
5-10+ Years: New World Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti Classico, Rhone Valley, Grenache, Rioja
3-5+ Years: Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Zinfandel, Napa Valley Merlot
1-3 + Years: Chardonnay, Dry Riesling, White Burgundy, Gewurztraminer
Will Not Age: Beaujolais, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc

One of the most common and important questions we are asked is the difference between a recessed and a built-in wine cellar. People want to be sure that the cellar will fit in the space they have allocated for it, but of course it needs to function properly. If a unit is built-in and it’s unable to exhaust the warm air, it may cause excess heat to be trapped behind the unit.  If this happens, the unit won’t be able to maintain proper temperature and your wine may be effectively, ruined. Therefore, it is just as important to determine the correct size and features, of your cellar, as it is to decide on the right application. This is where these terms come in handy:

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As a Wine Cellar Design Specialist, I’m often asked: “where do you start?” The task of planning and building a wine cellar can sound difficult, but we do our best to make the process simple. Of the utmost importance is of course a customer’s satisfaction with the end result. One of my recent clients, the Santos family, was so happy that they sent photos of our design work. The key is open communication and listening to your customers needs.  Before doing anything, we discussed their wine cellar dreams, so that I could tailor the cellar to meet them.

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Here at Wine Enthusiast, we not only sell top-of-the-line wine accessories sourced from all over the world, we also create our own. We have a line of Wine Enthusiast branded products, developed and designed by us, with over 30 years of wine expertise behind them. These products are not only innovative and elegant, they offer unparalled value.

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When it comes to the world of free-standing wine cellars, chances are you will find that most people agree on one thing…EuroCave is King. There are many reasons why their product is trusted by millions of wine lovers over the years to house their prized collections, some collections worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The answer is simple, they are the best at protecting your wines, allowing them to age gracefully.

Here’s why:

• Climate control: both temperature and humidity, is far superior to any other free-standing wine cellar made.
• They’re quiet, vibration free
• They block out all harmful light, and
• They last two to three times longer than most other units!

If you are looking for a 200+ bottle free-standing unit, EuroCave has two distinct lines.

So, a question I am asked quite often is, “What is the difference between Comfort and Performance?” Allow me to shed some light on that comparison.

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Everyday here at Wine Enthusiast, we have wine lovers from all around the world contacting us via telephone, email, live chat, etc. asking us this very question. For some people, wine is just something they like to enjoy with meals or on social occasions with friends and family. For others, wine is a true passion, a way of life and reaches into their soul in one form another each and everyday. For that reason, there are a variety of different wine storage options that are offered, from entry- level wine refrigerators to high-end custom wine cellars, for all to choose from.

Regardless if you are a novice just starting your collection, or an experienced wine connoisseur that has had thousands of bottles stored for decades, there are 4 basic reasons why anyone who enjoys having wine in their home should have some form of proper wine storage. We call them the 4 P’s:

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