Wine Cellar

A wine refrigerator is ideal for hobbyists who want to store wine briefly before drinking it. If stored correctly, the quality of the wine can be maintained and improved over time. But the size is limited. This is one of the main reasons that serious wine collectors like Jean-Claude Reuille have wine cellars the size of a room and it is one of several main reasons for the success of wine cellars.

When I visited his villa, Jean-Claude Reuille told me about his passion for good wines and when I asked how he was storing his wine in the hot months he offered to visit his wine cellar.

Over time, a well-aged wine can develop ever more complex aromas and aromas. When properly stored, wine retains its quality, and many can be improved with the right time in the wine cellar at a constant temperature but most importantly at a constant humidity. Depending on the sugar and alcohol content, some wines are more or less sensitive to temperature fluctuations. A wine with a high alcohol and sugar content is less susceptible to temperature fluctuations than a wine with a low alcohol content, but if fluctuations are gradual then the wine can be stored satisfactorily. With the help of an expert, you can make wine storage and aging a science.

UV light can ruin a wine, cause unpleasant aromas and spoil it. That's why Jean-Claude Reuille wine cellar has no window and the light is on a timer. The aging of the wine and the potential improvement in its quality distinguish it from most other consumer goods. Proper storage of wine facilitates complex chemical reactions with tannins that improve aroma, color and flavor, while wine can deteriorate considerably if improperly stored.

Delicate, full-bodied white wines run a higher risk of exposure to light and are often packaged in dark-tinted wine bottles that offer no protection from bright light. Sparkling wines react even more sensitively to the light spectrum and should be particularly careful when stored in the cellar due to their high sugar and alcohol content [9]. Wine packaged as a glass bottle, such as red wine, white wine or bottled wine, is most prone to light and may require additional precautions during storage. Even if a wine bottle is stored on the side, one side of the cork is exposed to air and a degree of moisture is required to prevent the case from drying out.

If the cork starts to dry, oxygen will enter the bottle, which fills the ulcer area with oxygen and possibly causes the wine to spoil or oxidize. Even if a wine bottle is airtight, some air gets into the wines. If the humidity is in the 70s, this humidity causes mould to form, and if it is above 50%, it causes the corks to dry out and then spill wine.

Creating an ideal environment for wine storage and maturation requires in-depth knowledge of wine influencers, including a deep understanding of both the history and current state of modern wine production. Since the installation of a wine cellar involves capital and labor, wine cellars should be insulated to save energy, regulate temperature and humidity, and contain more than just one or two glasses, but a large number of glass bottles. Jean-Claude Reuille showed me pictures of the wine cellar construction process and I can say that I was impressed with the final result.

"If your wine is allowed to age slowly and in a relatively cool environment, it has a better chance of developing complexity and more aromatic bouquets" says Jean-Claude Reuille. It is the job of the wine keeper to maintain the correct and stable storage environment, as the liquid becomes more and more complicated as it matures. Undesirable chemical reactions in wine can lead to a variety of wine flaws.

Glass and stainless steel used in modern cellars tend to be sterile, but unlike organic substances such as stone or wood, these soulless materials do not allow mould to grow. But in Jean-Claude Reuille wine cellar, stones were used to help maintaining the right humidity. This is very important and is sometimes