Buying Wine
  Storing Wine
  Serving Tempuratures
  Extracting the Cork
  Glassware
  Saving what's left
  Food Pairing
  Varietals

Storing Wine.

You don't need a fancy, expensive cellar to store your wine. If you're like most wine consumers, you'll enjoy your wines soon after you bring them home, so all you need is a cool, dry, dark place away from direct sunlight and free of vibration. A small wine rack or even a carton will do to house the wines for a while. For loger term consider building wine storage racks.

The basic requirements are a cool (ideal wine storage cellar temperature is 55 to 65 degrees Farenheit), steady temperature and protection from direct sunlight and vibration. Bottles that won't be consumed for awhile, whether in racks or cases, should be stored on their sides so the corks don't dry out.

If you plan to buy and store a significant quantity of wine for future use, you'll likely need a larger space, such as a closet, crawl space, compartment under a stairway, or portion of a garage or basement. Choose a space larger than you might need initially, because once buying wine becomes a habit, you'll fill the space up quickly.

If you plan on becoming a serious wine collector, including wines requiring long-term aging, you might want to invest in a fully outfitted wine cellar. A variety of companies offer wine storage plans and the various building blocks of cellars, such as wine racks, refrigeration units, humidifiers, and so on.