Where to store wines

Once you move beyond buying and drinking a bottle at a time, it is important to think about where you will store your wine. Yet, the impulse to display your wines might have negative effects on the wines themselves. So for those interested, I thought I would share some of the wisdom I have gleaned along the way.

PRINCIPLES (CDCS)
1. Cool
Cool is the key. Ideal temperature for wine storage is 55-60 degrees F. Temperature affects chemical changes in wine. In fact, these reactions can double with each 18 degree increase, but these are not beneficial changes, rather more along the lines of deterioration. I have read that average wines can survive 120 degrees for a few hours (like in the trunk of your car during a summer wine tasting trip) without cooking the wine, but I would still be wary.

2. Dark
You want to keep your wines away from direct sunlight if possible.

3. Constant
Not only do you want to keep bottles cool, but keeping the temperature constant is also important. Dramatic temperature fluctuations can really damage wine. Many also warn against vibration, but there does not seem to be any conclusive evidence to support this.

4. Side
All wine should be stored on their side. This is important as you must keep the cork moist.

OPTIONS
1. Wine cellar: if you have a house, you might want to consider actually building a dedicated wine cellar. Certainly the most expensive of the options, you can go for either a beautiful display-oriented cellar or a more pragmatic one (see my review on Cellaring Wine)

2. Basement: these tend to adhere to all four principles of wine storage. Also, being damp is a good thing as it can help keep corks from drying out. I've also heard of crawlspaces being suggested as an alternative.

3. Closet: Not necessarily the most ideal location, but its dark and usually cooler than most rooms.

4. Wine refrigerator: these can hold as few as 16 bottles for about $150 and also hold hundreds of bottles for thousands of dollars. I did quite a bit of research on all of the models and found a great 35 bottle entry level model (I also ordered the outlet model and got free shipping!). It should serve me well for the next couple of years while I live in apartments here in NYC.

AVOID: kitchens (too bright and warm) and possibly living rooms as well (esp with fireplaces)

What about refrigerators?
From what I have learned, you probably want to stay away from refrigerators as a long term storage solution. They are too cold (typically 35 degrees), lack humidity (back for corks), and have too much vibration (though this is debatable). But less than a week shouldn't be bad.