Category Archives: wine cellar

Organic Wines – Why Have them in Your Chicago Wine Cellar

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ORGANIC WINEPerhaps the first questions that you will ask about organic wine are: what it is, in what ways is it different from regular wine, and why should you include it in your Chicago custom wine room? Well, organic wine is created from grapes that have been planted and farmed following the rules of organic farming. This would mean that the grapes have not been sprayed with fertilizers, pesticides, or any other chemicals.

More and more people have been patronizing organic wine, especially in the past couple of years, as people have become more conscious about how the things they consume are made.
Because of this popularity, there have been many wines in the market that claim to be “organic.” But, the truth is only a few of these wines that have been labeled organic are authentic.
In fact, there are four types of labels that you can expect to find on these commercial wine bottles. “100% Organic” means that it is made from ingredients that are organic. The word “organic” means that 95% of the wine’s ingredients are organically grown.
On the other hand, “Made With Organic Grapes” or “Made With Organic Ingredients” indicates that the wine has at the very least 70% organic ingredients.

The Benefits of Having Organic Wine in Your Wine Cellar

What are the benefits of having organic wines among the bottles in your wine racks? One reason is that organic wines have brighter flavors. They have been found to contain more vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus, and fewer nitrates than wines made from conventionally grown grapes.

ORGANIC WINE

They also contain fewer sulfites than the regular wines that are out there. Sulfites are sulfurous acids that are a naturally-occurring element in plenty of wines as a product of fermentation and are known to cause breathing problems in some individuals. The fewer sulfites there are in things you consume, the better it is for you.
Organic wines are high in resveratrol, which are antioxidants that can fight cancer. Organic wines are said to have 30% higher levels of resveratrol.

Proper Wine Storage for Organic Wine

ORGANIC WINE STORAGEDo note though, that as with all wines, proper wine storage of organic wine is important. If you store them in wine racks, make sure that they are not exposed to too much light. For wine cellars or wine cabinets, the temperature must be maintained constantly. The ideal temperature ranges from 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Small fluctuations in the temperature are okay as long as the changes do not exceed 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Humidity must also be kept at a constant range. The recommended level of humidity for wine storage is 75%. This ensures that the corks do not dry out, because dry corks can lead to oxygen infiltrating your wine, causing it to spoil.
Chicago wine cellars or wine refrigerated cabinets can function efficiently only with the right wine cooling system. This helps control temperature and humidity, and can even alert you when the levels are not optimal.

Proper wine storage is especially important for organic wine because as mentioned, they have lower levels of sulfites. These sulfites actually act as preservatives for the wine, which lengthen the wine’s life. But, even if organic wines don’t have the same levels of sulfites as regular wines, you can age them well by following these proper storage procedures.

Do you love collecting wines but don’t have a functional Chicago wine cellar yet? Why not start your own wine cellar project? Wine Cellar Spec will design and build the wine cellar of your dreams according to your style, budget, and wine storage needs. In the end, you and your precious wines will experience the benefits! You’ll add beauty and value to your home too!

Contact Wine Cellar Specialists now at 866-646-7089 or visit their website at http://www.winecellarspec.com/.

Wine Cellar Refrigeration System Needs Exhaust Room or Environment

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Usually, when people discuss wine cellar refrigeration systems the focus of discussion is on the inside of the wine cellar room (like temperature, air circulation, the location of the custom wine cellar, etc.). Although these things are very important to storing wine, you need to remember that a wine cellar unit is basically an air exchanger, which means that while it is producing cool air into the wine storage room, it is also releasing hot air into the exhaust environment.

All Types of Wine Cellar Cooling Units Have an Exhaust Room/Environment

All wine cellar cooling units have an exhaust room or environment. In the case of a self-contained, through-the-wall wine cellar cooling unit, the exhaust environment is the adjacent room built to receive the exhausted hot air (unless the air is ducted elsewhere). In the case of ducted split type cellar refrigeration systems, the exhaust environment can be the garage or outside. These cooling units have their exhaust environment located away from the custom wine cellar.

Why A Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Exhaust Room is Important

There is a need to give importance to wine cellar cooling system exhaust rooms or environments because a cooling unit’s ability to cool a wine storage room is directly related to the temperature of the exhaust room. Since a wine cellar refrigeration unit is an air exchanger, cold air is basically produced inside the cellar and hot air is exhausted. This exchange creates a temperature difference between the two environments.

It is imperative that a refrigeration unit is able to maintain at least a 30-degree Fahrenheit temperature differential between the custom wine cellar and its exhaust room. The temperature differential is calculated by subtracting the cellar temperature from the exhaust room temperature. For example, if a custom wine cellar is set at a temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, its exhaust room should not get higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit in order to have a maximum of 30 degrees Fahrenheit temperature differential. If the exhaust room does get warmer, for example, 95 degrees Fahrenheit, then the cellar could get as cool as 65 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain a 30 degrees temperature differential.

This temperature differential needs to be maintained at the appropriate levels because it greatly affects the ability of a cooling unit to cool the inside of a custom wine cellar. If a wine cellar refrigeration unit fails to provide the ideal temperature levels, your wines will suffer and get damaged.