A full-service wine storage space keeps your bottles in boxes, allowing sediment to sink and improving the bottle’s chances of aging properly. Photo Credit: Pixabay CC user camo
There’s a common saying among barbecue experts, “If you’re looking, you’re not cooking.” The idea is that the more you peek under the barbecue lid, the longer it takes for your food to cook. Yet this cliche applies to your wine collection too; the more you fidget with your bottles, the less opportunity they have to age in peace. One of my relatives used to show off his best wine bottles whenever he could; whether it was family reunions, Christmas, or a funeral service, he’d proudly pass his best vintages around for show-and-tell with whoever would listen. I always wondered what that constant movement was doing to those poor bottles.
It didn’t help that my relative had easy access to his wine storage space 24 hours a day. When you think of wine as a serious investment, it’s tempting to spend all of your time down in your cellar, tweaking bottle placement or checking the corks for leaks. However, you’re probably doing more harm than good, since bottles need plenty of alone time to age properly. This is one of the many reasons why you should consider storing your wine professionally, rather than maintaining a home cellar.
The Myth of Bottle Turning
I’ve heard some wine collectors claim that they need access to a home cellar to rotate their bottles, believing that frequent rotation will prevent the bottles from gathering sediment. This simply isn’t true. That sediment exists in the bottle whether you turn it or not, and it’s better to have it resting on one side than it is to mix it in with the rest of the liquid. Dr. Vinifera explains, “Think of sediment like the solids in a bottle of salad dressing. If you shake the bottle, all of the solids will be mixed up in the dressing.” This is also why you should stand your bottles upright for at least a full day before you drink them, so that the sediment can sink to the bottom.
Vinfolio’s experts realize the importance of leaving bottles alone and allowing sediment to naturally separate from the rest of the wine. This is why every bottle is placed on its side in an insulated case, then tightly sealed with shrink wrap to prevent any tampering. Under the expert care of professionals, your bottles are kept safe from vibration and movement, and you’re never tempted to disturb your best vintage’s beauty sleep.
Full-Service Storage Offers Peace of Mind
Not only is it tempting to move your bottles around when you own a home cellar, it’s also dangerous if you store the wine at the wrong temperature, you have the wrong humidity settings, or your shelves aren’t designed to keep your bottles safe from vibration. That’s where a full-service wine storage space comes in handy. Unlike off-site storage that merely keeps a roof over your bottles, a full-service warehouse will take care of everything for you, from shipping to organization, and from storage boxes to insulation. There’s no reason to visit your bottles in-person if you know that wine experts are taking care of all of your storage needs.
Go With a Full-Service Wine Storage Space to Save Time
As one Wine Berserkers forum member found, basic off-site storage isn’t at all convenient. After running out of room in his home cellar, this forum member was forced to consider off-site options, but the closest storage site was three and a half hours away from his home. He’d have to pack his wine into his car, drive the bottles to the site, secure them in the warehouse, and after all of that, he’d still need to visit the site on occasion to ensure that his bottles were safe, or to take bottles out of storage. Even if he only visits his wines twice a year, that’s 14 hours spent sitting in a car.
Your time is valuable, and storing your wine with off-site cellars that don’t provide full-service options means spending more time traveling to–and tending to–your bottles. When you own a home cellar or you store off-site, it’s your responsibility to keep an eye on your bottles, since you’re not paying the experts to do it for you.
A full-service wine storage space with white glove shipping options shoulders that responsibility, as well as saving you an in-person trip. The best warehouses are licensed to ship wine into and out of most states; all you have to do is have the warehouse pick up your bottles, then have those bottles shipped back to you when you’re ready to drink them.
You Can Still Show Off Your Bottles
Part of the fun in wine collecting is showing off your latest unicorn wine, and it’s never been easier to share your collection with friends when you use an app like VinCellar. Rather than disturbing your bottle of Penfolds that’s been resting peacefully in your cellar for months, you can pull the vintage up on your phone, along with any other wine in your collection, as the real bottle sits in storage. You no longer have to hunt down bottles in your cellar, and you have access to everything on-the-go. Storing your wine with Vinfolio gives you full access to the VinCellar app, and our experts upload every bottle into your online account the moment your bottles arrive. Your entire wine collection is now in the palm of your hand. Instead of showing your friends a bottle (which doesn’t tell them much about how incredible it is), you can show them the latest tasting notes and market stats, helping them understand what makes that bottle so special.
Whether you are starting your high-end wine collection or adding to an established portfolio, Vinfolio is your partner in buying, selling, and professional storage. Contact us today to get access to the world’s finest wine.
