IN VINO VERITAS

Wine collections are very valuable.

People have known this product for centuries. There are different kinds of wine: white, red, rose, dry, semi-dry, dessert wine, etc. Wine is an alcohol beverage and there is only one way to produce it—through fermentation of grapes or fruits. Usually it is made of grape. There are lots of components that are important for the quality of the wine, such as the year of growth of the grapes, the region, the climate, etc.

Some wines are produced from combination of grapes. There are other types of wine that are produced of other fruits, for example cherry. We can find this information on the labels.

In the old ages people kept the wine in oak barrels. The longer the wine was kept in them, the better the quality. Today we put the wine in corked bottles. Why are the bottles in different colors? They are usually clear or of dark green color. The clear bottles are used for white wine. The reason to keep the red wine in dark bottles is to minimize the exposure of the wine to light. The light is one of the components that affects the quality of the wine.

Today we have different products that we use to cork the wine—natural and manufactured. You can always tell the better wine by the cork. In the old days people kept the barrels in the basement. Why? Because in the basement is underground and the temperature is low. The temperature for good quality wine is the other important component. There is an ongoing discussion on which temperature is the best for keeping the wine. Some people say that 50 F is the best temperature. Others say that this temperature affects the process of aging of the wine. Those people recommend a higher temperature—60 to 65 F. To me, the best temperature is 55-57 F.

Temperature and humanity! The temperature is important for the quality of the wine.

The humidity is important for the labels and the cork. When we have too high humanity, it is possible to find mold on the labels. In the same time humidity affects the cork.

Now what do we have to care about when we transport the wine collection? Wine, bottles, labels, and cork. When you pack the collection for moving to its new location, you need to put the collection in boxes. Most people go to the nearby liquor store and pick their discarded boxes or buy boxes from the moving supply companies. However. This is not the correct way to transport wine collections. Another way is to put the collection in special boxes with Styrofoam. But in this case you need to take special care of the labels because the Styrofoam will scratch the labels.

What do we do? We create custom wood boxes and put hey or shredded paper between the bottles to keep them from knocking and breaking. This way I am not worried that I will damage the collection.

Finally, put the “fragile” and “this side up” labels for transportation and you are ready to put the boxes in the cargo area.

Temperature, humanity, and fragility—those are the three simple things that you need to keep in mind.

Good luck.