No space or cash for proper wine storage solutions? Read on.
So, your wine shopping has gone beyond picking up a bottle on your way out. You’re taking recommendations, buying more of what you like and want to try, maybe even something you want to age for a few years before opening it and building up quite the collection. The question now is where to put it all.
Cellars are hard to come by – unless you live in a castle – and wine fridges are expensive and take up space that your apartment probably can’t spare. It does make you wonder, isn’t there a DIY option? Ahead, we share everything you need to know about finding the perfect location for your wine collection, along with some novel ideas for low-cost containers.
If you’ve read the criteria and can’t think of a single place in your home that would be sufficient, don’t worry, there are ways to fake it. They can be inexpensive, too. A styrofoam box from your grocer can work really well. They are perfectly sized to hold horizontal bottles and styrofoam is a superior insulator to protect against temperature changes, also with excellent shock-absorbing qualities. They can even be stacked if your collection needs more than one box, too.
A cardboard box can work in the same way, though it is less robust against vibration and temperature changes. Covering it with a heavy winter blanket will give it a little extra protection. Both styrofoam and cardboard have the added benefit of being very easy to write on with a Sharpie, so you can keep notes of everything inside the box without having to unpack it (and disturb the sleeping wine) everytime you fancy a tipple.
Finally, if you befriend your local wine merchant, you might get lucky and acquire one of the wooden boxes many European wines are shipped out in. They are, of course, ideal for storing your own bottles and also feel a bit, you know, fancy.
