If you live in the Central Coast region of California, chances are, you have a few bottles of Central Coast wine in your home. After all, you’ve got plenty to choose from here! If you find yourself with more wine bottles than you know what to do with, however, you might want to consider creating a wine cellar in a spare room of your home. As a Lake Nacimiento real estate agent, I’d like to share some tips on this.

The most important aspects of long-term wine storage, according to VinePair, are low light, constant cool temperatures, and a steady, moderate amount of humidity. Therefore, the best room to turn into a wine cellar is a lower level room, and preferably one with little to no windows.

Here are few more suggestions from VinePair:

• Keep lighting low. If the room does have windows, keep thick, dark curtains closed at all time. Have a dim light you can turn on in there, so you don’t knock over any bottles, but nothing so bright that it will give off heat when on.

• Keep humidity steady. The ideal humidity level is 70 percent, but most experts agree a range from 50 to 80 percent is sufficient. Too much humidity could cause mold and too little could dry out the corks and leave bottles vulnerable to too much oxygen. There are affordable, portable thermometers you can purchase to test the humidity levels of a room.

• Keep the temperature steady. This is most important, as temperature changes can let more oxygen in, or it could even “cook” the wine, which evaporates some of the volatile compounds, leaving you with a different chemistry and flavor than you’re expecting. It will taste more pruney or sharp.
• Cooler is better. The ideal temperature is 55 F, with a range of 50 to 59 F suggested. The colder the room is, the longer it will take for the wine to develop. Warmer wines mature faster, so keep that in mind if your wine cellar ends up warmer than anticipated.

You could purchase a wine cooling system as cheap as $900, which basically looks like an outdated air-conditioning system. Or you could purchase a much more complicated system that runs on a duct system. These systems also keep humidity in check. These are bulky, include tubes that pump in warm and cool air as needed, and are more expensive. Decide what type of investment you’re willing to make for this wine cellar!

• Insulate the door. If you’re going to invest in this type of technology, make sure the door to your wine cellar is properly insulated. This will ensure that the temperature and humidity levels remain as constant as possible inside the room. Always leave the door closed except for when you go inside to pick out the perfect wine bottle to pair with dinner.

Good luck creating a wine cellar in your Central Coast home! When ready to buy a Central Coast home, or to sell your Central Coast home, contact me, your Lake Nacimiento real estate agent! I am here to help you through the entire process and to help you achieve your real estate goals.

Grace Borzini

Your Local Lake Nacimiento Real Estate Expert
Oak Shores Realty

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Oak Shores Realty specializes in Oak Shores at Lake Nacimiento properties. Please contact us today to get more information on Lake Nacimiento lake homes. Oak Shores Realty can also provide you an insiders “Lake Nacimiento Buying Guide” with great information including maps and market information.