When Dave and I first started winemaking, we typically consumed our wine within a few months of bottling. Yes, we love our wine! That said, over the last year, we’ve certainly become more serious about our vinification process, and because wine is one of the few commodities that can improve in flavour and value with age, we’ve started aging several bottles from each batch. This means we are now in need of more storage space!

Storage of wine is an important consideration. Wine that is being kept for long-term aging can rapidly deteriorate if kept in inadequate conditions. Protecting the wine from light and vibration is important, as direct sunlight can damage wine’s flavors and aromas, and vibrations (although I’ve had a fascinating revelation about this factor - more to come later on) can disturb sediments in a bottle, disrupting the delicate process that causes wine to age favorably. We also needed to consider storing the bottles on their side to keep the cork from drying out, which causes seepage and premature aging. Then of course, picking a place with proper temperature, never below 25 °F, which can cause wine to freeze, or above 68°F, which can accelerate aging and destroy volatile compounds. And finally, an area where the humidity is between 60 and 80 percent; too high and it can cause labels to peel off of the bottles, too low and the corks can dry out. Until we finsh building our venue in TN, our basement will make the perfect wine cellar.

The hubby never rests, he is a SUPERHUMAN! Between his full-time job and continuous projects on the home front, six out of seven days a week he only gets three hours of sleep per night. Thankfully, he is a “closet” carpenter, a “jack of all trades” really, and he can build ANYTHING he sets his mind to…So now we have a wine rack!

The coolest thing about this particular project, is that the boards Dave used to build the wine rack were from a tree he cut down from in front of our home a few years ago, and repurposed. So not only is this wine rack handcrafted by the one-and-only, this piece holds a very special sentimental value. As we carry it with us to Tennessee, we will also be carrying special memories of the home we are leaving behind. A home that served our blended family well. A home that will forever hold our memories, our fears, our dreams, our tears, our shouting, our laughter, and most importantly, our love.