Wine Storage in Tampa

Wine storage has become increasingly popular in Tampa as more people are discovering the joys of collecting and savoring fine wines. With a world-renowned wine collection from Bern’s Steak House located in Hyde Park, Tampa is proving itself to be an ideal location for wine enthusiasts with its access to one of the world’s most impressive wine collections. From the thriving food and drink scene to its naturally warm climate, Tampa is a wonderful location for wine enthusiasts to drink and store their vintage wines.

Whether you are a seasoned collector or a casual wine drinker, investing in proper wine storage can help preserve your valuable bottles. Without the proper care, your current wine storage method may be damaging the quality of the wine.  Let’s learn more about wine storage, why you need it, and how to find the best wine storage in Tampa!

Wine Storage Definition

Wine storage refers to the proper care and handling of wine to preserve its quality and flavor. Some people choose to store their wines in their own personal cellar or choose to store their wines with a professional wine storage business. These businesses offer a temperature-controlled solution that will ensure the wine maintains the correct temperature, humidity, light levels, and protection. The ultimate goal of wine storage is to preserve the wine in its optimal condition so it can age and be enjoyed at its best.

Why Do You Need To Store Wine Properly?

Are you storing your wine at home in a kitchen cabinet and finding that the original flavors aren’t intact? Well, that’s because wine is easily affected by its environment.

Exposure to temperature fluctuations, light, vibrations, and humidity can all negatively impact the flavor and quality of the wine. While wine does change over time as it ages, improper storage can spoil the wine and ruin the taste. The last thing you’d want is to store a valuable bottle for years just to open it and it tastes spoiled!

Proper wine storage conditions allow the wine to age in the way it was intended by preserving the original flavors and aromas. While some people may have a wine cellar at their house, utilizing wine storage allows you to have peace of mind knowing your wine collection is safely stored in all of the proper conditions. Let’s take a look at the exact conditions your wine cellar or storage should contain.

• Light. UV light exposure can break down the chemical compounds within the wine. As a result, this can destroy the wine’s natural flavors and aromas. White wines are more susceptible to light damage than reds. Any type of light exposure can also warm up the wine which ruins the fresh taste. It is best to store all wine in a dark location away from any light to preserve the quality of your bottle.
• Temperature. Wines that are stored in too warm or cold of a temperature can directly impact how the wine will taste. Temperature is one of the most noticeable effects of improper wine storage. If kept at 25 °F (-4ºC) or below, it can cause the wine can freeze. Additionally, if the wine is stored above 68°F (20°C), the heat can cause the wine to age faster and spoil. To avoid spoiling your wine, it is recommended to store it at 55ºF (13ºC).
• Humidity. Low and high levels of humidity extremes can cause issues with bottle maintenance as well as the quality of the wine. If the humidity levels are too low, the wine cork is at risk of drying out which can expose the wine to oxygen. On the other hand, if the humidity levels are too high, the wine labels may peel off and the wine may be exposed to mold. The optimal humidity level is around 50-70%.
• Vibration. When storing and aging wine, the sediments should not be stirred in the bottle to allow the wine to maintain its aromas. Vibrations like shaking, movement, or even loud noises can disrupt the sediments and cause the wine to become less acidic. Generally, wine should be stored away from any loud or moving machines.

Learn more about wine storage conditions and mistakes to avoid in the YouTube video below.

Types of Wine Storage

There are different types of wine storage solutions for enthusiasts of all budgets, collections, and needs. Let’s take a look at the 4 most common types of wine storage:

1. Dedicated Wine Cellars

• Ideal for the most dedicated wine enthusiasts.
• Creates a specially designed cellar for your collection.
• Offers light and vibration protection, and temperature and humidity controls.

2. Wine Refrigerators

• Ideal for enthusiasts that have a variety of bottles needing to be stored and have the space for it.
• Stored at the optimal temperature of 55ºF (13ºC).

3. Temperature-Controlled Storage Units (like Chateau Cellars)

• Ideal for people that live in extreme climates that are really warm, cold, humid, or dry.
• Great solution for short-term and long-term storage.
• Offers a range of unit sizes.
• Can control the temperature and humidity levels.

4. Home Storage

• Ideal for smaller collections.
• Uses wine racks, cabinets, coolers, and dark areas.

Learn more about the different types of wine storage in the YouTube video linked below.

Challenges of Wine Storage in Tampa

Effective wine storage involves managing a variety of factors that can impact the overall quality and taste of the wine. Tampa is no stranger to these additional factors especially relating to the weather. While some cities can get away with storing wine at home, Tampa’s unpredictable weather, hurricane season, poor self-storage solutions, and minimal dedicated wine storage facilities make it more difficult to preserve valuable wine for extended periods of time. Let’s take a look at some of the top challenges for wine storage in Tampa.

• Weather. Florida is known for being the sunshine state and lightning capital of the world. That being said, the state experiences a variety of extreme weather and conditions throughout the year. From the year-round high temperatures and humidity to the seasonal storms, storing wine in Tampa can come with challenges. Rather than letting Tampa’s unpredictable weather impact your collection of wines, you can safely store your wines in a wine storage facility to preserve the longevity and aromas of your wine.

• Hurricane Emergency Plan. Along with the extreme weather, Tampa is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms along its coast and neighboring cities. Historically, the city has been hit with numerous storms and the outskirts of many recent hurricanes. As a result, many residents follow a hurricane emergency plan to evacuate in case of a storm. While a wine collection may be the least of some concerns, others may want to protect their home collection. Many homes lose power during storms in Tampa so a generator can help preserve a wine collection. If you have time to plan, we recommend putting your wine collection and valuable bottles in a wine storage facility to make sure they aren’t exposed to too much humidity, vibration, extreme temperatures, and flooding.

• Traditional Self-Storage Facilities Aren’t Suited for Wine Storage. Despite having plenty of self-storage facilities in the Tampa area, these facilities aren’t best suited for storing valuable wine. While traditional self-storage facilities offer a convenient option, units do not provide the optimal conditions and services for wine storage. From the lack of wine expertise amongst the staff to the risk of humidity and fluctuating temperatures, traditional self-storage can end up doing more damage to your wine. Many of these facilities have bare concrete floors which can hold moisture, therefore, adding more humidity to the space. Rather than settling for below-average solutions, store your wine in specialized wine storage facilities for a secure and suitable environment.

• Limited Wine Storage Facilities in Tampa. Since wine storage is a relatively newer concept, there are not as many dedicated storage facilities in the Tampa Bay area. While there are options in Sarasota like Cellar Fifty Five and in Orlando like Winter Park Wine Storage, both destinations are easily over an hour and a half drive from the Tampa area. Instead of placing your wine in storage at an inconvenient location, you can store it with Chateau Cellars in the heart of Tampa. We are one of the few wine facilities located in Tampa that are dedicated to temperature-controlled wine storage.

Wine Storage Solutions in Tampa | Chateau Cellars

Chateau Cellars is a Tampa wine storage business that offers wine enthusiasts a temperature-controlled storage solution to safely store their finest wines. We want to ensure that your wine shipments and collection age to perfection for the best quality experience.

Whether you are a wine connoisseur or an avid wine drinker, Chateau Cellars offers our specially designed cellars to simulate a chateau in its dark, temperature-regulated, humidity-controlled, and insulated room. Chateau Cellars partners with wine collectors to ensure your wine shipments are safely delivered, examined, logged into an inventory, and stored in our state-of-the-art wine storage. If you want to ensure your wine is preserved in its best condition in the Tampa Bay area, then storing it with Chateau Cellars is your best choice! Find out more information on how you can store wine with Chateau Cellars at the link here.