Wine Collecting

Nearly all of the wine consumed in the United States is drunk within a few days of its purchase.  Most people seem to prefer to buy wine as they need it.  Another approach is to keep a collection of a variety of wines that will be available whenever the need or desire to include wine with a meal arises.  This approach does require a suitable place to keep the wine, but a small apartment can allow room for a case or two of wine.  If one lives in a house with a basement, then the opportunity grows dramatically.  Most basements, being below ground level, are at a stable temperature, which is the most desirable situation for wine collecting.  It is also desirable that the humidity in a basement be below 50% to prevent deterioration of wine labels.
Back to the living arrangement without a basement or an apartment dweller, the ideal tool for wine collecting is a wine bottle refrigerator.  These marvelous devices are cooling units with shelves. notched to hold wine bottles and thermostats that keep the wine at a steady temperature.  Capacities vary from a half dozen bottles to 200 bottles.  Many of these devices offer two zones, so that red wines are not chilled as much as white and rose wines.  Styles of wine bottle refrigerators include free-standing designs, under-counter styles, and table-top or counter-top types.  Choose whichever type suits your space best and take advantage of this method for assuring that you have the wine you want when you want it.