The ideal temperature to store wines is between 55?F and 58?F (13?C¨C15?C). \rHowever, any temperature between 40?¨C65?F (5?¨C18?C) will suffice as long as it \rremains constant.\rThe degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical. A gradual change \rof a few degrees between summer and winter won't matter. The same change each \rday will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.

The most important rule when storing wine is to avoid large temperature changes or \rfluctuations. You'll notice damage of this nature straight away from the sticky \rdeposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and \rcontraction of the wine will damage the 'integrity' of the cork. It's like having the \rcork pulled in and out again every day. When this happens, minute quantities of \rwine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork (between the cork and the \rbottle neck) allowing air to seep back in. Once the air is in contact with your wine \rthe irreversible process of oxidation begins and your wine is ruined.\rAt 55? to 58?F the wine will age properly, enabling it to fully develop. Higher \rtemperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the \rageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a \rtemperature above 82?F for even a month.\rAt 55¡ãF wines will age slowly and develop great complexity and you will never have \rto worry about them.

Every wine you buy should be placed in your cellar. Even if you are planning on \ropening the wine shortly after purchase it will benefit from resting to recover from \rthe shock of traveling.\rBefore any bottle makes it into your cellar you need to consider the treatment it \rreceived before you acquired it.\rEvery wine lover knows that heat damages wine but how many of us take care to \rprotect our wine at every stage? For example, you buy wine at a shop or winery, but \rleave it in your hot car all afternoon. You get it home to your temperature-\rcontrolled cellar, but by then you may have already cooked it. Remember that high \rtemperatures can result in undesirable chemical reactions that would not normally \rtake place.

Chris Miley is the author of the very popular book ¡°How To Build And Start \rYour Own Wine Cellar¡± which includes complete instructions for building your own \rbasement wine cellar plus many other ideas for wine storage areas in your home, \rfrom a cupboard under the stairs to a temperature controlled wine cabinet. Go to \rhttp://www.winecellarsecrets.com to find out more about building your own wine \rcellar.