Wine is an alcoholic beverage recommended, even by doctors, due to its beneficial effects if consumed in moderation. More precisely, a glass of red wine a day will considerably lower your cholesterol and cut down on the risks of cancer.

Wine History

Wine has been mentioned in history since the ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Chinese times. It was always referred to as the drink of the Gods with magical effects. However, wine, the legend says, was discovered by monks in France who by mistake fermented some grape juice only to stumble over wine in the process. Monks still make wine today in France in remote monasteries.

Storing Wine

Wine is a very sophisticated and delicate beverage; depending on the type and vintage you have, storing it the right way is important in order to enjoy the full benefits that it has to offer.

Wine Cabinet

You can find a specially designed wine cabinet in the market, which provide the optimum facilities required to store wine, which are: angle and temperature.

Angle: A wine cabinet has shelves made to place bottles horizontally or at a 45-degree angle. This angle is required in order to have the liquid in the bottle make contact with the cork and thus, keep it moist. The cork should never be allowed to get dry as, it will shrink in the process and allow air to get into the bottle in the process and thus, compromise the wine.

Temperature: Room temperature is required for red wine and lower by about 20-30 degrees for the white wine. The perfect temperature will maintain your wine in the right state until you are ready to consume it.

Make Your Own Wine Cabinet at Home

One can easily create their own wine cabinet at home if you follow the following steps:

* Find a cool place like a storage room or basement. * Make shelves that can accommodate bottles horizontally at a 45- degree angle. * Assure that the bottle will not roll as that will shake the wine in the bottle and can destroy its quality in the process.

White wine however will need a cooler place then a homemade wine cabinet. Here too you have two choices: place it in the same place with the red wine and chill it an hour before you are about to drink it or store it in the fridge. The fridge however, will at times over chill it and that will in turn loose the bouquet of your wine.

A wine cabinet is a reasonable investment if you are a wine enthusiast and invest in wines from time to time. Storing an old wine well may be the only way to preserve it intact until you are ready to savor it.