Figure 1. Investing in wine storage requires an engineered approach to maintain sensitive parameters. Source: Adobe Stock/alhim

In ancient times, wine was often stored in underground caves. Caves helped prevent temperature and humidity fluctuations and preserved the wine — at least compared to leaving it above ground. Today, wine storage has gone from spelunking to a high-tech industry, where tight control of temperature and humidity are essential.

Wine Guardian, an industry-leader in cooling technology, has developed over 200 products that support the proper environmental conditions of wine rooms, displays and other storage spaces. From small, private collections to multi-thousand-bottle commercial installations, providing the proper cooling components to protect and preserve wine is non-negotiable.

Wine storage requirements

Since the ancient times of storing wine in caves, the science of proper wine storage has been fine-tuned for preservation, leading to the creation of wine cellars, walls and displays that require tight control of temperature and humidity. Without the proper environment, wine can age too rapidly, or worse, spoil entirely.

Effects of incorrect storage temperature

Without the proper storage temperature, wine will not age correctly. If the storage temperature is too high, the wine will age faster than intended. As this happens, the wine will lose certain flavors and aromas. Higher than recommended temperatures can also “cook” the wine, causing its flavor to become flat, or change its flavor altogether. In some cases, the higher temperature can cause the bottle to pressurize and push the cork out. This allows the wine to oxidize, also significantly altering its flavor.

Should the wine storage temperature drop too low, the wine will age much slower. This means the wine will not achieve the desired flavor in the correct time frame. Furthermore, if the alcohol content is low enough and the temperature is too cold, the wine can freeze. When the wine freezes, it will expand and can break the bottle or pop out the cork. Over cooling is very common in poorly designed wine storage facilities.

Another common problem in wine storage is temperature fluctuations. Even if the temperature remains within an acceptable range, if it swings from warmer to cooler, thermal expansion in the cork and bottle can slowly work the cork loose. This leads to oxidation, and ultimately, spoilage of the wine. Without the proper controls in place, these temperature fluctuations can be hard to detect and manage.

Effects of incorrect storage humidity

The humidity, or how much moisture is present in the storage space, is equally as important as temperature in proper wine storage. The water vapor in the storage space can be absorbed or desorbed into corks, labels and other fibrous materials.

If the humidity is too high, it can lead to the growth of mold, mildew and other organic contaminants on the cork and label. Even though it may not affect the wine directly, a bottle with a moldy label or cork loses value.

Low humidity can dry out the cork. A dry cork does not seal as well as a properly humidified one, and air can leak into the bottle. This again leads to oxidation of the wine and even evaporation of the water in the wine. The evaporation will increase the amount of ullage (unfilled space in the bottle) and decrease the value of the wine.

Engineered design

Figure 2. As the science of wine storage advances, so does the need to develop smarter technology. Source: Air Innovations

At first glance, perhaps it seems simple to control the temperature and the humidity in a wine storage wall, room or cellar. After all, commercial air conditioners have been around for a century and have provided human beings with comfortable living spaces. Can’t a commercial air conditioner specialist install thermal control for wine storage? The short answer is yes. However, there are significant differences between temperature control for wine and temperature control for creature comfort.

Choosing the wrong system

It is easy to choose the wrong type of HVAC system. Traditional HVAC systems are not manufactured for wine storage.

Standard comfort cooling systems are designed to keep people comfortable by reducing both the temperature and the humidity of the living space. For humans, this is great; but for wine, it is far too dry.

In addition, traditional air conditioning systems do not cool as low as 55° F, which is the standard for preserving wine. For a traditional system to reach 55° F, additional and often mismatched components would need to be stacked in series. This mismatched system would drive the humidity even lower and would be quite cumbersome to maintain.

Another problem with comfort cooling systems is that they are designed to run only when it is warm outside. During cooler months, the air conditioner switches off. Wine coolers must maintain the same degree of cooling, even if it’s in the middle of winter and below freezing outside. This means a wine cooling system needs to be designed to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 365 days a year, anywhere in the world. Anything less has the potential to damage the wine or to affect the aging process.

Wine Guardian solutions

Every wine storage wall, room or cellar will be a little different; a custom experience is often sought after. Just like the wine itself, the presentation of the storage space is part of the experience. As such, Wine Guardian offers over 200 products that can be built into the design of new spaces or the redesign of existing spaces. These components are designed to perform well and not disrupt the experience of the wine storage space.

Figure 3. Wine Guardian has developed over 200 products that support the construction and proper conditions of wine rooms, cellars and other storage spaces. Source: Air Innovations

Wine Guardian has designed split systems (where the evaporator and condenser units are separated), self-contained systems (units that house both the evaporator and condenser), ducted and ductless, each of which have their advantages and particular applications to meet any client’s project needs.

These cooling systems have been used in everything from small wine walls in a residential kitchen to commercial wine storage cellars at five-star restaurants. Wine Guardian offers water-cooled units that can utilize a water source such as a nearby pond or geothermal loop, self-contained through-wall units for smaller installations, and larger fully ducted units for professional-grade installations. Represented in over 70 countries in typical or challenging environments, Wine Guardian has a solution for almost any wine preservation need.

NASA-trusted environmental control

Wine Guardian is the wine-specific product line offered by their parent company, Air Innovations, which builds high-end process equipment for temperature and humidity control. They serve numerous niche industries, each of which have their own challenges and system demands. Air Innovations equipment can be found in semiconductor processing facilities, where a small temperature excursion could lead to scrapping tens of thousands of dollars of in-process silicon. They also serve the aerospace industry, where their environmental control systems protect multimillion-dollar satellites.

When building out a well-designed wine room, retrofitting commercial air conditioning units and dealing with temperature and humidity excursions will simply not do. Opting for a solution designed and engineered by the same company that NASA trusts to protect satellites will lend itself to a functional and reliable wine room experience.

Anthony Siano, owner of Wine Cellar Cooling Solutions, praises the reliability of the products: “I always tell my clients that Wine Guardian’s parent company, Air Innovations, designs cooling systems for rockets and advanced semiconductor systems. It makes it easy to trust the reliability of their products knowing that they are the same engineers designing cooling systems for NASA!”

Testing capabilities

Wine Guardian maintains two separate psychrometric chambers for testing of components. These chambers can simulate a variety of environmental conditions, from high temperatures to low temperatures, and near 100% humidity to near 0% humidity. This way, equipment can be made tested for extreme conditions experienced in the Amazon, Sahara Desert or Siberia, and still maintain proper wine storage temperature and humidity.

Along these lines, the Wine Guardian staff is constantly looking for new ways to improve materials, equipment and processes. The cycle of continuous improvement has led to the development of smaller, quieter, durable and more efficient cooling systems. As the science of wine storage advances, so does the need to develop smarter technology.

Engineering excellence

One distinct advantage offered by Wine Guardian is their on-staff engineers. From project planning through service and maintenance of existing systems, there is constant, direct support from experienced professionals. Wine Guardian’s application engineers will help you select the correct cooling unit for your project based on the size of the room and additional factors such as insulation, glass, usage frequency, and more.

Some of these simulation capabilities are available online. This tool allows users to enter a few key variables and get a feel for what solutions are available to meet their individual wine storage needs. From there, the user can choose which system they feel is a better fit for their needs and their budget.

Air Innovations

Have an upcoming project that requires low-temperature wine cooling? Instead of cobbling together pieces from traditional HVAC units, consult the company that NASA trusts for protecting their sensitive equipment. Reach out to the experts at Wine Guardian to learn more.