Are you an avid wine collector? Or are you still planning to venture into this kind of hobby? If you answered yes, then you are on the right page. Here, wine collectors in Washington DC will learn some tips on how to store wine bottles of various sizes.
One of the first things you should consider is investing in a wine storage space for your growing wine collection. Wines are sensitive to heat, humidity, noise, and even vibration. Having a climate-controlled wine cellar is the best and safest way to store and display your wine bottles.
Custom wine racks are the leading furniture choice for storing wines. There are various options on the market today, so you should carefully choose which type and design will work best for your wine bottles.
Standard Wine Bottles
Standard wine bottles are bottles with a 750-ml volume capacity. They have two main shapes: Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Bordeaux wine bottles have tall shoulders and straight sides. Examples are Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Burgundy wine bottles have wide bases and slightly sloping shoulders. Examples are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Standard wine bottles usually have a diameter of 3 to 3.5 inches. Standard is the common bottle size for most of the distributed wines.
Standard wine bottles are easy to store because they fit most of the wine racking systems. Wine racks that can fit standard wine bottles are individuals, diamond cubes, diamond bins, cascades, curved corner, solid rectangular bins, half heights, quarter rounds, and modular cabinets.
Piccolo and Demi Wine Bottles
Piccolo is an Italian word which means “small.” Piccolo wine bottles are also known as split, snipe, pony, or quarter bottles. With a content of 187.5ml (1/4 of 750ml), Piccolo bottles are typically used for a single serving of Champagne and other sparkling wines.
Demi is a French word which means “half.” Demi wine bottles contain 375ml or exactly half of the Standard 750ml bottles of wine and are commonly used for dessert wine.
You can store Piccolo and Demi wine bottles using these wine racks: diamond bins, diamond cubes, modular cabinets, solid rectangular bins, half heights, cascades, and quarter rounds to store Piccolo wine bottles.
Magnum Wine Bottles
A magnum wine bottle has two times the volume (1.5L) of a standard wine bottle. This large format bottle is more expensive than two standard bottles because wineries have to redesign their production line to accommodate magnums.
Magnum bottles require wider wine racks. You can store them using magnum wine racks, diamond bins, diamond cubes, solid rectangular bins, quarter rounds, vertical displays, or modular cabinets.
Double Magnum Wine Bottles
As the name implies, Double Magnum wine bottles contain 1.5L of wine, which is equivalent to two Magnums or four Standard bottles. Double Magnum wine bottles are also known as Jeroboam.
The best wine racking systems for Double Magnums are diamond bins, diamond cubes, solid rectangular bins, cabinets, and vertical displays.
Larger Format Wine Bottles
There are existing wine bottles larger than Double Magnums, and they are usually named after Biblical kings. Examples are the Methuselah (6L), Salamanzar (9L), Balthazar (12L), Nebuchadnezzar (15L), and Solomon or Melchior (18L). Bins and cases are recommended for these larger bottles of wine.
How to Store a Combination of Various Sizes of Wine Bottles in Washington DC
If you have or plan to collect various sizes of wine bottles, it is wise to have your wine racks custom-made. The best option for custom wine racking is to use wooden wine racks made of Redwood, Pine, or Mahogany. These wood species are highly recommended because of their durability, functionality, and natural beauty.
You can also consider using metal wine racks from VintageView. They offer metal wine racking systems for various sizes of wine bottles. Check out their Wall Series, Big Bottle Wall Series, and Magnum/Champagne Bottle, and Island Display metal wine racks.
Here at Custom Wine Cellars Washington DC, we will help you understand how to store wine bottles of various sizes, and provide you with the best wine storage solution that fits your style, storage needs, and budget.