There are many factors to consider when storing wine. The temperature, light, size of the storage space and it’s location, the position of the bottle… But there is one important negative factor that isn’t always considered, vibration. The possibility of vibration should be eliminated or minimized as possible. The below article from Vinfolio, by Ana Berwick, gives more specifics on the effect of vibration, and some solutions.
Bad Vibrations
Keep the bottles still! Do not place your fine wines in a storage fridge that is going to constantly moving! You may not even know there are vibrations in the storage space, but be careful of it! For short term storage, this is not as big of a deal, but if you’re storing a wine for ten years, this can have a huge effect on the quality, flavors, aromas, and texture.
Vibration causes a chemical imbalance in a wine. For quality aged red wines, there are sediments that build up during storage and they need to settle. When the wine is placed in a noisy and shaking wine fridge the sediments are stirred into the wine again, taking away aromas and flavors and potentially leaving you with an actual rough wine. The constant vibrating increases chemical reactions and speeds up aging. The wine essentially ‘goes bad’ and won’t taste too great when it’s finally time to open it.
A good solution to the problem would find a wine fridge that guarantees no vibrations and can maintain steady temperatures. At this year’s Consumer Electronic Show, Haier’s displayed their new No Compressor Wine Cabinet. It appears to be an excellent solution to the problem. The storage container keeps your wine cool, it remains completely silent, and it won’t leave you with a shaken and wasted aged wine.