The Wine Column : Everyone now can 'install' a wine cellar

We live in the best time in history for fine wine. One of the major reasons for this is the availability of inexpensive refrigeration.

Refrigeration allows winemakers and wholesalers to ship wine from anywhere in the world and have it arrive in proper condition. Do you really think you'd be able to buy that great new Chilean Malbec for $7.99 if it had to be packed in straw in the hold of a freighter, then shipped overland in an unrefrigerated truck? And if you could, what would it taste like?

Likewise, once you've brought the wine home, you don't have to take it to a literal cellar to keep it cool.

Inexpensive wine cellars are available all over town, at places as varied as Home Depot, Lowe's, Christie's Appliances, and some wine shops. You can get them as small as six-bottle capacity for around $50, and up to larger units holding a few hundred bottles. A good average size would be about 48 bottles (four cases) for a couple of hundred dollars.

But how large a cellar do you need and how do you use it? A wine cellar isn't just for aging wines for future enjoyment. Most wines are consumed within a few weeks of purchase and do not require aging. But almost all wines benefit from some resting after they are purchased.

Unless a wine is a big cabernet sauvignon, such as Jordan, or a Bordeaux red, you hold the wine only until you are ready to drink it. For most people, the major benefit of a wine cellar is that it provides a stable, consistent environment for all of your wines from the time you carefully bring it home (you didn't leave it in your hot car, right?) until you pop the cork.

Purchase the largest wine cellar you can afford and have room for. Whatever size you think fits your needs now, you will fill it in no time. The nice thing about knowing you have a perfectly safe place to store wine is that you can be a little freer with your wine purchases. You can buy bottles that are on sale or that you don't often see, even if you have no intention of drinking them soon.

While wines are best served at different temperatures (65-70 degrees for reds, 55 for whites, and 45 for sparkling wines), all wines should be stored at the same temperature — a consistent 55 degrees. (Leave the reds out for about 30 minutes to warm up, and place the sparklers in a regular refrigerator for the same amount of time to bring them down to serving temperature.)

You can buy a cellar with multiple temperature settings, but why bother since all wines are stored at the same temperature? Just one more thing to go wrong.

Once you've set up your cellar, the real fun begins. Stock it with all types of wine to give yourself variety any time you want. Many people like to choose a favorite red and white to serve as their "house wines," then use the rest of their cellar space for special or unusual bottles to bring out on special occasions.

There is no greater charge for a wine enthusiast than to say to his or her guests, "Let me see what I've got in the back of the cellar that is mature," before bringing something that will surprise and delight them.

If you want to buy wines to "lay down" for aging, a wine cellar is mandatory. You don't want the estate-bottled Bordeaux you've been holding for 10 years to pour out as a brown, vinegary mess when you present it to your friends. Check with your local merchants on which selections they have that will age well.

Keep a list of your wines, so that you don't have to move them unnecessarily. This will allow the sediment to settle in the full-bodied reds. Most of all, use your wine cellar as a way to experience new wines and add to your wine knowledge and enjoyment.