| Wine has been stored underground in caves for | | | | enemies, from a preservation standpoint, are |
| thousands of years. For example, archaeologists | | | | temperature and humidity. A typical household's |
| have found several thousand year old jugs that | | | | internal temperature can range between 68 |
| were stored in walls of houses or underneath | | | | degrees to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees to |
| floors. The ancient Romans were known to store | | | | 25 degrees Celsius) and experience frequent and |
| their liquids in catacombs, which were essentially | | | | sudden changes in sunlight and humidity, especially |
| underground cemeteries. France's first caves | | | | during the changing of the seasons. |
| came from abandoned Roman mines. | | | | Don't have the yard, extra space or investment |
| Why were caves used to store wine? Why have | | | | dollars needed to construct a cave? No problem. |
| caves worked well as storage facilities for | | | | A wine cooler is specifically designed to provide |
| thousands of years? Caves and other | | | | wine storage temperature ranges of between 45 |
| underground facilities naturally and automatically | | | | and 65 degrees Fahrenheit while also protecting |
| provide the ideal conditions for wine storage and | | | | against light, vibrations and low humidity. Wine |
| aging. In particular, caves provide consistently cool, | | | | coolers can be smaller countertop models or |
| stable temperatures, constant humidity levels, little | | | | larger built in cabinet models or free standing units. |
| to no direct light and little to no vibrations. These | | | | Whether using a wine cooler to store six or |
| are exactly the conditions needed to preserve, | | | | hundreds of bottles, today's wine refrigerators |
| store and age wine. | | | | provide the same storage and aging protection as |
| Wine is a perishable good. Some of its basic | | | | the original caves. |