Hey guys,

Im getting ready to start storing cases in my basement, and was wondering is it OK to store them in their cardboard cases with the bottles upright? Or rearrange them some how to lay them on their sides.

Thanks...........again.

Emil

Side.

How long are you planning to store them? If these are wines worth storing for a while then surely you can find a cheap rack to store them on their side. Try Craigslist.com.

Agreed.

There's no debate. If you're storing for any length of time, it's 'side'.

Hint: Mark your case's contents!
Believe me; don't do this and in no time at all, you won't find a thing otherwise without opening WAY more than you intended to and may just give up and just pull out the unintended. Been there, done that.

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:
Agreed.

There's no debate. If you're storing for any length of time, it's 'side'.

Paging Chadd. He has posted both here and on ebob numerous time as to there being no reason to store on the sides. I find myself somewhat agreeing, the properties of the cork should not be compromised.

quote:

Originally posted by VT2IT:
Paging Chadd. He has posted both here and on ebob numerous time as to there being no reason to store on the sides. I find myself somewhat agreeing, the properties of the cork should not be compromised.

I've read Chadd's postings and can't debate them with facts/data.
However, I prefer to let (my) logic presume. I prefer my corks to stay moist from the inside of the bottle, thank you.

I don't have anything long term standing up myself, but I am not so quick to dismiss the idea.

And I'll be happy to let someone else prove my logic incorrect.... with their precious bottles.

Come on KSC take one for the team.

I only stand up champagne bottles. Everything else on its side

quote:

Originally posted by Lakersguy:
I only stand up champagne bottles. Everything else on its side

How about port, or Tokaji (or anthing with a wax or similar cap)? I heard that some of these should actually not be stored on their side.

quote:

I only stand up champagne bottles. Everything else on its side

Of course there are screwcaps too...those I stand up also. Though I find that when everything in your cellar (racks, shelves for cases) is built around laying bottles down, it actually takes more space to stand them up...when I put them on the floor, invariably I trip over them Haven't broken anything yet, though...

Aren't most age worthy wines already packaged in cases designed to keep the bottles laying on their sides? I've always associated wine that is packaged in cases that have the bottles standing up as a table wine that needs little or no aging or bottles that use screwcaps. Am I wrong in my thinking?

I don't think you need to rearrange the bottles, just turn the cardboard boxes on their sides (although I would double-tape them, just to avoid any unfortunate accidents).

I agree with desertwineguy who says get some racks. It sounds like you have a basement which is appropriate for wine storage (Oh, I am so jealous). While you might want to just put boxes down there (and I echo the advice on marking them very very well), you'll get much more enjoyment by having a wine cellar down there rather than a bunch of cardboard boxes.

It will also make it much easier to locate bottles that you want to open. Moving around cases of wine looking for the one case which holds the bottle you want isn't nearly as fun as walking down into the basement and pulling the bottle from the rack.

Thanks for the advice guys.
Im in the process of sources some wine cubes that I can stack in the basement. Although for some strange reason they are hard to find in my area.

But I agree with the "fun" aspect.
It will be nice to have them out, so I can locate what I want easier.

Thanks again.

Emil - the racking that I use is from Sams Club, a discount version of Metro Shelving. It's the most cost-efficient solution I've found for utilitarian storage. Each unit claims capacity of 168 bottles, and while it used to cost only about 35 cents a bottle (@ $58 per rack), now is about 51 cents ($86 per rack). Still, other racks are well above $1 per bottle.

Take a look here.

quote:

Originally posted by Lakersguy:
I only stand up champagne bottles. Everything else on its side

Yup! That's the one exception.
Good point.

I like the looks of that SJ.
The cost of storage per bottle didnt even cross my mind before you made the point. Interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by Machine:
How about port, or Tokaji (or anthing with a wax or similar cap)? I heard that some of these should actually not be stored on their side.

Can anyone comment on this, I was wondering as well?

quote:

Originally posted by Dunder:

quote:

Originally posted by Machine:
How about port, or Tokaji (or anthing with a wax or similar cap)? I heard that some of these should actually not be stored on their side.

Can anyone comment on this, I was wondering as well?

If you searched a bit, you'd be able to find that this subject has been the issue of some discussion. My recollection is that the feelings regarding this are a bit evenly split. Personally, I prefer these on their side. However I do check these more frequently than my more traditional wines for any signs of seepage. Never had an issue storing them this way though.