How to properly store wine on a boat?

How to properly store wine on a boat?

The boat rocks even if it is moored in the marina, and then the excitement only intensifies when the boat goes to sea. The pumping affects not only the wine itself, shaking the sediment or other components in certain high-quality, aged red wines, but also, such an aggressive movement can physically move wine bottles from their storage place and even lead to the fact that the bottles are elementary breaking.

In an ideal world, you would store the highest quality wines from your collection on the shore, and only take with you those that are required for a particular trip or meals that you plan to cook on the boat. But for many, this option is not possible, for example, for those for whom the boat is their home, or if you are on a long journey far from home.

How to properly store wine on a boat?

So how to get out of this situation and preserve the integrity of the wine and bottles as much as possible? There are several ways:

• For longer periods of storing wines on a boat, you should try to restrict their movement as much as possible - and one way is to store them as close to the center plane of the boat as possible, that is, closer to the middle. But ideally, it is best to open the wine on the boat as quickly as possible.
• If you want or need to store wine on board for a longer time, it is best to store a younger, less expensive wine. Since boat movement speeds up the aging process of the wine and for some young, tannic, well-filtered red wines, movement can actually improve their development.
• If you can't build a cellar to control the temperature on your boat - and temperature is key and cooling is better - in the tropics and warmer climates, cooler conditions are a problem, so usually the coolest place on the boat is in the hold below the waterline.
• Smells also cause problems when storing wine - they can penetrate the cork, so you should never store wine in places with strong smells of diesel, solvents, cleaning solutions. Obviously, you should keep the wine away from the engine and generator area. You should also be aware that even onions or garlic can have side effects on wine - so be careful when storing wine in the galley.
• For many boaters who only go out on the weekends, the boat is the ideal place to store wines, which are "ready-to-drink" wines for short-term storage. But for large yachts and superyachts, there is an opportunity to store more expensive, aged and even more fragile vintage wines on board.

Sometimes on the boat you can see very inventive concepts of wine storage and preservation, which the owners come up with, but among them, unfortunately, there are many unsuccessful projects. Sure, budget can be an issue, but thinking things through carefully is the key.

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On the most expensive and most luxurious boats, custom-made wine coolers with temperature control are installed - but in some of them, the shelves still do not hold the wine bottles in place, and do not prevent lateral movement during the movement of the boats. It is also a mistake to store wine in a wine refrigerator and cabinets that cannot be locked - therefore, wines often open doors and fly out of cabinets in difficult conditions and break on the floor.

• Some of the budget options offer the most creative and successful options for safe wine storage on boats. For example, using wine cartons, regular mailing cartons, and even polystyrene liners to ensure the glass bottles fit snugly together and don't move or knock. Plus, this method can keep wine away from light and even helps maintain a constant temperature around wine bottles. You can also wrap each bottle individually in a newspaper - not the most attractive idea, many will think, but most importantly, it works!

How to properly store wine on a boat?

Now, many shipyards, especially French ones, initially give owners the ability to store wine on their own boat, and these storage places are usually included in additional options, for example:

On boats Dufour, wine can be stored under the dining table top in the salon, in a low partition that visually separates the galley from the salon, and under the floorboards in the salon. On boats Dufour from 36 to 52 feet, a wooden wine cellar is equipped that includes special dividers for each bottle. The larger the boat, the more possibilities. On Dufour 56 Exclusive an additional 220-volt wine cooler is installed.

On catamarans Fountaine pajot, the wine is also stored under the floorboards in the saloon, but starting from the 47-foot catamaran Saona 47, there is already an additional possibility of installing a 12-volt wine cooler. On large catamarans such as Ipanema 58 and Alegria 67 it is possible to equip a wine cellar with a capacity of 23 bottles. Sometimes on boats you can see single holes for one bottle, here and there, where there is a place that is suitable for short-term storage wines.

• For wines that are aged, more fragile (i.e. have sediment or rind) - make sure you age the bottle for at least 24 hours, or longer, if possible, before opening and serving - so that sediment gathered at the base - decantation will also be required.
• For longer storage of wine, ensure constant humidity and good air circulation - as humidity is necessary to prevent the cork from drying out. But, you need to understand that in areas with prolonged humidity or high humidity, mold can develop. Low humidity can cause the cork to dry out, allowing more air to enter the bottle, so the ideal humidity level for wine storage is 55% to 70%.
• High levels of stirring or stirring of a wine will greatly increase the rate of development and even chemical degradation and may even affect the aroma of certain wines.
• Finally, keep a log of all your wines so you know what you have and when is the best time to enjoy a particular wine. Do your best to update your wine journal more often, as the last thing you need to do is find a wine that has been on the boat with you much longer than you need to. It will not only be a loss of money, but also not being able to share a special wine over a delicious dinner with friends!

How to properly store wine on a boat?

If you have any questions about the arrangement of the yacht, we will be happy to advise you on how to solve certain problems from our experience!

20.02.2019