How To: Create a wine cellar in your home

Like your significant other, fine wine deserves to be pampered. Unlike your significant other, it prefers a dark, moist, cool place. Here's how to create the perfect environment for your little pointy-headed loved ones.

You Will Need

* A dark, moist, naturally cool space
* A thermometer
* A hygrometer
* A wine rack
* Insulation
* A humidifier or dehumidifier

Step 1. Find a space

Find a dark, cool space in your home. It could be an unused closet or a basement corner.

Step 2. Install thermometer

Install a thermometer to monitor room temperature. Ideally, wine needs to be kept between 55 and 58 degrees. Above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the wine will age too quickly; below 50 degrees, the wine will not mature.

Step 3. Measure humidity

Use a hygrometer to measure the humidity in the room. You want to keep the humidity between 60% and 70%. If the room is too dry, corks may dry out, allowing oxygen to seep into the bottle.

Step 4. Adjust humidity

Use a humidifier or dehumidifier to alter the humidity of the room if necessary.

Step 5. Shade wine

Put up curtains or shades to shield the wine from sunlight.

Step 6. Protect bottles

Make sure the wine stays clean and undisturbed. Let the sediments settle, and protect bottles from dust—you don't want grime seeping in through a dry cork.

Step 7. Store wine horizontally

Store the wine horizontally in your wine rack to keep the corks moist and lessen the chances of their drying out. Now open a bottle and celebrate your new wine cellar—or leave it stored like it's supposed to be.

Info: Protect the room—walls, floor, and ceiling—with insulation and seal drafts to stabilize the room temperature.

Fact: Some people suffer from methyphobia, or a fear of alcohol.