You don’t have to be a wine buff to enjoy a good bottle of red these days, but if you’re getting serious about your wines, you may want to consider storing wine in an underground wine cellar or a wine fridge, which will provide optimal storage for your collection. Depending on how much space and dedication you want to give your lovely ones, there are different ways to go when storing wine. Cellar storage specialist David Read says if you’re looking at storing wine in the quantity of 500 or even 1000 bottles, then a wine cabinet or fridge is a good option. But, of course, storing wine in an actual wine cellar is a pretty exciting prospect, no matter what the size of your collection. "With an underground cellar, some connoisseurs like to wipe the dust from their carefully cellared bottles in rugged, natural surroundings, while others seek stylishly finished wine cellars, perhaps where they can entertain friends," says David. "For others, it’s just a case of getting a practical storage facility for storing wine in peak condition."

To make sure you get it right, as well as match your ambitions, there are many factors to consider when choosing a wine cellar. "It’s a bigger subject than most people realise," says David. Some of those factors include bottle capacity and location. But if you’re looking at fridges you may want one that heats as well as cools – do you go for a mono-temperature fridge designed for the longer-term development of complexities in wine, or a multi-zoned cabinet, excellent for pouring both reds and whites at serving temperature? "A standard wine fridge should operate at the required constant temperature of around 14- 16C," says David, "while humidity needs to be between 55 and 75 per cent – anything below this and the corks dry out; anything above can cause mould."

If going for an underground cellar the same considerations apply, but the cellar itself can be designed to fit in with your lifestyle, the space you have and any other requirements you may want to address. "The cellar pit for storing wine is very popular these days," says David. "These are prefabricated cellars that are constructed in a factory and when delivered are craned into position." The advantages of a prefabricated cellar pit are that they’re waterproof, use passive cooling systems and are very cost effective to install. There are many ways to optimise your wine storing, but make sure you do your research first, as getting the right one for you is vital to get the best out of your collection.

Before you invest in storing wine at home, talk with a fridge specialist in your area to find out which one will suit your home: