Cave à vin
De Wikignôle.
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. Wine cellars are usually located completely underground, and often have direct contact to the surrounding soil via a gap in the foundations.
Wine cellars offer the opportunity to protect alcoholic beverages from potentially harmful external influences, providing darkness and a consistent temperature. Wine is a natural, perishable food product. Left exposed to heat, light, vibration or fluctuations in temperature and humidity, all types of wine, including red, white, sparkling, and fortified, can spoil. When properly stored, wines not only maintain their quality but many actually improve in aroma, flavor, and complexity as they mature.
Temperature centered around 57 degrees Fahrenheit or 14 degrees Celsius, much like the cool caves used to store wine in France, is ideal for both short-term storage and long-term aging for all types of wines.
