How to choose your wine cabinet?
For optimal wine maturing, your wine cabinet must bring together the 6 criteria essential for allowing your wines to reach their full potential.
The best technology to pamper your wines
Our ranges* have an exclusive electronic control panel with an innovative visual alarm system. So you can be confident in the knowledge that your finest wines are developing in optimal storage conditions.
Temperature carefully monitored
All EuroCave wine cabinets guarantee a constant temperature. Nevertheless, if a major fluctuation is detected, a visual alarm will immediately inform you.
Constant monitoring
For your peace of mind, the monitoring system constantly supervises your wine cabinet to ensure that it is operating correctly.
If there is a fault in one of the technical components, an alarm informs you immediately.
If there is a fault in one of the technical components, an alarm informs you immediately.
Intelligent cabinets
If the door of your cabinet remains open for more than 15 minutes, the monitoring system informs you automatically. In order to maintain air quality, an alarm reminds you to change your charcoal filter every year.
Humidity levels constantly monitored with ‘‘Hygro+’’
If the humidity level of your cabinet falls below 50%, a visual alarm automatically informs you. In this way, you can correct it and protect your bottles.
*except for the Tête à Tête ranges
1. a constant temperature
Temperature fluctuations are harmful to wine. For ideal storage conditions, the temperature should be constant (10 - 14°C) and uniform throughout the cabinet:
- a temperature > 14°C accelerates the wine maturing process,
- a storage temperature < 10° C slows it down.
3 levels of technology:
1- Wine fridge
This type of household appliance only cools. Therefore, it cannot maintain a constant temperature when the temperature outside is lower than 12°C.
2- Fridge/cabinet
This type of household appliance is derived directly from refrigerator technology. Warm and cold air is directed at the bottles, which does not allow a uniform temperature to be created.
3- EuroCave - ‘‘Twin Process’’ wine cabinets
EuroCave’s original ‘‘Twin Process’’ thermal control system (dual hot/cold circuit) recreates the specific climate of the best natural cellars. Thanks to high-precision sensors, ‘‘Twin Process’’ carries out, in real time, the corrections required for maintaining the ideal temperature, by producing warm or cold air, to prevent any temperature fluctuations inside the cabinet. In this way, a constant temperature of 10 - 14°C is guaranteed inside the cabinet whatever the outside environment (from 0°- 35°C). A uniform temperature is ensured by the walls in SRA aluminium, recognized for its highly effective thermal conductivity.
Did you know?
Contrary to popular belief, all wines – red, white or sparkling – are stored at the same temperature: 10 - 14°C.
If wine is subjected to sudden temperature fluctuations, it “expands” then “contracts”. In the end, this tires the wine, impairs its organic vitality and causes it to deteriorate.
If wine is subjected to sudden temperature fluctuations, it “expands” then “contracts”. In the end, this tires the wine, impairs its organic vitality and causes it to deteriorate.
Influence of temperature on wine over time
Wine stored at an optimal temperature
Wine stored at a temperature which is too warm
Wine stored at a temperature which is too cold
2. a suitable humidity levels
Ensuring that your bottles are stored in correct humidity conditions is essential for preserving the elasticity and sealing qualities of corks. The ideal humidity level is above 50% to prevent corks from drying out, which could allow air to enter the bottle, causing irreversible oxidation of the wine, caused by excessive oxygenation.
3 levels of technology:
1- Plastic walls: no humidity management
The smooth inner walls of the cabinets do not retain moisture. Since plastic is an insulating material, moisture is not evenly distributed throughout the cabinet and levels remain far too low in the upper section. Finally, these systems offer no humidity display, measuring or warning solution.
2- Imprecise humidity management
Today, the few humidity management products available in stores have not been specifically designed for storing wine. Whether they are “plastic tanks” or “foam” type systems, these added parts do not accurately control humidity. Since the sensor is placed close to the humidity tank, measurement and display are more often than not approximate.
3- EuroCave - the only reliable humidity management system: ‘‘Hygro +’’
Our wine maturing cabinets are fitted with the ‘‘Hygro+’’ system, which guarantees a constant humidity level above 50%. Natural moisture in the air condenses on the cabinet’s stucco aluminium walls, the embossed surface of which captures the water droplets in order to distribute humidity evenly, controlled by a clay ball cartridge. Placed on the opposite side, a high precision sensor measures humidity levels. Finally, EuroCave cabinets are the only cabinets to offer automatic display and a humidity level alarm system.
3. a suitable thermal insulation
Effective insulation is essential for protecting bottles from the elements:
- it prevents temperature fluctuations and therefore guarantees thermal stability,
- it reduces power consumption.
3 levels of technology:
1- Standard bonded panels
The technique used to bond these sandwich panels can cause the walls to gape over time and create thermal bridges – resulting in increased power consumption.
2- 2cm thick polyurethane injected insulants
The reduced thickness of the panels makes the cabinet vulnerable to extreme temperatures and may cause thermal shock.
3- EuroCave - ‘‘CQI’’ 5 cm thick cellular insulant
CQI (Cellular Quality Insulation) high density insulant, combined with the considerable thickness of the walls (5cm), forms a double thermal barrier ensuring optimal protection against temperature variations. The “Twin Process” thermal control system is in this way used less, resulting in considerable energy savings.
For optimal insulation, all EuroCave cabinets are fitted with magnetic seal, ensuring that the door fully closes.
For optimal insulation, all EuroCave cabinets are fitted with magnetic seal, ensuring that the door fully closes.
EuroCave cabinet glass doors are made up of two 4 mm sheets of toughened glass. They are separated by a 20 mm gap containing dehydrated air to prevent thermal bridges and ensure optimal thermal insulation (double glazing).
Did you know?
The insulation of a EuroCave CQI wall provides protection equivalent to almost 2 metres of earth, as found in the best natural cellars.
4. a permanent ventilation system
Air quality and its continual replacement are crucial for:
- preventing bad odours which could transfer to the wine,
- preventing mould caused by lack of ventilation
3 levels of technology:
1- Hermetically sealed refrigerators
Wine breathes through its cork. Without aeration, its taste will eventually be tainted by ambient odours and mould will develop. This technology is unsuitable for storing wine.
2- Ventilated cabinets without air renewal
This ventilation system only uses a fan. Permanent ventilation simply mixes the air without renewing it, since two vents do not exist to ensure a supply of fresh air.
3- EuroCave – natural ventilation by ‘‘breather effect’’
EuroCave cabinets benefit from natural ventilation by ‘‘breather effect’’: air circulation is ensured by 2 vents located at the top and bottom of the cabinet, between which a flow of air is created by the difference in pressure. Furthermore, the top vent, through which air enters the cabinet, is fitted with a charcoal filter to purify the air and prevent bad odours from entering. Just as in a natural cellar, this ‘‘breather effect’’ ensures constant and gradual renewal of air and prevents the development of mould.
The charcoal filter must be replaced once a year to preserve its filtering properties.
Breather effect
Did you know?
A wine cabinet must be designed so that the bottles do not come into contact with the back wall.
If this happens, the condensation created on the wall can trickle down onto the shelves and damage the bottle labels. In addition, contact with the cold wall can create a frost point which is harmful to wine.
If this happens, the condensation created on the wall can trickle down onto the shelves and damage the bottle labels. In addition, contact with the cold wall can create a frost point which is harmful to wine.
5. an anti-vibration system
Vibrations disturb wine’s development process. The requirements of modern life (building construction materials, the underground…) and wine cabinet compressors are often the cause of vibrations which:
- accelerate the wine maturing process,
- prevent sedimentation of tannins.
3 levels of technology:
1- The built-in motor
The compressor, contained in the main body of the cabinet, directly transmits vibrations. This system produces significant vibrations.
2- Absorption system
Without a compressor, chemical components such as ammonia and hydrogen are required. If the cabinet has a fault, maintenance is very difficult. The power consumption is significantly higher than for standard wine cabinets.
3- EuroCave - ‘‘VES’’ protection
EuroCave’s original VES (Vibration Exclusion System) system provides an effective anti-vibration barrier, with several layers of protection. The compressor is separated from the cabinet and stands on high performance Silent Blocks, which prevent transmission of vibrations. Furthermore, our shelves are equipped with several shock absorbers to reduce residual vibrations. As for the cabinet’s feet, they can be individually adjusted and provide complete stability.
6. an adequate storage capacity
An effective storage system must allow you to store a maximum number of bottles in a minimum amount of space and make it easy to access and arrange bottles.
For intelligent use of space, certain criteria must be taken into account:
For intelligent use of space, certain criteria must be taken into account:
- the different sizes and shapes of bottles,
- the number of bottles to be stored in the cabinet.
2 levels of technology:
1- Standard household appliance type storage systems
The dimensions and materials of the (wire) shelves are designed for fridges and are unsuitable for the shapes and weights of wine bottles. These shelves may ultimately buckle under the heavy weight of the bottles. Storage is by stacking, best use is not made of space and the bottles, not securely housed, may slide around in the cabinet.
2- EuroCave - Storage systems dedicated to wine bottles
Unlike standard cabinets designed by household appliance manufacturers, the dimensions of EuroCave wine cabinets are specifically designed for wine. The models of shelves developed by EuroCave offer a tailor-made solution to the problem of varying bottle shapes, sizes and weights. Storage is by double depth stacking (head to tail) and the bottles are securely housed in the specially designed recesses. Designed to withstand the heavy weight of bottles and prevent it from buckling, the structure of EuroCave cabinets is reinforced by a steel frame and a stiffener (large models).
Did you know?
A cabinet designed by EuroCave offers you better storage capacity than a standard cabinet: for the same floor space, a EuroCave cabinet allows you to store 23% more bottles*.
* Compared with an average of wine cabinets representative of the market.
