Tips for Storing Food and Wine in Your Basement or Garage

If you’re looking for the right spot to store food or wine, you need not look any further than your basement or garage. In the summer, these areas stay naturally cooler than any other place in the house. If your basement is heated, consider partitioning off a section to act as a cold-insulated food or wine cellar.

Food

There are two ways to store household food: in the pantry, or other room-temperature storage, for canned goods and non-perishables; and cool root cellar storage for fruits, vegetables, staples, and preserves.

You can store cans and jars just about anywhere that’s convenient in the garage or basement – except near a furnace, water heater, or other heat source. Place items on orderly shelves, inside an unused utility closet, or behind cabinet doors. Insect eggs or larvae may be present in dried foods, even if they can’t be seen. Be sure to keep dried goods in rigid containers to confine any insects that may develop.

To create a food cellar in a basement, insulate a small area along a cool basement wall. Partition off an area adjacent to a shaded north or east wall and away from heating ducts and pipes. If possible, choose a site with an outside opening – a window is convenient – to provide air flow. Cool ground temperatures and, when the weather is cool, the outside air will keep cellar temperatures low; the insulation will keep out heated air from the surrounding basement. In a hot climate, the area will be hard to keep cool in the summer. You can consider installing an air conditioner with a thermostat, although this will tend to dry the air. To keep the room moist, set out large pans of water, or spread peat moss or sawdust and dampen it periodically. Wood slats laid on top will keep your feet dry.

An old-fashioned root cellar with a cool dirt floor is another food storage option. Traditionally, root cellars were dug below the house, into the ground outside, or into a hillside. A modern-day crawl space may be just the place to locate your root cellar.

Consult your local university agricultural extension service for more information about proper food storage guidelines. Protect storage areas against rodents and other animals by keeping the areas clean and screening all openings to the outside.

Wine

If you plan to make wine collecting a serious hobby, you’ll have to create an organized and stable environment for your collection. By purchasing young wines or sale wines in bulk, and letting them mature in your own cellar, you’ll save the appreciable markup that dealers tack on each year that the wines age on their shelves. Moreover, many fine wines disappear from the market long before they’re mature.

To control temperature fluctuations or to keep the wine cool, create an insulated wine cellar on your basement.

You must protect wine from vibration and light, as well. Avoid storing it near sources of vibration such as stairways, washers, and dryers. Sturdy wine racks will help; in earthquake country, bolt racks to fixed walls.

Direct sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light may harm wines, so make your cellar lightproof. But don’t forget good artificial light for those times when you’re hunting for that special bottle or hosting a wine-tasting party.

Always store the bottles on their side. This ensures that the wine keeps the cork moist, preventing air or airborne organisms from entering and spoiling the wine. Keep a complete log of your stock, including stored locations, and label each slot in your rack to ensure you don’t mix them up.