Best way to store wine on a budget?

[AuroraViva]

Hello all,

I just turned 21 and have been looking around for a good, reasonably priced wine rack. My family is French, so I love wine and am quite familiar with it for someone of my age. The thing is, up until now I couldn't buy any myself, so I never had to worry about storing it. Well, I recently took a trip to a wine store, and now have over a dozen bottles that I need to do something with. And I'm sure that number will increase with time.

I was browsing the boards, and came upon a post by lizardbrains about declining a case of old, improperly stored wine. I have a small, one bedroom apartment (obviously no cellar) and I am very cold-natured, so I keep it about 75 degrees year-round. The good news is the temperature doesn't fluctuate at all really. I know that the fridge isn't a good place to store wine. I was thinking about getting a nice wine rack and keeping it in a corner of the living room that doesn't get any sunlight. The other possibility is my closet, but that is typically warmer than the rest of the apartment due to less circulation. Would you guys have some advice for me? I'm not planning on buying a bunch of ports that need to be aged for 20 years or anything, but I would like to have a way to safely store wines for a couple years, and I don't have the money for a temperature-controlled wine cave.

Thanks, Viva

[This message has been edited by AuroraViva (edited 05-04-2005).]