LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2017

TREND SPOTT ING

rack ’em up For maximum efficiency (and moist corks), wine is best stored on its side. This simple design from RTA Global ($49.99) is a good starting point. Made of solid wood and galvanized steel, it securely stores up to 30 bottles. (For larger collections, there is a 72-bottle option.) Bonus: an online video provides a helping hand during assembly. RTA 30-bottle Wine Rack at Canadian Tire.

Fine Wine Reserve

To the Wine Cave From modest aficionados who don’t have proper conditions at home all the way up to serious collectors who have outgrown their cellars, tipplers of all stripes use professional wine storage. (These companies can also provide a temporary home for wine during renovations.)    Fine Wine Reserve (finewinereserve.com) has lockers at its downtown Toronto location that hold anywhere from 70 to 7,000 bottles, and it now offers case storage in a new cellar near Pearson Airport. In Toronto’s East York, Iron Gate (irongatewine.com) stores clients’ wine in a subterranean vault-like cube. Extra services include online cellar inventory and management—it also does this for home cel- lars—to keep you on top of what needs drink- ing. And with one click, you can have bottles delivered to your home.

Once you start aging wine beyond 10 years, you will need a tightly controlled environment to protect your investment. This can range from a simple room with kit racks and basic cooling, to a splashed-out cellar with glass walls and custom cabinetry. Based in Mississauga, Rosehill Wine Cellars (rosehillwinecellars.com) has been in the game for over 20 years. It builds and consults on cellars all over Ontario, and its retail showroom has every oenological gadget imagin- able. Ottawa’s Wine Cellar Solutions (winecellarsolutions.com) has created some showstoppers in its 15 years, though it’s just as happy to advise someone on a DIY budget. CELLAR DWELLER

Rosehill Wine Cellars

IMAGE BOTTOM LEFT COURTESY OF ROSEHILL WINE CELLARS; IMAGE TOP RIGHT BY PATRICK JANDAK & FINE WINE RESERVE

28  FOOD & DRI NK EARLY SUMMER 2017