Storing wine and beer

Marcia Bassett <marcia.bassett<-a t->gmail< . >com> writes

>I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for long-term storage of
>Chinati Classico (2006 vintage from the Fattoria Nittardi vineyard )
>in bottles with artist designed labels and Beck's beer in bottles
>with artist designed labels. Do we empty the bottles?  If we decide
>to keep the wine/beer, what is the best storage container for the
>bottles?

The biggest risks to collections of containers with organic liquid
and semi-liquid contents, i.e. food and pharmaceuticals, are
breakage and leakage.

If the intent is to preserve the labels and the containers, then
emptying the contents is called for.  If done carefully, the
closures can be retained and reinserted.  You can try to retain the
foil or plastic cork cover on the top of the bottle if you remove it
with a scalpel and micro-spatula.

If you decide to store the full bottles, then I would suggest
putting them into 6 mil polyethylene zip-lock bags.  Store the wine
bottles in the horizontal position in a padded 'wine rack' position
to lower the risk of breakage.  The full beer bottles can be bagged
and stored upright in a polyethylene block with holes cut out to
hold the bottoms of the bottles. Storage in a collections room with
controlled temperature and RH, on the cooler and drier side, would
be best.

Paul S. Storch
Project Specialist II/Collections Liaison
Historic Properties Office
Central Administration
Historic Sites and Museums Division
Minnesota Historical Society
345 Kellogg Blvd. West
Saint Paul, MN 55102-1906
651-259-3257


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:16
                  Distributed: Sunday, October 6, 2013
                       Message Id: cdl-27-16-002
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