Once molten rock that spilled from the depths of the earth… now, as solidified lava stones, used in Liebherr wine cabinets to maintain the quality of wine.
What on earth have lava stones got to do with wine? Perhaps your mind has just filled with opposing images of a steaming, sulphur-fuming magma flow and a glorious, sun-drenched vineyard. How can two such contrasting things ever be brought together? The answer isn’t actually complicated, and it involves two factors: time, of course, together with the unusual properties of lava stone, which allow it to be used for humidity control during wine storage. If wine bottles are stored in an environment where the humidity level is too low, their corks can dry out and become porous, allowing air to seep into the bottles and spoil the wine.
The WTb 4212 multi-temperature wine cabinet is particularly suited to storing many different types of wine at their ideal serving temperatures.
WTr 4211: Red wine, white wine and even champagne can be stored perfectly thanks to targeted temperature stratification, which is achieved using special components.
To prevent this from happening, Liebherr’s multi-temperature Vinothek wine cabinets, WTb 4212 and WTr 4211, use lava stones, positioned in the condensate drain trough, to increase the interior humidity levels. In all other Liebherr wine cabinets, humidity levels are sustained using the humidity created during the refrigeration process, which is circulated around the interior by an integrated fan.
Why use lava stones in wine cabinets?
The porous and foam-like nature of lava stone makes it not only a highly attractive natural material but also one with versatile properties, some of which can be used to advantage to protect corks during wine storage. Lava stone is very light, weathers slowly, and is highly temperature-resistant. It is also excellent at absorbing moisture and slowly releasing it again, and this is the key to humidity regulation in Liebherr wine cabinets within which lava stones are utilised.
Recommendation:
For reasons of hygiene, we recommend that the lava stones are regularly removed and cleaned under running water. Alternatively, the lava stones, which are available as accessories, can easily be replaced. Incidentally: the lava stones used in Liebherr appliances are not imported from halfway around the world; rather, they come from the Eifel and Middle Rhine regions of Germany, providing jobs in these regions, keeping transport routes short, and hence making a contribution to sustainability.
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