Storing wine is the topic for this installment of our wine 101 guide…
A simple strategy for wine storage is to store bottles on their side in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight. If you do this, youll be able to keep your wine for longer because the flavors won’t be damaged. Still, learning a bit more about wine storage can help you maximize your wines quality.
Temperature is the most important factor to pay attention to. Wine should normally be stored between 50-60F, although a range of 45-65F is considered OK. A lower, colder temperature causes the aging process to slow down, preventing the wine from aging properly. A higher temperature, on the other hand, can prematurely age your wine and cause it to go bad.
What hurts wine the most though is temperature fluctuation. As bad as it is, a steady temperature in extreme heat or cold is much better than constantly varying temperatures, even if the change is within the ideal range. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 5 degrees a day, especially with red wines, which suffer more temperature-related problems than white wines.
Keeping track of humidity is also important in wine storage; if the air in the storage area is too dry, the corks of your bottles will dry out, and the air will come in contact with the wine and damage it. You want to aim for a humidity level of around 70 – 80% and can purchase a hygrometer to track this.
A wine cellar is the ideal place for storing wine because it maintains the optimal humidity and temperature; however, they aren’t practical for most people because of their size and cost. However, you can mimic the conditions of a wine cellar in a basement or garage. Just install a wine rack in one of these locations and include a thermometer and and temperature / humidity guage to keep track of conditions.
As for how long to store it for, this depends on the type of wine, the region the wine was made in, the technique used to make it, and the particular year the grapes were harvested in. However, as a general guideline, whites normally do not age for long, while reds age for 5-10 years. If you’re starting out, consult a free online aging chart to to assist you with this aspect of wine storage.
