The Wine Fact Center

Storing wine is what we’ll be looking at in this part of our wine 101 guide…

The first thing you need to know when it comes to wine storage is to place your bottles on their side somewhere relatively cool and free from direct light. Doing so will minimize damage (mainly in terms of deterioration of taste and flavors) to the wine and allow you to store it for as long as you desire. However, learning a little more than the basics is advisable and thats what we’ll look at now.

Temperature is an important factor when you’re dealing with wine. Keeping your wines between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal; though a range of 45 to 65 degrees is considered acceptable. A temperature below the ideal range will prevent your wine from aging correctly. A higher, warmer temperature causes premature aging (not in a good way).

Fluctuating temperatures hurt wines the most. It’s much better to keep your wine at a constant temperature, even if it is too high or too low, than to subject it to large fluctuations every day. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 5 degrees a day; this is especially important for red wines, which can be more damaged than whites from fluctuations.

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. Try to keep your storage areas humidity level at around 70 to 80 percent, you can buy a hygrometer to keep track of 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. If a wine cellar isnt practical for you, place your bottles in a garage or basement to achieve similar conditions. Making some space in either and purchasing a wine rack and temperature / humidity gauge are highly recommended if you intend on storing more than a few bottles of wine at a time.

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, aging charts (which are available free online) can help you see when a wine is typically best enjoyed.