How to Store Your Wine in Perfect Conditions
Nothing tastes better than a glass of nice wine during a happy gathering. Since friend gathering is hard in a fast-paced life, having some wine of good quality certainly can make the moment merrier! However, as reality might be disappointing, some wine just doesn’t taste as pleasurable as expected despite its high reputation. When this spontaneous wine tasting doesn’t end well, the only thing that remains in everyone’s heart is nothing but the sourness they tasted.
As a matter of fact, besides learning how to drink properly, learning proper methods of storing is also a big deal! Today, World Gourmet Platform will show you what to consider when storing your wine. We invited wine instructors Matt and Roxy to bring us more professional advice to guarantee you unforgettable moments of wine tasting with your friends and business partners.
Temperature
Temperature can greatly affect the flavor of a wine, so it’s better to pay special attention to the storage temperature before opening the bottle.
The standard storage temperature for wine shall not be lower than - 4°C nor higher than 20°C. If the temperature exceeds the range, the volatile organic substances will be easily destroyed, which in turn will accelerate the oxidation of the wine. Generally speaking, the ideal temperature for storage is 13°C. But it varies based on the substances that constitute the wine (one of the notable examples is that the storage and drinking temperature of white wine and champagne tends to be lower than that of red wine). Hence, it’s better to directly ask the winery for the perfect temperature of storage.
Matt :
For wines to be stored for a long period of time, here are the recommended temperatures:
Red wine – 13-15°C
White wine – 11-13°C
Sparkling wine – 9-10°C
Roxy：
It is important to learn how to preserve the wine you received or purchased, especially when you don’t have a wine cooler at your place. The key points of wine storage are to avoid extreme temperatures (take wine for example, the temperature should not be higher than 30°C nor lower than 0°C.) and lights, including ultraviolet (I often found my friends display their wine under the spotlight. This way of storage will certainly ruin the wine). Instead, cool environments with proper ventilation and without direct exposure to sunlight are recommended.
Besides setting to the right temperatures, it is also important to avoid drastic changes of temperatures, otherwise the wine cork may expand or shrink and therefore make wine exposed to the air.
Light
Preserved wine ought to be concealed from light, which is the cause of the design of dark-colored wine bottles. The main reason behind it is because ultraviolet light can destroy the wine. On the other hand, even though the bottle is just exposed to sunlight, the label on it would start to wear off and become unreadable.
To keep the original texture of the wine, it's best to store it in the dark.
Moisture
Even though the wine is sealed inside the bottle, the moisture of the air may still affect the quality of wine. And the reason is the cork in the bottle. If the surrounding environment is overly dry, the cork would lose its flexibility that it makes crack and oxidate the wine; on the other hand, if it's too humid outside, the label might be worn off. So the best moisture for wine storage would be 50-80%, and 70% is the ideal figure.
Arrangement
Wine bottles are generally placed horizontally, right? The underlying reason to do this is exactly the same as that mentioned above in “moisture”. An overly dry cork will do a bad job at sealing the wine, so placing the bottle horizontally is suggested, as the cork would be moisturized by the wine. But nowadays, there are many wine brands using screw caps instead of corks. With this design, there’s no need to worry about how to place it anymore. Some people might think wines using screw caps are of lower quality, yet the truth is the design of the bottle isn’t necessarily related to the quality of the wine. Screw caps can be also used for excellent wines.
Roxy：
The reason why screw caps are often considered a design for low quality wines is because wine stored for a long period of time generally requires subtle oxidation through the cork. But wineries use screw caps just to let consumers taste their wines at their freshest. There’s nothing to do about lowering the quality.
Matt :
Many premium wines from New Zealand and Australia use screw caps:
Penflds Bin 311 and the Bin 28 series, Australia
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
In addition to arrangement, don’t forget to mind the environment. To avoid disrupting the ongoing chemical reactions in the bottle, it’s better to store wines away from places or objects that generate vibration, such as gym, washing machine, coffee machine, and so forth.
Roxy：
Long-term vibration will deteriorate the quality of wine. In addition, when wine just arrive at your place, it’s better to place it for 2-3 days before drinking, since, as many drinkers say, “even wine can get motion sickness.”
What to Do After Opening the Bottle?
Usually, it’s best to drink all the wine at once, but sometimes there is still wine left. In this case, don’t worry, even if the bottles have already been opened, the wine can still be preserved for 3-5 days. For bottles with screw caps, just put the cap and store it. As for bottles with corks, wrap the cork with wax paper to prevent the scrapes, since the cork has been drilled, from falling into the wine. If the cork has been severely damaged, there are plastic corks as a substitute for sale. If you’d like to decelerate oxidation, you can use vacuum sealer to retain the quality of wine. Or, you can divide the wine into several smaller bottles.
Matt :
If you’re uncertain whether the wine will be finished at once, dividing it into smaller bottles is recommended the moment you open the bottle. Pour the wine into empty glass bottles for mineral water, preferably 250-350 ml in volume, until surface tension is seeable. After putting the cap back to the bottles, the wine can be stored in the fridge for around 7 days.
Roxy：
Before opening the bottle, the wine is placed horizontally to keep its cork moist. If you have an opened bottle with wine left inside, I’d suggest you put back the cork upside down (because the side dipped with wine liquid is too expanded to be the closure while the upper part, which hasn’t touched the wine liquid, will be a suitable substitute) to seal the wine from air, preventing oxidation. In this case, the wine should be put vertically for a smaller cross section between the wine and air, which can decelerate oxidation.
Too Much Effort for Storage? Then Leave It to Professionals!
To taste the wine at its finest, one needs to be attentive to every detail of preservation. What if there’s a space for wine storage, yet don’t know how to create a space for an ideal storage environment? Nowadays, a considerable number of companies have been selling wine coolers. You can control the temperature and humidity. As long as there’s space, wine storage is no longer a challenge.
But what if there’s no space for wine storage at all? What if, at the same time, the wine buyer needs to live in other places for a long while? Fortunately, “rental wine storage” services are available and common nowadays. Even with no personal space for storage, you can still maintain the quality of your wine at its finest.
Where to find rental storage services?
Click the link for more information: Where to Find Professional Wine Storage Services?
Every wonderful gathering is accompanied by wine. Drinking with your loved ones can be one of the most cherishable moments in your life. As you meet the ideal conditions of storage, you will have a wonderful feast of taste with your guests.
