Your Guide to Wine Storage
Storing wine in the right conditions is key to keeping it tasting great in the long-term! Read on for five wine storage tips that will keep your bottles fresh and delicious when you're ready to pop the cork!
Make sure your wine stays cool
Heat is the biggest threat to spoiling wine! Storage at over 70° ages wine more quickly than it should, and extreme heat and temperature fluctuations can "cook" wine which dulls its flavors and aromas, and can potentially push out the cork. There's also danger to keeping your wine too cool: storing wine in your refrigerator long-term can dry out the cork which allows air to seep into the bottle and damage the wine. The ideal storage temperature is 55°!
Store wine bottles horizontally
Wine bottles are traditionally stored on their side to keep the wine in contact with the cork and prevent it from drying out, which would let unwanted oxygen into the bottle. An added bonus to storing bottles horizontally is that it's space efficient! However, if you're storing wine for the short-term or if your bottles have screw cap or glass closures, you can safely store them upright!
Store your wine in a dark place
Storing wine in a dark place preserves its freshness as prolonged exposure to light, natural or artificial (particularly fluorescent light), can cause wine to age faster than it should. Sunlight can also cause sulfur-containing amino acids in wine to oxidize, which can alter its flavor. Fun fact: many producers bottle their wine in dark colored glass bottles to protect it from light!
Keep the bottles away from vibrations
Significant vibrations can cause chemical reactions that modify wine's aging process in the long-term. Vibrations can also disturb the sediment in older wines making them gritty and unpleasant to drink. Minor vibrations from kitchen appliances shouldn't negatively affect your wine, but try to store your wine somewhere stable if you live near a freeway, train, etc.!
Be mindful of humidity
Similar to the effect of storing your wine in a place that's too cold, storing your wine in a very dry environment can dry out the cork and let unwanted air inside the bottle. On the other hand, if you store your wine in a very humid place, mold may develop on your labels, but your wine won't be negatively impacted! The gold standard is to store wine at 70% humidity, so those living in dry environments, try to store your wine near a humidifier if you have one!
For more wine information and tips, join my Wine Club! You'll get three bottles of wine from a single boutique producer each month (or quarter!), and the chance to connect with an incredible wine-loving community while learning the stories behind the bottles directly from the producers at our monthly live virtual tastings. And because wine is meant to be shared with friends, you can gift a membership to the Club as well. Learn more about the Wine Club here!
Cheers!