Storing wine

We have been approached and asked to contribute as an expert on an article about storing wine, “What are the most important factors to consider when storing and preserving wines, and how can they be maintained in optimal condition?” This was the question.

Since we believe that storing wine deserves more attention, even more in an era where each kitchen comes with some sort of wine rack and as you will read below, the kitchen is the least suitable place to store wine, we thought of publishing the answer on our blog as well.

There are many factors to consider however, I would say the main ones are temperature, light and humidity. Other factors include how the bottle is stored and to avoid vibrations or movements. Lets start with the main factors.

Temperature
Keep the wine at constant temperature. The ideal temperature for storing wine lies between 10-13°C so best to avoid places near hot pipes, radiators or anywhere with temperature fluctuations. Temperature fluctuations can literally destroy the wine. Hence, the kitchen is the worst place in the house to store wine other than for a few days. For serious wine lovers, the easiest, not cheap though, solution is to get a wine cooler.

Light
Protect your wines from light, which is why good wine always comes in a dark bottle. Light is as damaging to the wine as fluctuating temperatures. This is because light is, basically, heat in a different form.

Humidity
Store your wine at the right humidity. If you are a serious wine lover and thinking of getting a wine cooler, most wine coolers allow you to set the humidity level. Humidity is necessary when it comes to prevent the cork from dehydrating, a dry cork can speed up the ageing process, letting more oxygen in, and eventually lead to the oxidisation of the wine. This is especially important when storing wine for several years. Bottles using screwcaps don’t need to be stored horizontally.

How to store the bottle
Keep them horizontal. When storing wine, whether in a wine cooler or wine rack, you should always ensure that the bottles are positioned horizontally. The purpose of this is to keep the cork moist and prevent it from drying out and speed up the ageing process as illustrated above.

Don’t move it
Stop admiring them, movement stresses the wine. Even if you are proud of your wine collection, don’t constantly touch or show them to your friends, don’t move them around. Try to avoid storing your wine near vibrating appliances, from washing machine to tumble dryers, wine don’t like it.