Whether you spent only a dollar or $100 for a bottle of wine, you still want it to taste great. Storing your wine properly will help you keep it tasting right and will make it last longer. Heat and light are the main two enemies of wine so avoiding these two first of all is your best move to be sure the bottle you open will be as good as the day you bought it.
An easier way to ruin your rich wine is to store it wrongly but luckily, there have been a great deal of research and many years of experience gained on how to correctly store your precious drink.
How to Store an Unopened Bottle of Wine
Take the temperature, motion and humidity of where you will store it into consideration. Your wine should be stored in a place with consistent humidity, temperature and light. As well, there should be very little movement if any in your storage area.
Consider storing your wine in the basement, if you have one. The basement is the best place since it stays cool even during the hotter days, is motionless (not unless there is an earthquake) and is a dark place. Wine does well when stored at 70 to 80% humidity at 55 to 65 degrees F. Lacking a basement a good choice is a wine storage cabinet.
Store your wine bottle on the wine rack so it stays sideways. This normally keeps the cork moist, keeping the air out, and keeps out residue from sitting at the bottom of your wine bottle. It is best tp put your red wine close to the top, white wine in the middle and your sparkling wine bottles at the bottom of the rack. To keep the cork moist you can turn the bottle slightly every month or two, if it dries out, the sealing will break which will lead to air getting into the bottle.
How to Store an Opened Bottle
For starters, put back the cork as tightly as possible. If there is less than half of wine left in the bottle, pour it into a much smaller bottle, with a tight lid. Doing this lessens the amount of air touching the wine. It is best to put open wines in the fridge because this will help them last longer. Red wines can be taken out an hour or so before drinking so they come up to a more preferable temperature. White wines are often prefered served cold.
It is recommended that an open bottle is stored in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days but many times they will stay drinkable for longer periods of time.
Tips & Warnings
- White wine is much more sensitive to light and temperature changes than the red wine.
- Never store your wine close to cheese, fruits or vegetables as they can cause your wine to mold.
- Don’t keep your unopened bottle of wine in the fridge, the wine can pick up flavors and food smells from whatever else is in your fridge.
- Unless you’re planning to drink your wine right away, you are required to store it at the correct humidity and temperature in a suitable location.
- With proper storage, your wine matures well over time with an improved taste.
Carla Montez, the writer, is also a wine expert. She has been writing wine notes for five years and enjoyed giving practical ideas through her wine blog. When not writing, she visits vineyards and attend wine tasting events. Read about her wine notes on Taylors wine .
