Beginner’s Guide to Wine Storage
Let’s face it, enjoying a nice glass of wine is what a lot of us look forward to after a long day…and the last thing you’d want is for your wine to be a dud! First, you need to remember that wine is a living thing, so it requires a little TLC. You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to look after it, so to ensure it’s as natural as the winemaker intended, here are a few simple tips to get the most out of every glass!
Storing
Heat and sunlight are terrible for wine quality. Ensure wine bottles are always kept out of direct sunlight, as UV light will prematurely age and degrade wine. Too much warmth will also result in dull and poor tasting wine. As a general guideline, it is suggested that red wines are kept at about 14-18°C, and white wines between 8-12°C. Humidity should also be taken into account, the ideal level is around 65-75%.
Not only is keeping your bottles stacked horizontally space efficient, but will stop the cork from drying out and therefore maintain the quality of the wine. Avoid leaving your wine in a place where it will be exposed to excessive movement or vibration.
The perfect place to store your wines would be in a wine storage cabinet. They provide perfectly constant temperatures and UV resistant windows. If this isn’t an option for you, just make sure you find a place which is cool and dark, think of using a basement or any other area of your home with similar conditions.
Serving
In general, when serving, most wines can be enjoyed at the storage temperatures listed above. White wines such as sparkling wines (including Champagne) can be enjoyed at temperatures a bit colder, around 6-8°C. Just pop them in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving and they’ll be perfect. Avoid the temptation to consume your wine icy cold, as this will dull its flavours. On the other hand, too warm and the wine’s flavours will be damaged.
Cheers!
