subject: Essential Factors Regarding Wine Storage [print this page] Wine collecting was once the domain of fanatics with discretionary income and room for large wine cellars. But, nowadays, it has caught on as a common pastime with the younger generation.
Most novice connoisseurs decide to collect wine either for pleasure or profit. Though it need not cost a fortune to begin with or even maintain, the hobby will require a certain investment on your part, of money as well as time.
Whatever your interest level in wine may be, the crucial aspect to consider is the storage of the collection. Thus, owning a wine cellar is a worthwhile investment.
Wine is perishable. How wine is stored can have a direct impact on the final flavor, color and character of each bottle of wine.
As one of the few commodities that can improve with age, wine that has been protected under the proper conditions will age the way the master of the vintage intended. By contrast, a wine kept in inadequate conditions will rapidly deteriorate and not last at all, no matter what kind of quality it had to begin with.
It is for these reasons that keeping wine in the most appropriate conditions is necessary. More importantly, in the same way that we use all of our senses for enjoying wine, the same senses are also needed for storing wine properly.
Here are the four essential factors that are relevant for storing wine and allowing it to reach its full potential.
1. Keep the Room Dark
Strong, direct sunlight or incandescent light can have an adverse reaction or will negatively affect the flavor of the wine significantly, a result of premature aging. The suns UV rays can degrade and prematurely age wine. Wine bottles and most wine coolers are tinted with dark colored glass, most with UV filters incorporated, to allow very little light to get to the wine. But this does not necessarily offer full UV protection. So, store your wines in dark, cellar-like conditions like in wine cellars, or wine fridge or wine refrigerator.
2. Keep it Cool, but NOT Too Cool
Sadly, instability in temperature and moisture has damaged many a great wine collections. The number one enemy of wine is heat. Of all the storage factors that will adversely affect your wine, fluctuating temperature is the most damaging. So, shoot for consistent temperatures, as dramatic fluctuations in temperature will damage the wine and the cork. With each temperature fluctuation, outside air can seep into the bottle causing wine to lose its freshness.
The ideal temperature range is between 45 F and 65 F, with optimal wine storage right around 55F. Too hot temperatures, higher than 65 F, will age a wine more quickly or prematurely; thus, losing its flavor and balance resulting in flat aromas and flavors that taste raisiny or stewed. When chilled too cold, your wines can freeze and expand, causing the cork to be pushed out and damaged; this will allow more oxygen to be exposed to the wine, reducing the wine's delicate but complex tastes.
Another factor to balance when storing wine is humidity. The ideal humidity level is between 60% - 70%. A higher humidity level can create mildew or mold on the cork as well as spot and damage your labels, negatively affecting the market value of fine wine. On the other hand, low humidity causes corks to dry out and crack, allowing more air into the bottle, leading to rapid spoilage. Maintaining humidity level range should keep the corks from drying out while preventing the formation of unwanted mold.
3. Keep it Still
Constant and excessive movement or vibrations caused by noisy compressors or other sources can be very harmful to wine and can keep the sediment from settling and cause your wines to age prematurely. Therefore have a premium, quiet compressor in your wine storage facility, while also minimizing all other external sources of possible vibration.
4. Keep it Sideways
Always store your wine either horizontally, at a 45 angle with the cork facing down or somewhere in between. This will keep the wine in constant contact with the cork ensuring the cork will stay moist and not dry out. This will minimize the probability of the cork cracking or shrinking and allowing air into the bottle, which will oxidize the wine and thus the aromas, flavors and color all begin to spoil.
