Tips for storing wine at home
In order to properly store your wine bottles until you are ready to open them, it is important to understand what to look for whether you are a big wine connoisseur or just saving a few bottles to crack open on special occasions. Please follow the guidelines below to ensure your success!
Temperature
To ensure each wine bottle maintains the proper flavor and aroma, storing it at the correct temperature is essential. Regardless if it is red, white, or sparkling, storing your bottles at 53°F to 57°F is ideal. Keeping your bottles in a room where the temperature is much warmer than that may cause the flavor to become flat. Keep your wine in the dark and away from direct UV rays as much as you can to protect the wine’s taste.
Moisture
Controlling the humidity in the room is essential if you plan to store bottles for more than a couple of years. The ideal humidity for storage is between 50 to 75 percent and anything below that could cause the corks to dry out, letting air seep into the bottle.
Positioning
Wine bottles are generally advised to be stored on their sides in order to preserve their quality. By doing so, you are able to keep the wine up against the cork which should assist in keeping it from drying out over time. Nevertheless, if you are not planning to store the wine for a long time or if it has a screw-top or plastic cork, you might not need to keep it in a cool, dark place for as long as you want to store it.
Timing
It is important to keep in mind that not all wines are designed for long shelf lives or for aging. It is important to make sure you understand the intention of the winemaker when you purchase that particular bottle of wine. Opening it a little early is always the best way to make the most of it!
