How to store and preserve premium wine

How to store and preserve premium wine:

If you buy premium wine and keep it in your cellar, or even just in the kitchen, you’ll need to know how to store it best in order to preserve its flavor. Wine that is kept for a long time often gets better with age, so long as environmental conditions are ideal. Keeping a wine collection requires knowledge on how to best preserve your wine to make sure the flavors and aromas are best when you do choose to open the bottle. 

TEMPERATURE:

Keeping wine in an environment that is too warm can quickly destroy the chemical balance of the wine. Warm temperatures age the wine quicker; anything over 70 degrees will speed up the aging process too much and will full the aromas and flavors. Ideally, keep the wine cellar where your wine is stored between 45 and 65 degrees. While warm is bad, cold is just as bad. Lack of moisture in the air can dry out the corks, which will let too much air in contact with the wine itself. Wine that freezes can push the cork out.

A temperature controlled environment will probably suit your needs best if you intend to store wine for a long time. Temperature fluctuations can cause the liquid to expand and contract, which can cause seepage or push the cork out of the bottle. Consistency is key if you don’t want the wine ruined. 

DARKNESS:

Long term storage can be threatened by sunlight. UV rays, like heat, can prematurely age your wine. This is why you will almost never see clear wine bottles, but instead they are tinted so less light can get through to the wine. Light in your home from lamps, etc. should be ok, but it’s best to keep your bottles of wine in a dark room. 

SIDEWAYS STORAGE:

If you’ve ever been in a wine cellar or even seen a metal rack wine holder at the store, you’ll notice that they are built so that the wine bottles lay flat on their sides. This is great because the cork will always be in contact with the wine which prevents it from drying out and cracking, which can allow too much air into the bottle and ruin the flavor. 

NO MOVEMENT:

Keep your wine somewhere still where they are not in contact with vibrations. The top of your fridge or next to your AC unit it are perfect examples of bad places to keep wine. Constant vibration agitates the wine and will disturb the sediment that settles in red wine. 

Some of the best places to store your wine where it will maintain stillness, darkness, and temperature balance can include:

• A cool, not damp basement or wine cellar
• A small wine cooler 
• Vacant closet or storage area
• Cooling unit for wine
• Not your kitchen, laundry room, or boiler room

If you are spending a decent amount every year buying premium wine to store, you will want to consider preserving your investments by putting money into a decent storage area for your collection.