Wine Storage Tips
A fine meal would not be complete without having a drink of fine wine to accompany it.
If you often hold dinner parties at home, or you feel like spicing up a regular dinner with red or white wine, you can do so if you have your own wine storage at home.
Here are some useful tips on wine storage:
If you open a bottle of wine and don’t consume the entire contents, then you need to store it in a cool, dry place. Just put the cork back on and you can store the wine in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days.
If you plan to keep the wine for longer than three days, instead of just re-corking the wine, a stopper should be placed on top of the bottle. Then, it should be aired out using a pump for a longer storage time.
For wine lovers out there who have a large number of wine bottles – or cases – to keep, there are several effective methods that you can use to preserve and keep your wine for absolute enjoyment:
1. Offsite wine storage.
If you have a large collection of a variety of wines, you can have them stored professionally at an offsite storage. Commercial wine storage facilities charge a surprisingly minimal amount to let you sit back and relax at home while they take care of your wine bottles stored at the perfect temperature and humidity.
2. Wine cellar, refrigerator or closet
If you want to have easy access to your wine collection right in your own home, you can do so by having your own wine storage system.
Remember that the culprits to an imperfect wine storage are incorrect or insufficient heat, humidity and light. Make sure that light does not seep into your wine closet, cellar or refrigerator.
It is also important to keep the temperature at a constant degree. For red wines, the ideal temperature is 10 to 18 degrees Celsius while white wines are best kept at 7 to 15 degrees Celsius.
Better yet, consult the vintner or the person from whom you bought the wine to know the exact temperature range to store the wine.
Wine bottles should also be stored lying on their sides so that the cork can be kept moist – this is what keeps air away from the liquid. Once the cork is dry, the wine will be oxidized and lose its quality.
Wine certainly does improve with age so you need to control all the factors affecting the life and quality of your wine collection if you want to enjoy them for a long time.