Wine - Storing And Caring For Wine

How to properly care for and store wine in the home is something many people are concerned about. With wine consumption becoming more and more popular and more money being spent on wine both as an investment and for later consumption, maintaining the quality of the wine is very important.

To properly store wine you’ll need to meet several criteria, such as humidity, temperature, lighting, the cleanliness of your storage area, the angle of the bottle while it is stored, and the vibration of the bottle on the rack. The temperature is the most important. It should be kept around 50 degrees at all times. This way, the lower temperature will help to age the wine. If there are any fluctuations in the temperature you should make sure that it happens slowly. As long as the temperature doesn’t go too high and it fluctuates slowly your wine should be ok.

The proper level of humidity used to store wine should be around 70% although it is perfectly acceptable to keep it 10% above or below that level. If you have too high of a humidity level the labels can easily rot or mold which can affect the wine’s value. On the other hand, if the humidity gets too low, around 50%, the cork could shrink and bring air into the wine which would ruin it very quickly.

The correct angle to store wine is important as well. If the wine stays in contact with the cork during storage the cork won’t dry out. If the wine doesn’t stay in contact with the cork it could dry out and allow air into the wine. You should always try to keep the wine out of the light because light can ruin any type of wine. Light causes the wine to age prematurely making it in your best interest to store wine in a dark location.

To prevent damage to the wine from sediment you should also store wine in a location that is free of vibration. If you store wine in places that are free from vibration it will give the sediment in the bottle ample time to settle. Vibrations are never a good thing for wine as the sediment becomes unsettled and can ruin the wine or shake it to the point where it tastes horrible.

To protect the quality and investment of your wine storage and care is very important. Storing it in a proper location will also bring the best taste. In the world of wine nothing is more disappointing than waiting several years to open a bottle of fine wine only to find that it is nothing but vinegar. You can prevent this from happening though by taking care of how you store wine. Wine isn’t hard to care for it just takes the right conditions and location.

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