Wine is certainly the favoured alcoholic beverage amongst dinner parties, at times exuding an elitist quality. But how much do you know, and are you storing it at the right temperature?

Historically, it has been made for thousands of years throughout Europe and Asia. From Ancient Greek and Roman times to the present, wine has kept its immense popularity. If you have wine in your home, you might be wondering what temperature to store it at. For those who want to become wine experts or would like to not ruin the wine they have, here are some wine storing tips to keep your wine in good health.

Does the wine make a difference?

If you want to make sure your wine, and this goes for all wines, keeps good quality and flavour, you should pay attention to its temperature. There is a difference between the temperatures of storing red and white wine. White wine should be kept in a colder temperature range compared to red wine. The ideal temperature range for red wine is between 12 ˚C and 19 ˚C, while for a white wine that is between 8 ˚C and 12 ˚C. Your wine shouldn’t get too cold or warm. Too low temperatures can dry out corks, allowing the air to enter the bottle, severely damaging the wine. If it is exposed to even lower temperatures, wine can freeze and expand, pushing the cork out. On the other hand, too warm conditions (over 24 ˚C) can lead to wine oxidation, lowering its quality.

Rapid changes in temperature

Pouring a glass of red

Besides temperature range, you should keep an eye on temperature fluctuation, which is another essential factor in your wine preservation. There is no need to worry if its temperature slightly goes up and down, but more considerable fluctuations should grab your attention. Rapid temperature changes aren’t good for wine because the liquid’s constant expansion and contraction can cause seepage or push the cork out. Therefore, consistency is the key to good wine quality. The stable temperature will make your bottle of wine mature correctly. If you want to ensure good conditions, it is best to store wine in the wine cellar or a wine cabinet/refrigerator where the temperature is constant. This will keep your wine quality at a high level and your wine tasting far more enjoyable.  

 

Vibration and light

Vibrant red wine colours

Other factors that affect the quality of your wine are vibration and light. You should protect your wine from both since they can be a long-term storage problem. Wine should be stored in dark rooms, protected from any source of constant light, especially sunlight. Its UV rays damage the wine’s aroma and flavour and can prematurely age it. This is one reason why bottles of wine are coloured, but this doesn’t mean they protect the wine from the light on a long-term basis. You should also isolate your wine from any vibration caused by your stereo system, washing or drying machine, etc. They can disrupt sediments in the bottle, and your wine won’t mature favourably. 

What about humidity

Red wine and sunsets

You should also pay attention to the humidity of the storage unit in which you keep your bottles of wine. Too high or low humidity can affect your bottle of wine in different ways. Too high humidity will not affect the quality of your wine if it is adequately sealed, but it can damage the wine label and cause it to peel off the bottle. If you are a seller, it will be harder to sell or display bottles with a damaged label. On the other hand, very low humidity will dry the cork out and create space for oxygen to enter the bottle, severely damaging the quality of the wine. The safe range is between 50 per cent and 80 per cent, but the optimal humidity of the wine storage unit is considered to be between 60 and 68 per cent. This way, you will keep both the optimal display of your wine bottle and the quality of the wine itself.

In 2018 the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction went for a whopping $558,000. A 73-year-old bottle of French Burgundy, wow!

When you look into all of the factors, you can see that they are mainly solvable through one standard solution. If you have bigger space to work with, you can use it as a wine cellar; keep an eye on all the most important factors to optimize it. If you have a lesser amount of space, a wine cabinet is a great solution, which will keep all the elements in the optimal range, as long as you don’t keep your cabinet in a sunlight spot. With all these criteria met, you will enjoy the full richness of aroma and the flavour of the “Drink of The Gods. “Cheers!

 

 

HOW MUCH DID YOU DRINK? Click here to calculate your blood alcohol level