Great Wine Storage Tips

Whether you're a wine connoisseur or you just have a few bottles for special occasions there's a few things to understand about storage.

Last updated on
July 25, 2022 7:59 PM
by
Alyssa McDowell

I love a good glass of wine! Whether you're a big wine connoisseur or you just have a few bottles to crack open on special occasions there's a few things to understand about storing your wine until you’re ready to partake. If stored wrong, some wines can be ruined or become unsafe. I've put together some guidelines to help you out!

Temperature. Storing wine at the correct temperature is essential in order to ensure each bottle maintains the proper flavor and aroma. Regardless if it is red, white, or sparkling, storing your bottles at 53°F to 57°F is most ideal. Keeping your bottles in a room where the temperature is much warmer than that may cause the flavor to become flat. You'll also want to keep your wine in the dark and away from direct UV rays as much as you can to protect the wine’s flavor.

Moisture. Controlling the humidity in the room is also important 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. We don't want that!

Positioning. In general one should store wine bottles on their sides. This allows the wine to stay up against the cork which should aid in keeping it from drying out. However, if you don’t plan to store the wine for long or if the bottle has a screw top or plastic cork, this is not required for safe storage.

Timing. Not all wine is designed to have a long shelf life or be aged. Make sure you know what the winemaker’s intention was for that particular bottle. It is always better to open it a little early and enjoy it then wait too long and be dissapointed!

Some homes have beautiful built in wine storage, wine coolers, or even a wine bar. Does your happy place include wine? If your current home doesn't have the wine setup you desire, let me now and we can hunt for your happy place!