If you like wine, as I do, you can find any occasion to open a bottle. You may have a bottle or two around the house. That’s what I always did, that way I was always ready for a last minute guest or event, but I didn’t know one thing: how to store my wine properly.
There’s a lot of wine rules and standards that a bunch of wine enthusiast follow, but Ii was never one to follow them. I just figured knowing the simple stuff would be enough. At first, I didn’t use a crystal wine decanter or even gave a second thought to the type of crystal wine glasses I was using. This went for how I stored my wine as well. But then, on a lark, I thought I would try storing my bottles the way you are supposed to, and believe or not, the taste improved dramatically, so even if you aren’t overly consumed by the latest wine rules, consider this one on wine storage a staple.
Temperature: It does not matter what kind of wine you have, it should always be stored in a cool dry place! This is why wine enthusiast have wine cellars, for optimal taste! The best temperature for wine storage is approximately 55 degrees F.Any warmer than this temperature and you will definitly notice a difference in the taste of your wine. Try to keep your wine at a constant temperature, as this change will dramatically change the taste of your wine.
Light: To help keep you wine in full flavor, be sure to keep it out of the sun. Wine that sits in the sunlight for long periods of time will prematurly age your wine in a bad way.
Humidity: Another key consideration when it comes to optimal wine storage is making sure that the humidity levels are just right. Overall, It should be more humid than not in order to keep the wine corks from shrinking. A cork that has shrunk even a little bit will let in that much air, and the air will oxidize the wine-tampering with its taste. So, what the right humidity level for storing wine? Somewhere between 65% and 75%. This is why damp basements and cellars can work so well for wine storage.
Sideways: So many wine racks and cellars hold their wine bottles sideways instead of upright, this may seem a strange one to some, but it’s worked for thousands of years? Yes. It is because in order to ensure that the cork is protected from shrinking, it needs to stay moist. That said, the best way to keep the cork moist is to store your wine on it’s side.
Travel: When traveling with your wine, you know, to a party or to a BYOB resaurant be sure to use a wine tote bag.This will protect your wine while boucing around during transport and hold the temerature as well.