No matter what type of wines are in your collection, learning how to store them properly is essential for optimal quality and enjoyment. Since many factors can have a significant effect on wine quality, storing wine properly is a complex process. That’s why we put together this guide, where you’ll learn everything about how to store wine in the ideal environment.
How to Best Store Wine: Important Considerations
The best way to store wine requires careful consideration of your environment’s temperature, humidity level, and even the vibrations that may be present. Wine is easily impacted by its surroundings. Odors can penetrate corks, changing flavor and aroma, while UV light exposure can break down tannins, causing premature aging.
Follow these optimal wine storage tips:
- Temperature: Consistently keep your wine collection at an appropriate temperature range. An environment that’s too cold is just as harmful as one that’s too hot. In warm conditions, wine can develop an unpleasant cooked taste or become flat. Storage that is too cold can slow the natural chemical reactions that promote aging. Wide temperature fluctuations can cause the wine to contract and expand, damaging or dislodging the cork and allowing oxygen to enter the bottle. The ideal temperature range to maintain is 50-59°F (10-15°C).
- Humidity: Humidity levels between 55% to 65% prevent corks from drying out and spoiling the wine. It also creates an inhospitable environment for cork and label mold growth.
- Light: Cool, dark storage spaces are recommended for any type of wine. Exposure to UV light triggers chemical reactions that quickly impact the wine’s appearance, taste, and smell. While dark bottles provide some protection against UV damage, the best course of action is to prevent exposure altogether.
- Position: Bottle position plays a major role in cork health. To keep corks hydrated, bottles should be stored either horizontally or in a tilted position. For long-term storage and oxidation prevention, it’s important to maintain constant contact between the wine and the cork.
- Vibration: Any type of vibration can move sediment within the bottle, potentially creating heat and friction that alters the molecular structure of the wine. This is a particularly important consideration for aged red wines. For optimal wine rest, choose a storage solution with vibration-dampening technology.
Solutions for Achieving the Ideal Wine Storage Environment
While many factors go into creating the ideal wine storage environment, attaining a reliable solution for residential or commercial use is fairly straightforward. Industry leaders like Wine Guardian supply everything from luxury wine cabinets to large wine cellar cooling systems. Using our reliable solutions and customizable features, you can achieve precise temperature and humidity control within a variety of storage spaces.
Wine Guardian’s wine cellar cooling systems are designed for existing cellars as well as storage areas that can’t accommodate a full cellar build-out. We also offer wine cabinets that seamlessly integrate within a space for smaller collections. Our storage options include the following:
- Standalone wine refrigerators intended for wine storage or consumption
- Professionally designed and engineered wine cellar cooling units available in ducted, ducted split, through-the-wall, and ductless split configurations
Wine Guardian’s Premium Wine Cellar Cooling Units
Wine Guardian provides an extensive selection of quiet, energy-efficient cooling systems for residential and commercial wine cellars. Our products not only reliably control temperature and humidity but look stylish and professional and have features that make installation simple. We offer ducted, ducted split, and through-the-wall models that provide more features than any other wine cooling unit on the market.
Have Questions? Contact Our Wine Experts Today
If you’re interested in better protecting your wine collection, Wine Guardian has a solution for you. Our feature-rich product line ensures sleek and sophisticated storage that reliably safeguards wine quality. To get started with your solution, contact our team.
