How to store wine?

Unlike other beverages that stop evolving once bottled, wine is a living product that is extremely sensitive to its environment.

To ensure your wine ages in the best possible conditions and preserves its full potential, numerous criteria must be considered, including how you store your bottles, maintaining the right temperature, controlled humidity, and protecting them from light.

Here are the various factors to consider if you want to store your fine wines and all wines for aging in optimal conditions:

• Your wine cellar, and its location, will play a vital role in the preservation potential of your wine bottles. Beyond meeting the criteria for improving white or red wines, you should also consider your vision for your wine cellar.

  The equipment required will vary depending on whether you want to admire your bottles and make your wine cellar a true space in your home, or whether you prefer to install it in the shadows of your basement or natural cellar.

  Humidity is an essential factor in the proper preservation of your bottles and the preservation of their aromas and tannins. Contrary to popular belief, the more humid a wine storage room is, the better it is for the quality of the beverages.

Indeed, the surrounding humidity in a wine cellar prevents the corks from drying out and the beverage from coming into contact with the ambient air, which can lead to evaporation and oxidation.

The only deterioration that can occur is to the label, which you can protect by wrapping it in a layer of plastic wrap, for example.

Heat. A high temperature in a cellar will accelerate the wine’s evolution and aging process. If this temperature remains stable or varies gradually, there is no significant risk to the quality of your fine wines.

On the other hand, the damage to the wine can be irreparable if the temperature changes are too sudden, causing a thermal shock that can be fatal for the wine, especially if repeated.

Light. A true enemy of wine, brightness in a wine cellar must be limited, especially for white wines, which are as sensitive to natural light as artificial lighting, giving them what is known as “the taste of light.”

Light in a cellar should be limited to the time you spend with your wines.

Choosing the size of your bottles. It’s important to know that wine tends to oxidize more easily in small bottles. The larger the container, the more likely the wine is to retain its freshness. It is customary, for wines that you plan to age for more than ten years, to choose a magnum. This condition applies to all types of wine, especially champagne. As you can see, wine is a beverage that deserves respect and requires careful storage.

But preserving your wine isn’t an end in itself; you also need to know how to open your bottles at the right time without waiting too long, or you risk losing the aromas and wasting your patience and effort.