All wine experts agree that storing wine temperature can influence the flavor and aroma of wines. If you buy a bottle of wine but don’t plan to drink it immediately, you’ll have to store it at a favorable temperature. So, invest in reliable storage solutions to preserve your wine’s taste.
You can store wine for a short or long term, depending on the duration it requires to mature. But before that, you must understand the best temperature to store wine to achieve a better taste and aroma. The storage temperature matters a lot, whether red, white, or sparkling wine.
This guide explores everything you should know about wine storage, including the best way to store wine. You’ll also learn the best storing wine temperature to make your wine last longer.
Why Does Storage Temperature for Wine Matter?
Temperature is among the most important aspects to consider when storing wine. Keeping wine at the correct temperature will encourage desired chemical interactions and preserve the wine’s identity and life. In addition, it ensures that the wine stays longer without going bad.
Whenever you store wine, never allow it to become too hot or too cold, as that could seriously harm the wine. Instead, consider keeping it under the recommended temperature conditions to maintain its quality. Even the most minor temperature changes can affect the wine’s quality.
There are many consequences for keeping your wine at inconsistent temperatures. It harms the wine, fosters bacterial growth, and reduces its potency. In addition, keeping the wine too hot can produce bitter tannins, interfering with the wine’s taste.
So, storing your wine at the best temperature will prevent the issues above from happening and keeps the wine at its best for a longer period. For that reason, you should know the proper storage temperature for every variety of wine, including white and red wine.
What’s the Best Temperature to Store Wine
Now that you know the benefits of storing wine at proper temperatures, you might wonder, “What is the best temperature for storing wine?” Although various wines might have different temperature requirements, you can still store all wines at the optimal temperature for all wines.
The recommended storage temperature for all wines is 55 degrees Fahrenheit, especially if you want to drink the wine a few years after purchase. Only a few wines need lengthy aging to get mature. However, most wines can benefit from proper storage solutions in the short term.
The optimal temperature range for storing most wines is 52-57 degrees Fahrenheit. Note that any temperature above 75 degrees Fahrenheit can shorten the wine’s lifespan, regardless of style. Therefore, don’t store wine on racks in the kitchen or near a stove since it’s a heat source.
Additionally, storing wine in the upper parts of a house is not ideal for your wine because heat tends to rise. For that reason, consider storing wines on the lower levels of your apartment or house, preferably in the basement, to ensure it remains cool and consistent.
How to Store Wine to Preserve Flavor and Aroma
Now that you understand the best temperature to keep your wine for better storage, you must learn how to store red wine and other types of wines. That will help keep your wine safe until you are ready to drink it. So, how do you store wine to balance its flavor and aroma?
Here are the other wine storage ideas to implement to help preserve your wine.
1. Store the Wine Bottles Horizontally
You’ve probably noticed wine bottles stored horizontally on coolers and wine racks with the labels facing up. This storage position is essential, primarily for wine bottles with natural corks. However, it’s not necessary for wines with metal, rubber, or plastic corks, but it can save space.
Placing the wine bottles on their sides can help keep the liquid wine against the natural cork to protect it from drying out. The constant contact between the cork and the wine keeps the cork moist, preventing it from shrinking or cracking. Otherwise, air will enter the wine and oxidize it.
2. Keep the Humidity on Check
Humidity levels in the wine storage room can affect the wine’s quality and label. So, if you want to keep the bottles pristine without interfering with the labels, you should pay close attention to humidity. Consider storing your wine at humidity levels between 50 percent and 80 percent.
There’s no doubt storing wine in relatively humid conditions can help to keep the cork moist to prevent it from cracking. However, too much humidity can damage the labels on the wine bottles over time. The high humidity levels can encourage mold to grow on the brands and ruin them.
3. Avoid Movements and Vibrations during Storage
Vibrations can potentially damage wine when under storage. That’s because the movements can speed up the chemical reactions in the wine and harm the wine in the long run. Many people have conducted studies on the effect of vibrations on wine, and the stipulations are true.
Besides avoiding shaking the wine bottles manually, never store your wine near heavy cooling appliances and kitchen equipment that produce vibrations. The vibrations could even disturb the sediments in older wines, keeping them from settling. As a result, the wine will become gritty.
4. Turn Off the Lights
If you plan to keep wine for long-term storage, you should keep the wine bottles far from light, particularly sunlight. The lights can pose potential long-term storage issues due to the sun’s UV rays. The UV rays can degrade wine and let it age prematurely.
The good news is that most wine manufacturers use colored glass bottles to prevent UV rays from penetrating the bottles. Besides, light from the house bulbs may not damage your wine itself. However, it can fade the bottle labels in the long run.
Final Words
Now that you understand how to store wine and the best storage temperature, you should never subject your wine to conditions that may damage it. For example, a too-hot or cold environment may damage the wine prematurely by speeding up chemical reactions. Instead, you can invest in wine storage solutions, such as wine refrigerators.
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