Nov 11
6
Wine Storage – What You Don’t Know Can Ruin Fine Wines
Knowing the basics of how to properly store your wine is critical to enjoying it, regardless or whether your preference is for red, white or sparkling wines. If you’re not careful about the way you store it and you simply leave it atop your fridge for a year or more, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when that special day comes to open and enjoy it.
Even though wines are perishable, if you know how and what do to with regards to storing it, you can actually help to enhance its’ quality over time, improving everything from its’ nose, flavor, texture and overall body and complexity. it really is worth getting it right.
The first step is knowing how long you plan to store your wine.
There are two basic categories to consider here; short term and long term, depending on the initial quality of the wine. For your less expensive, every-day type of drinking wines, storage might only be a matter of a couple of months (or maybe as much as 6 months to a year). For your more prized, expensive wines, storage could be as long as a few decades
Proper Wine Storage Conditions:
Regardless of the quality of the wine or whether you’re planning short term storage or long term, the most important thing to keep in mind is to always store your bottles horizontally. by doing so, you ensure that the cork stays moistened and will not dry out, leading to spoiling of the wine.
You should also ensure that the wine can ‘rest peacefully’, where ever you choose to store it. in other words, you don’t want them on top of something that consistently moves a lot, like on top of a large appliance (fridge or washer, for example). from a subway) should be avoided.
Another reason you wouldn’t want to store your wine on top of a large appliance is because you want to keep the surrounding temperature consistent. The ideal temperature for wine is about 55 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit, therefore you want to keep them in a place where there is minimal temperature variations (NOT in the garage), or if there are variations, that they occur slowly and gradually. For example, the general temperature inside your home will probably vary from summer to winter, but not drastically, and it happens over time, not over night.
Additionally light can negatively impact on a wine, which is why some wine bottles are made of coloured glass. Wine must be kept out of direct sun light, since too much light can react with proteins in wine, forming a haze and bad aromas to pollute its’ flavour. Also, believe it or not, wine has an amazing ability to absorb other aromas and flavors if stored long-term near other strong smelling things such as fuel or vinegar. The last thing you want is for your lovely wine to end up smelling like such things, so make sure your store these kinds of items seperately
Finally, it’s time to enjoy your wine Woo-hoo
Now that it’s finally time to pop the cork and enjoy what you’ve been storing (for whatever amount of time you’ve waited), there are a couple of points to keep in mind. First and most obviously is to enjoy your wine responsibly; don’t go overboard. with that said, it’s also important to keep in mind that you really should enjoy your wine within a day or two of opening it. You see, as soon as you uncork the bottle, the wine is exposed to oxygen in the air, which begins a process known as oxidation. While letting the wine ‘breathe’ for a bit by being in contact with the air can enhance it, too much or too long of an exposure can begin to have a negative reaction. After about 3 days, there’s a good chance that your opened bottle of wine may no longer taste quite ‘right’.
Whether you’re a serious wine conneseur or just getting introduced to the wonderful world of wine, proper storage is a critical step to making the most of any wine. Ideally it would be great if all wines could be stored in a wine cellar which remains dark, cool and humid. but when that is not possible, do your best to get as close to the perfect conditions as you can reasonably manage – now that you know what they are – and your wine will repay you by being as tasty as it possibly can. The most effective storage is in a wine cellar, since numerous bottles can be kept conveniently out of sight yet in the perfect conditions.
Wine Storage – What You Don’t Know Can Ruin Fine Wines
Related Reading:
50 - 300cc Oxygen Absorbers for Dried Dehydrated Food and Emergency Long Term Food StorageEach Bag contains 50 - 300cc oxygen absorbers. When used with proper packaging and sealing, the oxygen in the packaging is greatly reduced. Absorbers bring the oxygen level down reliably to .01% or less. These Absorbers are perfect when combined with one gallon (10"x14") Mylar Bags or a #10 can.
Benefits of using Oxygen Absorbers in a household storage program:
· Extends shelf life
· Prevents growth of aerobic pathogens and spoilage organisms, including molds
· Eliminates the need for additives such as BHA, BHT, sulfur dioxide, sorbates, benzoates, etc
· Use with gas flushing / vacuum packaging to absorb virtually all oxygen and absorb any oxygen that may permeate the package.
· Significantly improves keeping qualities of polyunsaturated fats and oils
· Helps retain fresh-roasted flavor of coffee and nuts
· Prevents oxidation of spice oleoresins present in spices themselves and in seasoned foods
· Prevents oxidation of vitamins A, C and E
· Extends life of pharmaceuticals
· Inhibits mold in natural cheeses and other fermented dairy products
· Delays non-enzymatic browning of fruits and some vegetables
· Inhibits oxidation and condensation of red pigment of most berries and sauces
