Storing Wine

Five key tips to storing wine at home….

One of the great things about wine is that you can store it – in fact, often, storing wine can improve its taste. It is, however, vital to get storing wines right – not all wines improve with age and none will taste good (whether you drink them tomorrow or in ten years!) if you don’t take care with the methods you use when storing wine.

Don’t worry, however, it’s real easy to get storing wine right (whether you want a cellar full of bottles or just want to store a few). You simply need to follow our five basic tips and you’ll be storing wines like a pro!

1.      The most vital thing about storing wines is temperature. So, if you do want to start storing wine, then you’ll need somewhere to put it that has a consistent temperature. A room that fluctuates between being hot during the day and cold at night simply won’t work here. In fact, it is more than likely to spoil your wine completely. So, go for cool rather than warm. And, remember light is a heat source too – try and keep your space for storing wines out of direct sunlight! Experts vary here in terms of the ideal temperature for storing wines – generally you’ll be looking at between 10-17 degrees Celsius.

2.      Another thing to consider is humidity when it comes to storing wine. A bit of humidity can actually be quite helpful in this process as it ensures that the corks stay OK. If they get too dry then they can have an adverse effect on the taste of the wine when you open it. But, if they get too wet then the corks can go moldy! So, keep an eye out here!

3.      One thing you do really need to think about is a wine rack when it comes to storing wines. If you have a simple place to rest your bottles then you’ll keep them safe from harm and they won’t move around. You can, of course, simply stand your bottles up when storing wine but this isn’t ideal. Having them lying on their side in a rack makes sure that the wine touches the cork which helps keep it working to optimum effect.

4.      Watch out for strong smells in the area where you are storing wine as well. Although your bottles will be corked up, strong smells can still permeate the cork and affect the taste of the wine.

5.      One last tip – your wine doesn’t need to turned or moved around – you’ll get the best results storing wine if you let it be! Try and forget it’s there until you are ready to drink it!