Best Practices for Storing Wine

Proper wine storage is essential for preserving its flavour and quality. Knowing how to store wine correctly helps your collection age gracefully and maintain its intended taste. Managing key factors like temperature, humidity, and light exposure can prevent spoilage and enhance your wine-drinking experience.

Why Proper Wine Storage Matters 

The storage of wine significantly impacts its quality and longevity. Improper conditions can accelerate aging or spoilage, leading to a loss of flavour and aroma. By maintaining optimal conditions, you help preserve the wine’s taste profile and extend its lifespan so each bottle can be enjoyed at its peak.

Basic Principles for Wine Storage 

For maximum preservation, maintain a stable temperature, store bottles on their sides to keep corks moist, and protect wine from light and vibration. Humidity levels should be balanced to prevent corks from drying out or labels from deteriorating. By learning how to keep wine, your favourite bottles age gracefully and retain their quality. 

Creating Optimal Storage Conditions

Ideally, maintain a consistent temperature of 55°F (13°C) to preserve flavours and slow aging. Red wines benefit from slightly warmer temperatures, while white and sparkling wines prefer 45-50°F (7-10°C). Humidity should be 50-80% to prevent oxidation and avoid mould and cork shrinkage. Protect wine from sunlight and movement to prevent degradation and sediment disturbance.

Techniques for Storing Red Wine

Likewise, storing red wine effectively requires the right environment. The best way to store red wine properly is in a stable environment with consistent temperature and minimal disturbance. Position bottles on their sides to prevent air from seeping in and to preserve the wine’s flavour. Again, avoid areas with high light or vibration as these can affect the wine’s quality.

Ideal Fridge Temperature for Red Wine

The best temperature to store red wine is between 55-65°F (13-18°C), slightly warmer than whites. 

Should Red Wine Be Stored in the Fridge?

Refrigerators can be used for short-term chilling before consumption. But, should you store red wine in the fridge long-term? No. The constant cold and dry conditions can adversely affect the wine’s quality.

Preserving Opened Red Wine

To keep your red wine after opening, re-cork the bottle tightly and store it upright in a cool, dark place. For best results, use a wine preservation system or vacuum pump to remove air, which helps slow oxidation and maintain flavour.

Shelf Life of Unopened Red Wine

Under proper storage conditions, unopened red wine can last between 2 to 20 years, depending on the variety and quality. For specific guidance on how long unopened red wine lasts, refer to the wine’s producer recommendations and maintain proper storage conditions.

Wine Storage Solutions for Enthusiasts 

Various options are available for wine enthusiasts who wonder how to store wine effectively. Wine coolers offer precise temperature control for both red and white wines. Wine racks keep bottles organised and properly positioned, while dedicated wine cellars provide an ideal environment with stable temperature and humidity.

Common Wine Storage Mistakes to Avoid

Understanding what temperature wine should be stored at is key to preserving your collection. Avoid temperature fluctuations and direct sunlight; store bottles on their sides to prevent oxidation. Lastly, don’t store wine too long: while some wines improve with age, most are best consumed within a few years.

Find the Perfect Storage Solution with Wilson Storage

Discover Wilson Storage’s climate-controlled wine storage solutions, perfect for every wine enthusiast. Whether you have 12 or 1,200 bottles, Wilson Cellars offers individually alarmed, temperature, and humidity-controlled wine cellars. Enjoy exclusive wine offers, tasting event invitations, and dedicated transportation. With 24/7 CCTV surveillance and nightly security patrols, your wine will age perfectly at 14°C and 65% humidity. Speak to our wine storage experts today to find a convenient location for your needs.

To learn more about our wine storage solutions, or to make a wine storage enquiry, click here!