Any one that knows me well is aware of my affinity for finer things, wine specifically (pinkies out!). Okay, perhaps wine is the only fine thing I care about besides my beautiful better-half. As wonderful as a nice glass of cabernet can be after a long day, there’s little worse than one gone bad! So in the interest of maintaining proper levels of sanity, satisfaction, and sound sleep – read on for a few tips for storing wine at home.
Temperature
To ensure each wine bottle maintains the proper flavor and aroma, storing it at the correct temperature is essential. Regardless if it’s red, white, or sparkling, storing your bottles at 53°F to 57°F is most ideal. Keeping your bottles in a room where the temperature is much warmer than that may cause the flavor to become flat. Keep your wine in the dark and away from direct UV rays as much as you can to protect the wine’s flavor.
Moisture
Controlling the humidity in the room is super important. Particularly so if you plan to store bottles for more than a couple of years. The ideal humidity for storage is between 50 to 75 percent and anything below that could cause the corks to dry out, letting air seep into the bottle.
Positioning
Generally, it’s advised to store wine bottles on their sides. This allows the wine to stay up against the cork which aids in keeping it from drying out. However, if you don’t plan to store the wine for long or if the bottle has a screw top or plastic cork, this isn’t required for safe storage.
Timing
Not all wine is designed to have a long shelf life or be aged. Make sure you know what the winemaker’s intention was for that particular bottle. It’s always better to open it a little early and enjoy it!
Drink up!
What’s the point of having good wine if not to drink it? Invite over a friend (me, me!), bust out some cards, and get ready for a night of fancy fun and sophistication.
Once again I thank you (insert Bernie meme) for tolerating my barely coherent ramblings on whatever topic inspired me today, tips for storing wine at home specifically. If you have nothing better to do, check out some more of my completely unrequested opinions. And if you think said opinions stink, tell me about it here. Or just say hi. I don’t know. I’m not the boss of you.
