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Storing Wine
Posted by
Amanda on 12/20/10
Wine is often stored in caves or in underground cellars. The reason this is so is that these areas provide the ideal storage conditions, which are dark, cool, and humid. You may think that will that bit of knowledge you know what you are doing when storing your wines, but that little of info is just not enough. There are still questions to be answered to ensure your wines are stored properly such as how cool is cool, how humid is humid, and how dark is dark? To some cool could be 60 degrees Fahrenheit while to another 75 degrees Fahrenheit is on the cool side. When it comes to preserving your wine and providing the optimal environment for aging, you need to know more.
The best wine storage temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to keep the temperature the same year round, fluctuating temperatures can have a negative impact on your wines.
Humidity is a very necessary part of storing wine. A high humidity helps keep the corks from shrinking. If the corks shrink, oxygen can find its way inside the bottle of wine with an end result of oxidation of the wine. The humidity should be kept around 65 to 75 percent.
The place you choose to store your wine should be dark. The wine needs to be out of direct sunlight. The colored bottles today do help some by having their own UV filters, but to be on the safe side, place your wines where no sunlight can get to the bottles. Light can cause premature aging and change the taste of your wines.
Wine should be stored in a location where the bottles will be still. If you have the bottles stored in an area that is bumped all the time, you are allowing your wine to be agitated. In a red wine, this is a disaster as the sediment will never be able to settle. Wines that are constantly vibrated will acquire a different and often unpleasant taste.
If your wine has a cork, then you will want to store it on its side. The reason is that the cork needs to be constant contact with the wine. While the cork is moist it will not shrink, thus keeping your wine sealed tightly and free from oxygen. Wines should always be stored on their side instead of upright.
The best way to ensure you have a proper way in which to store your wines since you probably do not have a cave in your backyard is by utilizing an area in your basement, a closet, or by purchasing a wine refrigerator cabinet. Just pay attention to the guidelines above and you will be able to create the best place to store your wines properly. All you have to do is place your wine on its side in a cool dark and humid location in which it will be moved until you are ready to serve.
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