Believe it or not, wine is more delicate than you might have realized. Heat, cold, and humidity can all affect its molecular structure and render it undrinkable – even if it’s never been opened.
If you want to get the most out of your bottles of wine, but you don’t want to open them right away, it pays to store your collection of Dune Wines the correct way.
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Keep it Chilled
Temperature fluctuations are your bottle of wine’s worst enemy. If your wine is stored at the right temperature, you can leave it for ages until you’re ready to crack it open.
However, leaving it in a room that’s too hot or cold – or worse, subjecting it to constantly changing temperatures – will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
When the temperature rises, it can “cook” your wine collection because warmer temperatures speed up the wine’s aging process. Always keep your wine at a cooler temperature (but not too cold) if you are aging it – this will help it become more complex over time without going off.
The best temperature to store wine is between 50 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re opening a bottle of white, chill it just before you serve it.
Keep it Away from Sunlight
Always keep your wine away from direct sunlight. Although those grapes in the wine soaked up a lot of healthy sunlight while growing on the vine, the UV light in sunlight can destroy wine once it’s bottled and speeds up the aging process – and not in a good way.
It’s best to store your wine somewhere with very little natural light if you plan on keeping it for a while.
Store it Properly
If you don’t have a temperature-controlled wine cellar or wine cooler, a cool dark cupboard is the next best thing. If you have a clean basement that’s mold and damp-free, you can store your wine there. Avoid areas that tend to get hotter – like kitchen cupboards, above appliances, in warm garages, or attics.
Always store your wine bottles on their sides. This keeps the liquid from flowing away from the cork, causing the cork to dry out, break, and let in too much air. Too much oxygen seeping into a bottle of wine causes oxidation and ruins the wine’s flavor.
If your wine bottles have screw caps, you can store them upright or on their sides – whatever works for you.
Watch the Humidity
If the area you’re storing your wine lacks humidity, you also run the risk of your wine bottles’ corks drying out. If the air in the room doesn’t contain sufficient moisture, your wines will oxidize.
An easy fix for this problem is to place a humidifier in the room. If you don’t want too much moisture in the area, try putting a small bowl of water in the cupboard with your wine.
Final Words
Another thing that can speed up the aging process of your wine is movement – like jostling, shaking, and vibrations. Don’t store your wine near appliances, and don’t move or shake it around too much.
If you’re looking to start a serious wine collection, you might want to buy a wine fridge to store it in. If you’re just keeping a few bottles, a dark, cool place will do just fine.
Featured Image by Vinotecarium from Pixabay
