Guidelines To Help You Keep Your Wine Safe Until You Are Ready To Drink It
Having a nice cellar or stock of wine at home is always a good idea. You always can reach out for a good glass of wine to accompany a meal or relax with it at the end of a stressful day. If you have unexpected guests over, you do not have to fret over running to the store but can merely get a good bottle of wine from your store and serve them. However, when you buy wine without the intention of using it right away, you must make sure you preserve it in such a way that it does not spoil.
Not all wines can be stored for a very long time especially if you do not know the right way to do it. The following tips can help you keep your wines from spoiling so that you can enjoy every glass of them.
Keeping It Cool
The biggest enemy of wine is being kept in heat. If the temperature where you store your wine is more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit then it will make the wine age very fast. If it gets hotter than wine then your wine is probably going to be cooking. It will lose all its aroma and flavor. The most ideal temperature to store wine in is between 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is slightly warmer than that then it is recommended to consume the wine within a year from release.
Invest In a Fridge
Most people think that keeping the wine in a household refrigerator is a good option to keep it from spoiling. However, this can only be done when you are storing it for the short term and is not recommended for the long term. A digital cooling system can keep your wines stored for a long time at the desirable temperature. A regular fridge lacks the moisture that is needed to keep the corks from drying out. If that happens, then the air will seep inside the bottles and the wine will not be fit for consumption anymore. If you keep it in the freezer and forget it, then the wine will turn into ice and once again push out the cork. For this reason, a specific fridge made for wines is the best option for wine lovers.
Keep It Steady
The temperature in which the wine bottle should be kept steady. Avoid rapid or extreme fluctuations in temperature swings. If the temperature is one or two degrees up or down, you do not need to fret over it. If you immediately try to move it to another extreme temperature then the expansion and contraction of the liquid will cause seepage. Be consistent and steady with the temperatures when storing the wine.
Turn Off Lights
Sunlight and any other sharp lights can be a problem when you want to store your wine for the long term. The UV rays from the sun will age the wine pretty quickly. This will make it degrade and taste rancid. This is one of the reasons that professional win makers use colored glass bottles to store their wine. While the gentle lights from the bulb will not affect the wine, they may fade the label on the bottle. Use bulbs that emit a very little amount of ultraviolet light like incandescent bulbs. Avoid using fluorescent bulbs in the wine storage area.
Maintain Humidity Levels
The ideal humidity level for storing wine as per the experts is 70 percent. However, for home use, the humidity levels can be anywhere between 50 to 80 percent. One way to improve the conditions in the storage area of your wines is to place a small utensil with water in it. However, keep in mind that if the humidity is too high then it will cause a lot of dampness which can lead to mold formation. While properly sealed wines will not be affected by mold, the labels probably will. If the humidity levels are extreme then you can get a dehumidifier to fix the problem.
Do Not Shake It A lot
Vibrations can damage your wine as they will speed up the chemical reaction in the liquid. Expert collectors of wine fret over even the most subtle vibrations. While you do not have to do so, try keeping any shaking or movement of the bottles to a minimum.
Prepare a good vacant area that is not used at all and make it into a storage room for your wines. The wine collection is also a good hobby to have so might as well do it in style.
