Proper Wine Storage

Even if you don't have a full wine cellar, and maybe only enjoy theoccasional glass or two, get the most out of your wine with properstorage. Since cost is not necessarily a determinant of quality, don'tforget to properly store those inexpensive bottles of wine as well. Youwill be rewarded with wine that will keep for years. Controlling thefollowing conditions will lead to proper storage.

Light. Wines are composed of many different chemical components. Some ofthese are affected by light, especially direct sunlight. Exposing yourwine bottle to sunlight for long periods of time can adversely affect thetaste, ruining the entire bottle. Even if your bottle is dark, that doesnot mean that light cannot penetrate through to the wine. Store yourbottles away from direct light.

Storage angle. You will often see many fancy wine storage cases for salewhich keep the bottle on its side. This is not just for looks or spacesaving solutions! Wine bottles should be stored at either a 45 degreeangle (cork down) or horizontally (on its side). The reason for this is tokeep the wine in constant contact with the cork. If you store your bottlesvertically, then the air space around the cork will cause it to shrink andallow air to come into the bottle.

Temperature. The ideal temperature for wine storage is between 50 and 55degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the wine in this temperature range will allowit to age properly. Too cold and the wine will take too long to age, andmay become cloudy. Too hot and the wine will age too quickly and lose itsflavor. You also want the temperature to remain constant. Temperaturechanges can cause the cork to shrink or expand, which can let air into thebottle. This is why many wine cellars in are lower portions of homes,since the below ground temperature will remain more constant. There arealso specialized wine storage units that are temperature and humiditycontrolled.