(image courtesy of Mirofoto)

The holidays usually bring a few bottles of wine with them; holiday parties always have a leftover bottle or two, and New Year’s Eve is the same. Storing those collections of wine over a period of weeks or months is much more than keeping them in a cool, dark place. GearCrave’s handy guide to Wine Storage 101 is here to help you keep those bottles preserved just as they ought to be for maximum enjoyment. Continue reading below!

Whites, Reds, and Champagnes
The first step in protecting a good bottle of wine is to know how to store and serve what in your wine cabinet. Red wines are always served at near-room temperature, whites and champagnes should be chilled. The good news is you can store reds and whites at the same temperatures for long-term protection. All wines can be stored over the long term at about 50 degrees fahrenheit. Remember these tips for wine storage and serving:

• Storage temperatures are not the same as serving temperatures
• Whites and Champagnes are chilled. Ideal serving temperatures vary greatly depending on the type of wine
• Reds should be served between 50 and 60 degrees
• Light-bodied reds should be served at 50-55 degrees
• Heavier reds should be served between 55-60 degrees

It is especially important to avoid major temperature shifts with your wine. A variation of ten degrees can kill a bottle of wine. Gradual temperature changes don’t affect the flavor of the wine the way a sudden shift does. Direct exposure to bright light is also to be avoided as it causes taste-damaging chemical reactions.

Storage conditions

Temperature control is only part of the battle. Humidity is also key. If the air is not humid enough, your corks will dry out and allow air to seep into your wine bottles. Air is the natural enemy of wine. Preserve those corks!

• Storing white wine in an ordinary refrigerator will dry out the cork over time
• Storing wines at serving temperature in a wine fridge can also dry out corks over time
• Always store wines in a room or cooling unit with at least 50 percent humidity

Wine Refrigerators Vs. Wine Cellars

There are lots of products sold on the market as wine refrigerators. Unless your product is sold as a “wine cellar”, you won’t have any humidity control. A storage unit sold as a wine cellar has humidity controls that allow long-term wine storage with no damage to the cork. Remember–intact corks mean intact wine.

Finally…

Some mistakenly believe you can store an open bottle of wine indefinitely, but you should try to finish a bottle of wine within seven days of opening. An open wine bottle allows air to oxidize the wine. After seven days, that oxidation process brings unwelcome flavors and can make your wine begin to taste vinegary or just plain “off”.

There’s a reason people store wine; it mellows in the bottle over time. A 2007 will be tasty as it is today, but if you let it age depending on type and color the wine will reach more of its full potential over time. A decent red wine can sit for at least two years in the bottle, often much longer. Wine aged in this way tastes better and has more subtlety. Try aging an inexpensive bottle that you know well for a year or two–you will taste the difference.

For more information on wine storage, try a these handy resources:

Fine Wine Reserve

Wine Spectator

Into Wine

(Top images courtesy Pippypopper & Winecountrytourshuttle)

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