Wine Storage Tips
The Romans were perhaps the first people to understand the principles of wine storage. Before that, people used to prefer new wine over old wine, as, due to poor storage conditions, stored wine more often than not spoiled and became like vinegar. Then the Romans discovered that if wine was stored in air-tight containers, plugged with corks, and kept in cool, dark and dank cellars, it did not spoil and in fact improved with the aging. Some Roman wines, stored in this manner, kept beautifully for over a hundred years. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, interest in wine storage methods was lost. Until the 14th or 15th century, when wine began to be stored in cork-stoppered glass bottles. However, glass bottles were very expensive, and so storing wine became something only for the wealthy. In Great Britain, during the reign of James I, glass-makers were ordered to do their bit to save British forests by using coal instead of wood for heating the glass-making furnaces. As it turned out coal helped produce higher temperatures than wood-fires and the glass-makers could make stronger and darker glass bottles that proved far better for wine storage. Wine has had a role to play in religious ceremonies from the time of the ancient Greeks to the Christian rituals of today, and when it is released from its bottle like a genie, wine has almost the same effect. Yet wine, for all its mystery, requires some rather mundane care. Wine which is not to be consumed immediately needs to be sorted, and its proper storage has certain rituals of its own.
Considerations for Wine Storage Here are some things to be considered when storing wine. •Place of storage. Should be a separate area not exposed to traffic or disturbances. Make sure you don't store vegetables, fruit, cheeses, other foods capable of fermenting and paints here. Their smells can seep in through the cork and contaminate the wine. •Calm. Too much noise and vibrations can adversely affect the quality of the wine. •Light. Keep away from direct sunlight, and make the lighting dim. •Containers in which wine is stored. Dark glass bottles are recommended. •Stopper used to close the containers. Cork is recommended. •Placement of bottle. Wine bottles should be stored horizontally so the wine remains in constant contact with the cork and keeps it moist. If the cork dried, it would shrink, allowing the wine to seep out and oxygen to seep in, thus spoiling the wine. •The temperature needs to be about 57 degrees Fahrenheit or 14 degrees Celsius. The main thing is to have a constant temperature. Too many fluctuations ruin the wine. •Humidity. Needs to be about 70% - 80%.
All wine does not need to be stored. White wine and sparkling wines, for example, are best drunk fresh or you can chill them before serving; these are usually purchased on an as-needed basis. Red wine is the one that is generally stored. But most wines that you can purchase in wine stores do not usually require long-term aging; they are marketed on a ready to drink basis. Opened bottles should be recorked – or closed with plastic wrapping and rubber-band, if you've lost the cork - and stored in the refrigerator and the wine will remain good enough to drink for 3 to 5 days. After that it is best if you use the wine for cooking purposes.
Although many people love to store their wine in plain sight of the envious eyes of their visitors, wine should be stored away from light and heat. If you're not going to be drinking that delightful burgundy within a few weeks, put it back in the wine storage rack, in a dark cool part of the house.
The final, and most obvious, of the wine storage tips, is to forego the entire storage process and drink the wine as soon as you bring it home. That's why you bought it! "Take the drink for the thirst that is yet to come." (Irish Proverb)
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about wine storage by clicking here.
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