Wine Storage And Aging
Since you can’t drink all of your wine at once (interesting thought), you need somewhere to put it. Need a
wine cellar
or a
wine rack
or a
wine cooler?
Need some info about wine storage or wine aging? Keep reading… Which wines should be stored and aged? Glad you asked. All of the above act as natural preservatives. Below are the wines best stored and aged. These can aged anywhere from 3 to 40 years with the upper end being the port. The upper end for the others is about 10 - 15 years.
- Barolo
- Bordeaux
- Burgundy
- Cabernet sauvignon
- Chianti
- Gewürztraminer
- Malbec
- Merlot
- Riesling
- Port
- Sauternes
- Shiraz
- Zinfandel
Other aging tidbits: - How it was produced. Oak barrel aging prior to bottling is an aging plus.
- Some regions like Bordeaux (renowned for ancient wines) are more conducive for fine aging.
- Great vintages are also ideal for aging.
- How long should you store your wine? Except for the more age worthy wines above, most red wine should be drunk 2 - 5 years after the vintage. Most white wines should be drunk 1 -3 after the vintage. If there is no vintage on the bottle, drink them sooner.
-
High alcohol
wines will taste even more like alcohol after aging.
- Acidity also remains. If other flavors diminish over time, the acidity will be more pronounced.
- Same is true for oak.
- Some wine can over-age and then by the time you open it, you will be disappointed. Of course, an overstocking problem is easily solved. You just invite your friends over to drink it!
- Tannins definitely fade. But if they were high-powered in the first place, the remaining tannins may still dominate. This is why some of the older wines I’ve had still tasted this way. “The tannins should be gone by now“, I said. But they weren’t.
How should you best store your wine? Keep in mind the info below. You’ll be glad you did the next time you open a bottle. -
Temperature. Just as the wine needs to be served at the correct temperature,
it needs to be stored at correct temperature as well. The best temperature for wine storage is from 55 - 60 degrees.
You will note that is a lot warmer than the refrigerator. The fridge is way too cold for long term storage. The cork can dry out and shrink thus letting air into the bottle. Also, the taste will be dulled over time. On top of that, vibrations from the motor will damage the wine. At the other extreme, too much warmth speeds up the aging process. Thus, the wine can spoil more quickly. Finally, avoid temperature fluctuations.
- Humidity. Moderate humidity is desirable to keep the corks from drying out. Too much humidity, however, can encourage mold and peeling labels.
- How to store the bottles. As you no doubt have seen, it is best to store them on their sides so that the wine in the bottle keeps the cork moist.
- Lighting. Keep the wine in a dark location if at all possible. Why do you think that many wine bottles are dark colored? Above all, keep the wine out of the sun.
- Vibrations. The Beach Boys sang about good vibrations but they weren’t singing about wine. Don‘t store wine any place where it will be rattled. As noted above, refrigerator motors are notorious for this.
All this is notable because many people with the best of intentions will violate these guidelines. I’ve stored wine in the fridge myself. Who would think that a vibrating motor would matter? How about standing a few bottles on the counter of a bright and hot kitchen? Happens to us all. So where is the worst place for wine storage? In your furnace utility room with the light on where it is hot, dry, bright, and bouncy from the blower motor. Not to mention no room for a rack to store the wine on its side. I’m feeling faint just thinking about it! Where should you store your wine? This is largely a function of how to store it. Of course, space and cost are important. The biggies are:
Wine Cellars
Wine Racks
Wine Coolers And Refrigerators
Rental space. If you simply do not have the room for your stash of wine, you can rent space at a refrigerated wine storage facility. There are a couple of downsides. One is the rental cost and the other is the inconvenience of fetching the wine you want. These are best for wines that you want to keep for a while. You would keep at home others that you intend to drink quickly.
Of course, you will need to organize and track your wine.
Want to start a collection? Good!
Once you have it all stored and organized, invite some friends over and show it off!
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