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It’s a good idea to have a wine refrigerator and it’s probably a good idea if you Wholesale buyerinclusive or specific about temperature in which it is presented. Without a wine refrigerator or dedicated cellar, you’ll need to choose your storage location carefully. Most importantly, keep your wine away from danger zones that can cook your wine in days, making it undrinkable.
truly Beautiful bottle They’re only as great as the environment you live in, and some places in the home are clearly off-limits, according to experts. Although you may think you know the basics – no exposure to direct sunlight, or a cool, dry place – there are still a lot of gray areas when it comes to where to keep your stash and where not to keep it.
To get the facts straight on what red, white, and sparkling wines actually need to stay in peak condition, I turned to two experts who know their way around a cellar: Liz Martinez, general manager and sommelier at Centrolina in Washington, D.C., and Becky Miller, advanced sommelier and beverage director at Karama by Wolfgang Puckhttps://mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/carama.html#link={%22linkText%22:%22Caramá Written by Wolfgang Puck %22,%22target%22:%22_blank%22,%22href%22:%22https://mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants/carama.html%22,%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22}In Las Vegas.
Here’s what every wine lover should know about storing bottles properly.
1. Top of the refrigerator
The heat from the top of your refrigerator can kill wine in just a few days.
Although you may have ample space to place bottles or stack them on top of your refrigerator, that’s not ideal.
“Refrigerators constantly give off heat and vibrate, which accelerates the aging process and reduces quality,” explains Miller. “You don’t need specialized equipment to store wine well. You just need the least bad option.”
“My solution is simple: boxes of wine on the floor of an interior closet, with the bottles stored on their sides,” she says. “This prevents the cork from drying out and protects the wine from light and vibration. I also store the wine in a box under the bed, which provides a dark, quiet and relatively stable environment without taking up valuable space.”
2. In fact, most of the cuisine is off-limits
The kitchen is one of the worst rooms to keep your wine rack.
Sure, it might make sense to move the bottles on top of the refrigerator to the cabinets, but the kitchen is a room that sees frequent changes in temperature, light, and activity.
“Try not to keep wine in the kitchen,” Martinez advises. “There are a lot of items and appliances that can put off heat outside the stove. In fact, placing wine near any appliance (other than a wine refrigerator) is not a good idea.”
Miller echoes these sentiments, adding that “kitchen cabinets may seem like a good solution because they are dark, but kitchens suffer from frequent temperature fluctuations.”
“Ovens and dishwashers cause spikes in temperature, and these fluctuations are particularly harmful over time,” she says. “Garages are another common mistake. Daily and seasonal fluctuations in temperature make them among the least stable environments for wine. These fluctuations are often worse for the wine than being too warm or too cold. Wine values consistency above all else.”
Read more: Sip or skip? Everything you need to know about the shelf life of opened wine
4. In the car
A car, with all its clatter and temperature fluctuations, is no place to keep wine longer than it takes to get it home.
One of the biggest threats to wine quality is the journey from the store to home.
“Care should start the moment the wine leaves the store,” Miller emphasizes. “Wine is particularly vulnerable during transportation, especially in warm weather. Leaving bottles in the trunk of a car while running errands, even for an hour or two, can expose them to temperatures much higher than the wine can withstand.”
On warm days, for example, the temperature of a parked car can easily exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, effectively “cooking” the wine even before it is opened.
“Whenever possible, wine should be the last stop on your to-do list, and bottles should be brought inside immediately. In hotter climates, an insulated bag can help limit exposure during the drive home,” she suggests.
5. Somewhere ’til he “gets old”
Do your research before trying to age wine. It can do more harm than good.
It’s a myth that most wines taste better with age. Instead, most wines should be opened and enjoyed immediately.
“Some wines are meant to be drunk when they’re young and fresh. Not all wines are meant for aging,” Martinez says. “It’s important to understand the difference. If you sit down on a wine meant to be drunk immediately, your wine will lose everything that is good in it.
“Wines like the more impressive Burgundy or Bordeaux, or even Napa Cabernet, will need some aging, versus the everyday wine you pick up at the grocery store,” she adds. “Understanding this distinction and doing a little homework will save you the heartache of losing wine that could have been enjoyed at the right time.”
It’s important to keep this in mind with any new purchases, as you will have less flexibility with bottles intended for long-term storage.
“A bottle you hold on Tuesday to open on Friday doesn’t need the same care as a case brought home from the winery or a meaningful bottle you save for a future celebration,” Miller says. “Short-term storage is forgiving, long-term storage requires a little more intention.”
As a general guide, full-bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and fortified wines like Port or Madeira tend to handle less-than-ideal conditions better. More delicate wines such as Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling are sensitive to heat and fluctuations and will show damage sooner.
6. Garage
A garage may seem like a potential wine storage area because it stays cool, but there are simply too many temperature fluctuations. Even if you live in a temperate climate, a garage is not a good place to build a wine cellar or keep your rack. However, the garage is a good place for a wine refrigerator, since it is out of the way and may have some unused corners that could house the medium-sized appliance.
You don’t need a wine refrigerator, but it can certainly help
Many safe storage options don’t require a dedicated refrigerator.
If collecting bottles has piqued your interest, especially while traveling to wine countries around the world, a wine refrigerator is not essential. However, dedicated wine refrigerators can be provided for A few hundred dollars And take the guesswork out of proper wine storage.
“There are plenty of places around the house to store wine that will help protect it,” Martinez says. “Cool, dark places like a closet or perhaps under the (work) stairs. The basement is also a good option, as long as it’s not a damp area.”
Aim for these temperatures
A wine refrigerator can keep your bottles at the perfect temperature for a few hundred dollars.
While it can be difficult to control consistent temperature and climate in a typical home, most bottles have a “sweet spot” for temperature.
According to Miller, wine should be stored in the dark at a temperature between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, with as little shaking as possible and as little temperature fluctuation as possible.
“This doesn’t mean perfection is required,” she explains. However, “if a wine tastes flat, dull, or oddly old, storage or transportation is often the culprit, not the product or price.”
“More specifically, you can go a little cooler for whites and sparkles,” Martinez adds, recommending sticking to around 45 degrees Fahrenheit for whites and “cooler to the touch for whites and sparkles.”
When serving wine, it recommends about 40 degrees for sparkling and white wines, and about 60 degrees F for reds.
“Below room temperature is great for red wine,” she says. “It really helps the character of the wine develop well in the glass if you take it out of the wine refrigerator and let it warm naturally.”