Wines are pretty delicate. You surely would want to make the most of what you spend on the bottles and the best way to do that is to learn about proper wine storage and preservation.
Introduction
Many people are deeply passionate about wine. They like collecting bottles and saving them for special events, when popping the cork open is appropriate. But to enjoy the precious liquid at its peak quality when it was dispensed from the winery, you have to learn the proper ways of handling, storing, and preserving wines.
Wines are pretty delicate but keeping them safe until a celebration calls for one to be opened only requires a few simple steps. Once you get a hang of those, you can order all the wine, spirits, and champagne online in the UK that you want, and not worry a bit about them declining in quality.
Keep the Wines Safe from the Elements
There are a couple of factors that could cause wines to diminish in quality. You have to identify each one of them because that will give you a good start on learning the proper ways of storing and preserving wines.
The first enemy to contend with is heat. Exposing wines and similar drinks to temperatures that are 70 degrees F or higher can surely destroy them. They can age quicker than is desirable and may even result in loss of flavours and aromas.
Related to heat, light is another undesirable factor that you must keep your wine bottles safe from. Sunlight and even fluorescent light could be detrimental to your wine’s quality. Try to keep your treasured bottles in the dark, because even small amounts of light seeps in could cause wines to oxidise, causing them to smell and taste bad.
Unfortunately, while it is advisable to keep wines safe from heat and light, you should not store them in the fridge for too long either. The cold temperatures inside the refrigerator, which usually fall below 45 degrees F, are not good for wines. Also, after a couple of months in the fridge, the corks would dry out due to lack of moisture, letting air in, and eventually causing your wine to overferment and turn into vinegar.
If cooling the wine too much is not advisable, freezing it is a definite no-no. When the liquid turns to ice, it will surely expand to the point of pushing the cork out or worse, making the bottle burst and shatter.
So, How Do You Store Wines?
Of course, the best way to do this is to get a good quality wine rack that is equipped with all the features to keep the wines safe from the elements. Professional-grade storage can be pricey, but if that isn’t a practical option, don’t worry. Just keep in mind the following factors that you need to deal with and find a way to get around them.
Keep wines in a cabinet, drawer, or basement with temperatures in the range of 45 to 65 degrees F. Make sure it is not frequently opened, and not infiltrated by humidity levels below 50% or beyond 80%. Keep these environmental factors steady and you are well on your way to enjoying your wines at their best.
