Whether you’re planning to sell your wine, or you just want to keep it fresh for yourself, you’ll need to learn how to store wine properly. The most important factors to consider include temperature, humidity, decanting, and light exposure. All of these are crucial to keeping your wine fresh and delicious.

Temperature

Creating the ideal wine storage environment can be a challenge. It’s important to understand the most appropriate temperature to store your bottles at and the most efficient way to store them. The right temperature will extend the life of your wine.

The optimal temperature to keep your wine fresh is between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This is slightly higher than the average room temperature. White wines should be stored at a lower temperature.

The best storage system will have a temperature control that allows you to keep your wine at a consistent temperature. If your wine is stored at an improper temperature, it could spoil.

The most effective storage system will also have a humidity control. This will help to prevent mold growth.

Humidity

Using the correct humidity to store your wine can prevent spoilage. The ideal level of humidity is between 50 and 80 percent. This will keep the corks from drying out and allowing air to seep in.

The humidity level is also important for the flavor of the wine. While it is true that a lower humidity level is better for storing wine, a higher one is better for aging the wine.

The best way to maintain the perfect amount of humidity is to place a pan of water in the storage area. This is particularly important for red wines as the fermentation process can cause the bottles to get mildewed.

For white wines, you can wrap the bottle in a towel. This will reduce the surface area exposed to the air and help to slow down the oxidation of the wine.

Light exposure

Whenever you store wine, it is advisable to keep it in a dark place, to prevent light exposure. Light exposure can cause damage to the wine, and can affect its quality. It can also change the taste of the wine.

There are two main types of light that can impact the wine. The first type is visible light. The other type is UV rays. The former causes oxidative reactions, which can lead to degradation of the wine over time.

Light exposure can also result in faults, such as a sour and unpleasant taste. In addition, the appearance of the wine can be affected.

Red wines are more sensitive to light. They absorb most of the radiation. On the other hand, white wines, especially those that are light bodied, have low tannins, so they are less vulnerable.

Vibrations

Keeping your wine in the cellar requires proper temperature and humidity. However, vibrations from nearby appliances or traffic can affect the quality of your wine. In addition, excessive vibration can disrupt the sediment that resides at the bottom of your bottle. This sediment has an unpleasant acidic taste and can crowd out the subtle flavors in your wine.

Luckily, there are ways to minimize the impact of vibrations on your wine. Firstly, you can protect your bottles from vibrations by mounting them against a wall. Secondly, you can use natural magnets to dampen micro-vibrations. The third way is by wrapping your bottles to absorb shock. You can also install shock-protection on containers and wall mounts.

Studies have shown that vibrations can alter the chemical structure of your wine and cause chemical reactions. The amount of vibrations that your wine is exposed to has a direct effect on the levels of a number of volatile compounds. Specifically, a higher vibration level will accelerate changes in organic acids and refractive index. In addition, it will increase the amount of isoamyl alcohol and propanol in your wine.

Decanting

Regardless of the age of your wine, you can improve the flavor and bouquet of some wines by decanting them for storage. This process is also known as aeration.

Decanting involves pouring the liquid from one vessel into another. In most cases, the wine is poured into a decanter or carafe. The aeration helps soften tannins and enhances flavor.

Red wine is particularly susceptible to sediment build-up. Leaving a wine out for too long will cause it to discolor. Alternatively, a tannic residue can spoil the wine’s taste when served.

Decanting also helps to improve the clarity of a bottle of wine. This process is especially important for older vintages.

In order to prevent the oxidation of a wine, it should be stored in a glass. In addition, you should never decant a sparkling wine, since the process reduces its effervescence.