How to Properly Store Wine: Avoiding Common Mistakes By Wine Aficionado and Founder of California Corks John Krause
Wine lovers often dream of building the perfect collection, but improper storage can easily ruin those dreams. Whether you’ve stocked up on holiday gifts or simply enjoy having a few bottles at the ready, it’s crucial to understand proper wine storage. Making a few key changes in how you store wine at home can help preserve its quality, depth, and overall flavor.
In this guide, we’ll explore some common wine storage mistakes, explain the importance of keeping the cork wet, and outline the best storage environment for your collection. Whether you have a dedicated wine cellar or just a pantry, these tips will help you protect your investment and ensure your wine is always ready to enjoy.
1. Storing Wine Upright – A Common Mistake
One of the most widespread wine storage mistakes is keeping bottles upright. While it may seem convenient to store wine upright for easy label reading, especially if you don’t plan on drinking it right away, this method can compromise the wine over time. Why? It all comes down to the cork.
When wine bottles are stored standing up, the cork isn't in contact with the wine. Over time, the cork can dry out, allowing oxygen to seep in. Even a small amount of oxygen can oxidize the wine, affecting its flavor and aroma. Oxidized wine can lose its freshness, turning dull and acidic. For wines that you plan to store for more than a few weeks, this is particularly dangerous.
The solution? Always store wine bottles on their side. This keeps the cork moist and fully sealed, preventing oxygen from entering the bottle. This simple step can make a world of difference, ensuring that your wine ages properly and maintains its quality.
2. Keep the Cork Wet to Prevent Oxidation
A dry cork isn’t just an annoyance when it crumbles as you open a bottle—it can spell disaster for your wine. When a cork dries out, it loses its elasticity and allows air into the bottle. Oxygen exposure is one of the greatest enemies of wine. Over time, it degrades the vibrant flavors, leaving the wine tasting flat, dull, or overly acidic.
The biggest concern with oxidation is how it alters the natural character of the wine. In many cases, oxidized wine takes on a metallic taste or becomes too tart to enjoy. That’s why it's essential to keep the cork wet by storing bottles on their side.
However, there's an exception to this rule: partially consumed bottles. When you don’t finish a bottle, storing it upright in the fridge is a better option because it limits the surface area exposed to oxygen inside the bottle. Even better, consider transferring the leftover wine to a smaller, airtight container, such as a mason jar, to further reduce oxygen contact.
3. Creating the Ideal Wine Storage Environment
Proper wine storage is about more than just positioning bottles; temperature, humidity, and light are critical factors. Even if you don’t have a climate-controlled wine cellar, you can still store wine in conditions that keep it in top shape.
Temperature
Wine needs a cool, stable environment to age gracefully. The ideal wine storage temperature falls between 45°F and 65°F (7°C to 18°C). Too hot, and the wine may age too quickly; too cold, the wine might freeze. Avoid storing wine in areas that experience temperature fluctuations, like a kitchen or garage, which can ruin the wine's flavor.
Humidity
Humidity levels are also important. While dry air can dry out corks, moderate humidity (around 50%-80%) helps prevent cork degradation. If your storage area tends to be dry, place a shallow pan of water nearby to add moisture to the air. This small adjustment can go a long way in preserving the integrity of your wine corks.
Light
Exposure to light—particularly UV light—can degrade wine. That's why wine bottles are often dark-colored, to help protect the contents from light exposure. However, it's still important to store wine in a dark area, away from direct sunlight or strong artificial lighting. Light can break down compounds in the wine, negatively affecting the flavor and structure over time.
In summary, a dark, cool space with stable temperature and humidity levels is the best environment for storing wine. A basement or pantry often works well as a home storage option.
4. Short-Term vs. Long-Term Wine Storage
Understanding the difference between short-term and long-term wine storage can help you make better decisions about where to place your bottles. Short-term storage, for the wine you plan to drink within a few weeks, is more forgiving. A wine rack in the pantry or a cool kitchen cabinet can work as long as the wine isn’t exposed to heat or direct light.
A word of caution: placing a wine rack on top of the refrigerator has ruined more than one bottle of wine.
For long-term storage, you'll want to be more cautious. Wines stored for months or years need consistent temperature control, and protection from light, and humidity. In this case, it might be worth investing in a wine fridge or finding a cooler, more stable environment in your home.
Conclusion: Preserve the Quality of Your Wine
Storing wine correctly is an investment in the wine’s future quality. By avoiding common mistakes—such as storing bottles upright, exposing the wine to oxygen, or keeping it in fluctuating temperatures—you can ensure that every bottle will be just as enjoyable as the winemaker intended.
Follow these wine storage tips to safeguard your collection:
Store bottles on their side to keep the cork wet.
Protect your wine from oxygen by limiting its exposure.
Create a cool, dark environment with stable temperature and humidity.
By following these guidelines, you’ll be well on your way to maintaining a beautiful wine collection that’s always ready for the perfect occasion.
Special thanks to Adriano Gadin and Anja pixbay.com, and Cuda Ridge Wines
About the Author: John Krause is a wine enthusiast and the founder of the website California Corks, a directory of California wineries.
