“Wine is a living liquid, if not looked after properly, it will sicken and eventually die prematurely”. Keeping this message in mind every wine trader must think about looking after their wine effectively. Agrological excavation has shown that in prehistoric time, wine was stored underground. That means storing your beloved wine underground is considered to be the safest way of protecting wine from spoilage and has been practiced for centuries. If anyone ask the reason behind storing wine underground; the answer is-“the ideal storage conditions can be consistently met: cool, dark, humid and motionless surroundings that will help ensure your wine has the very best chance for long term survival and optimal aging.”
To properly care for your wine take the following tips into consideration……
Maintain Consistent temperature
Temperature is the most important factor that affects wine storage. Maintaining consistent temperature is most important point for storing your wine. Suggested temperature for storing your beloved wine is between 12°C to 18°C. Above 18°C can age your wine prematurely; in some occasions it can spoil quickly. Below 12°C - 5°C is also acceptable temperature; however, it should be constant throughout the year. If storing your beloved wine in colder temperature, it will delay in aging process. We should keep in mind that white wines are lot more affected by temperature problems than red wines.
Suggestion
Make your wine cellar darker, cooler section of your store or restaurant. Always maintain consistence temperature. If temperature fluctuates on a daily or weekly basis try to use natural temperature control technique. For restaurant owners, please do not store your wines top of refrigerator, washing or coffee machines. Usually it is colder in under the sink; try storing your wine under the sink.
Maintaining Humidity
Maintaining humidity is very important for wine, especially for cork wines. Moderate humidity is important to keep the corks in good conditions, thus preventing them from shrinking. An acceptable range of relative humidity (RH) is about 50% - 80%, but the recommendation is to keep the RH at about 70%. Storing wine at higher RH will not harm the wine but this may cause molds to grow on the labels and any other paper products that you have in the cellar. Storing wines at lower RH may cause the corks to dry out, hence losing their elasticity and thereby allowing air to get into the bottle.
Suggestion
It is best to purchase humidity measurement sensor. Humidity maintenance device also can be purchased to control humidity. Controlling humidity naturally is best practiced by opening doors, windows and making cross ventilations.
Avoid placing your wine in direct sunlight
To properly care for your wine take the following tips into consideration……
Maintain Consistent temperature
Temperature is the most important factor that affects wine storage. Maintaining consistent temperature is most important point for storing your wine. Suggested temperature for storing your beloved wine is between 12°C to 18°C. Above 18°C can age your wine prematurely; in some occasions it can spoil quickly. Below 12°C - 5°C is also acceptable temperature; however, it should be constant throughout the year. If storing your beloved wine in colder temperature, it will delay in aging process. We should keep in mind that white wines are lot more affected by temperature problems than red wines.
Suggestion
Make your wine cellar darker, cooler section of your store or restaurant. Always maintain consistence temperature. If temperature fluctuates on a daily or weekly basis try to use natural temperature control technique. For restaurant owners, please do not store your wines top of refrigerator, washing or coffee machines. Usually it is colder in under the sink; try storing your wine under the sink.
Maintaining Humidity
Maintaining humidity is very important for wine, especially for cork wines. Moderate humidity is important to keep the corks in good conditions, thus preventing them from shrinking. An acceptable range of relative humidity (RH) is about 50% - 80%, but the recommendation is to keep the RH at about 70%. Storing wine at higher RH will not harm the wine but this may cause molds to grow on the labels and any other paper products that you have in the cellar. Storing wines at lower RH may cause the corks to dry out, hence losing their elasticity and thereby allowing air to get into the bottle.
Suggestion
It is best to purchase humidity measurement sensor. Humidity maintenance device also can be purchased to control humidity. Controlling humidity naturally is best practiced by opening doors, windows and making cross ventilations.
Avoid placing your wine in direct sunlight
Keeping wine in direct sunlight will also prematurely age your beloved wine. Usually white wine starts to look more yellowish and in red wine thick deposits starts to form in the bottom of the bottle if it is displayed in sunlight for long time. Additionally, level of wine in the bottle decreases from evaporation. Naturally, clear glass bottles are most prone to this kind of problem, but ultraviolet light will penetrate even dark colored glass. If long term sunlight exposed wine is drunk, it tastes and smells of wet cardboard. This is especially noticeable in delicate white wines and sparkling wines.
Suggestion
As said before, in many liquor stores wine bottles are being displayed in direct sunlight section of selves. Avoid displaying or placing wine bottles in direct sunlight area. Covering with dark and thick cloth will protect in some extent from going off.
Free of Vibration
Constant vibration from machinery or a nearby road can disturb red wine’s sediments and this can be harmful to wines. Excessive sound will also create vibrations that may be harmful to the wines as well.
Suggestion
For restaurant owners, avoid storing your wine where high volume music is played. For liquor store owners and department stores, store your wine in less noisy area.
Avoid storing your wine close to odorant products
The location where your wine is stored be free from storing odors. External smells can enter through the cork and contaminate the wine.
Suggestion
Avoid storing petrol, kerosene, paint and any other strong scent producing items. Proper ventilation will minimize this problem. Do not also store fruits, vegetables, cheeses or any other food that is capable of fermenting as wines may also pick up these smells.
Angle of storage
Angle of storage principal does not apply to screw cap bottle of wine. Like Mark Davidson and Miracle Mile wines. They all come with screw cap; however it is worthwhile mentioning for corked wines. Corked wine is best stored horizontally so that the wine stays in contact with the cork. This keeps the cork moist, hence preventing air from entering the wine. Finally, if a suitable wine cellar is not possible to obtain due to space constraints, there are many types of “wine refrigerators” that will work as well. They differ from common refrigerators in that they work at higher temperature 12°C to 18°C and they do not remove humidity from the air. There are also kits available that will convert regular refrigerators into suitable wine storage units.
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