
This is why cellars and wine refrigerators are fastidiously temperature controlled. Like vibrations, fluctuating temperatures can negatively impact the aging and chemical processes happening in your wine. DO: Keep your wine at a constant temperature. I wouldn’t recommend keeping bottles upright for more than a few weeks. With that said, it is okay to store your wine upright for a short amount of time, which is why many some convenient or liquor stores can get away with it they are banking on a timely sale of the bottles. The cork will then begin to dry out, resulting in a musty, malodorous wine.

When your bottle is upright, the wine is not hitting the cork. DON’T: Store your wine upright for long term.įor the same reason it’s recommended to store wine on its side is why it is not recommended to store it upright. Keeping your bottles on their sides, with wine constantly in contact with the cork, you won’t run the risk of having a “corked” wine. Light bulbs give off lots of heat and can prematurely age your wine. This may not be the case for everyone, but if it is true, this definitely is not a good place for your wine to be. Lastly, the top of your refrigerator is probably very close to your light fixtures. Have you ever felt the top of your refrigerator? It’s warm. With a compressor and other internal components working hard to keep the interior cool, a significant amount of heat is given off. Secondly, your refrigerator gives off heat. Without getting too deep into chemistry, vibrations alter the processes happening in your wine, affecting the taste and aging process. First of all, think of all the vibrations your fridge gives off when the compressor cycles on, when it cycles off, when the ice maker spits out ice, when you’re using the water dispenser, etc., etc. On top of your refrigerator may seem like the most logical place to keep your bottles (I can’t tell you how many houses I’ve walked in to and seen just that), but it is one of the worst places in your home for 3 reasons. DON’T: Store your wine on top of your refrigerator.Īlthough convenience is important, you have to also think about keeping the wine’s integrity intact. It’s important to keep it somewhere convenient and easily accessible, ever at the ready to be retrieved and opened. Whether open or closed, wine is meant to be a conversation starter and a way to bring people together. DO: Store your wine somewhere convenient.Īlthough it may be good for the wine, it’s not practical or convenient to store your wine in that upstairs closet, away from harmful elements. A dried out cork leads to a musty smelling, “corked” wine. Corks must remain moist in order to do their job properly.

Have you ever left an uncovered tomato in your fridge? Notice, how the tomato shrivels up in the span of just a day or so? This is because, unlike a wine refrigerator, your kitchen refrigerator removes humidity as it cools. Your average kitchen refrigerator is not only too cold for your wine, stunting its development, but it also dries out the wine’s cork.


Many people think the way to remedy the temperature conundrum is to keep their wine in the refrigerator, but unless you are using a wine refrigerator, this can be equally harmful. DON’T: Keep your wine in your kitchen fridge long term. That is an extreme case, of course, but room temperature wines are not given the chance to fully express themselves, tasting duller than if chilled. If you’ve ever left a bottle of wine in your car during the summer and then wondered why it tasted like pure alcohol or maybe even a little vinegar-like, you know what heat can do to a bottle. The warmer the ambient temperature, the quicker the wine will age and go bad. Yes, the average room temperature is too warm to both serve and store your wine. The easiest way to make sure you’re not doing a disservice to your stash is to follow these 5 Dos and Don’ts of wine storage:
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Unfortunately, not all of us wine lovers have the luxury of a personal cellar (if you do, please send us a pic!), so it’s important to know how to keep your wine fresh until you’re ready to uncork and enjoy. Whether you’ve got 5 wine bottles or 500, you probably don’t want your wine to go bad or the taste to be compromised before you get a chance to drink it.
