From: Catherine Mi
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 11:45 AM
Subject: how to store wine
 
Proper Wine Storage
In storing wines at home, the factors to consider are temperature, vibration, light, humidity. A cool, dark, quiet, moderately humid cellar where the wines are away from steam pipes, boilers and drafty windows and where the temperature is a constant 55 degrees F., is perfect. So is an air-conditioner closet or a special wine-storage unit.

But with a little care, it is possible to keep wines in a small house or apartment without having a built-in cellar or investing in expensive equipment. What is important is to keep the temperature constant with no great and sudden fluctuations. White wines prefer a slightly cooler temperature than reds, keep them near the floor where the temperature is lowest.

Wine should not be kept where there is vibration, extremely dry or extremely wet conditions, very high or very low temperatures or where there are strong odors that can penetrate a wine's cork. Neither should wine be exposed to bright, direct light. Most wine bottles, in fact, are made of green or brown tinted glass in order to cut out light.

Proper Storage
All wines should be kept horizontal so that their corks remain wet and thus, no air is allowed to enter and spoil the wine. Store wine in any dimly lit, relatively quiet and cool spot such as a seldom used closet or in a quiet hallway.

Most wines, with the exception of the great ones from Burgundy and Bordeaux, need no aging. Roses, fruity reds such as Beaujolais, regional reds, Champagnes and other sparkling wines and most whites are ready to drink as soon as you buy them.
 
 
or this one...
 
 
Wine is one of only a few consumer products that can actually improve if kept over a long period of time. The amount of time a wine should be kept depends on the type, as some are able to last a lot longer than others. There are wines capable of lasting 20-30 years before reaching their peak, whilst the majority are intended for drinking within 12 months of their release.

 Wine has been appreciated by many different cultures throughout history. The Greeks are believed to be the first to appreciate keeping wine for ageing. Through the combination of good storage vessels and the high natural sugar content in the wine they were able to keep wines for up to 10 years. The Romans were also known to store wine for consumption at a later date. Here in the United Kingdom the storing of wine became popular around the Eighteenth Century, although it was only the very rich who could possibly afford to do so.

Keeping wine at home in a storage rack or cellar is no longer the preserve of royalty and the rich. Anyone can have a small store of wine at home. Its just a question of deciding how much you want to keep and what available space you have to store it in.

Storing Wine At Home

If you are going to store wine at home you need to ensure that the spot you choose has the necessary requirements to be a suitable place for keeping wine safe and secure. The essential elements to consider are Temperature, Humidity, Light, Vibration and Security.

Temperature

There is quite a wide band of temperatures within which wine can be stored safely. The ideal temperature for storing wines is eleven degrees centigrade; although anywhere between nine and fifteen can be considered suitable. The biggest factor to consider with temperature is dramatic temperature change. If your storage zone is subject to considerable fluctuations between day/night and summer/winter temperatures then you are likely to spoil your wine. Wine is ideally stored in an environment where the daily temperature changes by no more than a couple of degrees centigrade between night and day and by no more than 5-6 between winter and summer.

Humidity 

A small degree of humidity is considered essential to prevent the exposed end of the cork from drying out in the bottle. If allowed to dry out the cork may lose its ability to prevent the wine from oxidising by allowing oxygen in. The ideal level of humidity is reckoned to be about 70% Total Humidity. Any lower and you run the risk of allowing the cork to dry out completely. Be careful though not to allow your cellar to get too humid as this will encourage damp, which although it won’t adversely affect the wine it will cause the labels to rot. This may lead you to opening bottles of wine without knowing what they actually are and drinking your best vintage wine with a pizza on a wet Tuesday evening.

Light

One essential aspect of keeping wine is to avoid exposing it to strong or direct light; this includes both sunlight and artificial light. The darker the conditions the better, particularly for white wines in clear bottles which are at most risk from over exposure. Light will heat the wine inside the bottle and if the temperature within the bottle reaches over 25 degrees centigrade then the wine will spoil and be unfit for the cooking pot let alone your wine glass.

Vibration

This is not greatly important, as light vibration will cause no real adverse effects to most wines. However, if the wines you are storing are prone to throw a sediment then you may wish to avoid disturbing the wine as any movement of the sediment may affect the balanced ageing process of the wine. Therefore, a wine rack in the kitchen on top of the washing machine or dishwasher is not the ideal place to store your prized wine collection.

Security

Wine is worth money and to some people wine cellars and stores represent some very easy to steal “Liquid Assets”. Be careful where you store your wine. Garages, garden sheds and cellars with unlocked access are easy prey for the opportunist thief.

It is also essential to store your wine away from any strong odours and any chemicals or other materials that may seep into the surrounding air and taint the wines quality and flavour.