Wine is probably the most diverse of all alcoholic beverages. Even the aroma of the same glass of wine will change once it is opened and left to sit for a period of time. The same bottle of wine in different glass shapes can also bring different sensations. The same batch of wine, kept in different conditions in different bottles, can also have an effect on white wine.
The reason wine can be so varied is that it is more susceptible to environmental influences. This makes it a more demanding storage environment than other wines.
Wine is a pit, or a pit in the sky, if I do say so myself. It is difficult to get in and out. Today, we will present the storage models from the white level to the big guy level. There is always one for you!
First of all, to start this article, we need to understand the main elements of wine storage.
(1) Storage temperature: The ideal storage temperature for wine is generally 12.8°C, but can range from 7.2-18.3°C. However, don’t worry too much if your storage environment is a few degrees higher than the ideal temperature. As long as it is not stored for a long time, generally will not have much effect.
(2) Maintain a constant temperature: It is more important to store wine at a relatively constant temperature than to bring it up to the ideal temperature. Temperature fluctuations can cause the wine to expand and contract to a certain extent, which can reduce the cork seal and cause the wine to leak. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid drastic or frequent changes in the temperature of the storage environment as much as possible.
(3) Storage Humidity: The ideal storage humidity for wine is 70%, but usually between 50% and 80%. If the humidity is not sufficient, the cork will become too dry, allowing air into the bottle and affecting the quality of the wine. However, unless you live in the desert or want to store your wine for 10 years, this rarely happens.
(4) Avoid light: Light, especially sunlight, can pose a threat to the long-term storage of wine. UV rays from the sun can prematurely ripen wine and reduce its quality. Domestic light sources do not usually affect the quality of wine, but can discolor wine labels if left on for too long. Incandescent lamps are safer than fluorescent lamps for wine, although they do emit a very small amount of UV light.
(5) Horizontal placement: You can ignore this if you plan to drink in the short or medium term, or if your wine is sealed with a screw cork, glass stopper or even a plastic cork. However, if you want to prevent it for a long time, the safest and least-used storage method is to store it horizontally. This will keep the wine in contact with the cork and prevent it from drying out too much.
(6) Avoid shaking: Vigorous shaking may stir up sediment in the wine and make it look undrinkable. There is also a theory that if a wine is shaken for a long period of time, it will accelerate the reaction between various chemicals in the wine, thus damaging its quality.
(7) Keep away from odors: If the wine is left for a long time with other odorous items (such as vegetables), the odors of these items will enter the wine through the gaps in the cork, thus affecting the flavor of the wine.
