Avoid these mistakes: You should never store wine this way

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Once bottled, wines are always in contact with a small amount of oxygen, which is present in the wine itself and in the small space under the cap. If wines have natural cork, there is additional air exchange with the environment. This causes the wine to continue maturing in the bottle.

As with other natural products, the speed of this maturation process depends mainly on the temperature at which the wines are stored. It is especially important to create the correct storage conditions here.

The wines were kept too warm

The ideal temperature for storing wine is between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. Temperature fluctuations should be avoided. If the storage temperature is above 15 degrees, the ripening process occurs faster. Personally, I have found that storing a wine at a constant 20 degrees does not spoil it immediately. However, if you plan to store it for ten years or more, you should look for a cooler place.

At temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius, it is no longer possible to store wine in a cool place. At these temperatures, dry white wines lose their freshness relatively quickly, while red wines may also lose their drinking quality. Sometimes I’m surprised that bottles of talented, high-quality wine can sit around for years, say, in the office.

The wines were kept very cold

In very cold storage conditions below ten degrees Celsius, the wine may no longer mature at all. If temperatures are below freezing, you even run the risk of the liquid in the wine expanding, which can damage the cork and, in the worst case scenario, the glass bottle.

Even if the glass bottle is still intact after the cold shock, a leaky cork can cause additional oxygen uptake, causing the wine to age more quickly. Small wine stains on the capsule may also indicate that the wine has been spilled and the cork is damaged.

Wines sealed with natural cork should be stored lying down. This means that at least part of the cork is always in contact with the liquid, which prevents the cork from drying out. If the air is too dry, the other part of the cork can be damaged, meaning too much oxygen gets into the wine and it ages faster. The ideal humidity level in a wine cellar is between 50 and 70 percent.

Too humid storage conditions also cause many problems: On the one hand, the air can smell stale and musty. This taste is also transferred to cartons or wooden cases and, in the worst case, to the wines. Mold or moisture stains can also damage wine labels, but this has no effect on the drinking quality.

Source : Blick