Storing wine can be a full-time job for anyone with a large collection of vintages. Older wines must be kept at “stable” levels of temperature and humidity. Younger vintages must also maintain specific levels as well as being kept away from direct light, vibrations and anything else that will affect their maturity. Bottles of wine that have been opened also require specific storage procedures, and many people purchase equipment for such a task.

Most wine storage begins in the wine cellar, which can be as simple as a few boxes of assorted bottles kept on their sides inside an unused closet, or as involved as the cool basement of a home which is full of racks, humidity sensors and climate control equipment. Ultimately there are a few factors that greatly affect wine, and which must be taken into consideration when choosing a location for wine storage. They are:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Lighting
• Disturbances/Vibration
• Odors
• Shelving, racks or storage facilities

Temperature for wine storage is best at a maintained level between fifty and sixty degrees, though most vintages seem to keep their best at fifty-five or sixty degrees. The most important consideration about temperature however is the consistency of the overall environment; great fluctuations will have an impact on the wine.

Humidity is necessary to keep the corks completely moistened, which is also aided by storing bottles on their sides. Humidity can be tricky, as too much can cause labels to fall off of bottles and the growth of mold or mildew, and too little can cause corks to dehydrate and allow air to spoil the wine.

The light exposure that a bottle of wine faces may depend upon the age of the vintage, since most modern glass bottles actually have ultraviolet filters in the glass that protects the wine from the effects of exposure to light. Even with such technology however, many older and younger bottles of wine can still be “light struck” if exposure occurs too often. This greatly changes the taste of the wine or champagne, and should generally be considered when choosing a location for wine storage.

Constant disturbances from vibrations created by passing foot traffic, motors or pumps or even from the removal of other bottles can impact the development and taste of almost any wine. Such disturbances can also continually stir up sediments, which will also affect the wine.

When considering wine storage there are two final issues that have to be taken into consideration if the best results will be achieved: odors and the physical storage. It is critical that wines be stored away from anything giving off a strong odor, including such things as moth balls, cleaners or even such things as dried herbs. This is because the corks still allow the wine to “breathe” and anything with a strong scent will eventually make its way into the bottle and the wine.

The physical storage should be constructed out of the strongest and sturdiest materials and methods possible. Bottles of wine can by extremely heavy and a disaster could occur if cheap or shoddy workmanship is selected for the storage of such valuable goods. Additionally, the bottles should be stored at an appropriate pitch intended to keep the wine always in contact with the cork.

A final consideration about wine storage must include the proper handling of opened bottles of wine, which includes wine refrigeration. There are many models of wine refrigerators for both short and long term wine storage, and they provide the most controlled environments possible, but also keep the size of the cellar limited to the size of the refrigerator unit. Opened bottles can have their corks reinserted manually, or using one of the more modern vacuum systems on the market. Additionally some people choose to store their opened wine in a special decanter, but the most important consideration to opened bottles of wine is the limitation of exposure to the air. Most opened bottles cannot be stored for a long period of time, regardless of the method of wine storage available.

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