Methods for preserving wine

Published : 2020-10-01 17:35:56
Categories : Wine

Wine preservation may seem easy for certain people. A shady place, neither too hot nor too cold, and that's it ! However, wine preservation is a lot more meticulous than you may think. It requires particular attention from the owner and depends on a number of very specific criteria.

Keeping wine at home, how to proceed ?

First option : opt for a wine cupboard.

The goal here is to find a cupboard and place it against a wall to the North. The next step would be to stack your bottles in it and cover them with a blanket. This method allows you to keep your bottles for a few months. For specific wines, a wine cellar or special wine cupboard is preferred.

I am a professional or a private individual : How to arrange a wine cellar ?

For a wine cellar, you will need to store your bottles in a dark room without windows, softly lit to avoid oxidation. They will also need to be kept from any vibration (thanks to anti-vibration blocks for example, to avoid bacterial growth) or fuel smell. It is necessary to stop impregnation of the wine with smells, however, it can easily be avoided with a good ventilation.

Caution : the drier the cellar, the quicker the corks will degrade due to air passing through them. That's why it is recommended to store your bottles horizontally in order to keep the corks in contact with the wine.

The use of shelves in a wine cellar

A shelf is very useful to keep your bottles stacked horizontally and your corks intact. You can also use storage boxes if you remember to keep your bottles with their labels facing up as to avoid a premature deterioration.

Excess moisture is not recommended either since it, too, results in the deterioration of your wine labels. To avoid this, you might prefer temperate spaces without sudden temperature changes, which would be extremely bad for the preservation of your bottles of wine.

Temperature plays a key role in the preservation of your wines

The temperature must be gradual, hence the importance of a thermally isolated cellar. However, each wine is unique and reacts differently to temperature than others.

Certain wines might be able to resist a 25° summer while others might not, especially natural wines. Take, for example, a red wine and a dry white wine, both will react differently to the temperature in a room. A red wine will withstand a warmer environement compared to a dry white wine (a sweet white wine is usually a bit more resistant).

The ideal temperature ?

A consistent temperature between 10 and 12°C helps the natural development of the wine. We also recommend a northeast orientation.

In case of very high temperatures, you may need special equipment to preserve your wine. If you are using a cooling unit, an air conditioner which discharges heat outside is recommended.