WINE STORAGE

Proper storage of wine is critcial to preventing it from going bad in so many ways, but let's be practical. You don't need to invest in a $1000 wine cave right off the bat. Follow our advice and you'll be covered.

Lay Bottles Sideways
The cork must stay in contact with the wine to maintain it's texture, which keeps air out of the bottle and wine in the bottle. If the cork goes dry, wine or aroma can seep out. &/or air will get into the bottle, turning the wine to vinegar. So, when you come home from your wine shopping adventure, don't leave the bottles standing upright in their box/bag, etc. Get them sideways!

Steady, Dark & Cool-ish
For long periods of time, wine should be stored at 55 degrees. (Yes, serving temps vary, but not storage temperature). For short term, 65 degrees is ok if you're controlling temperature fluctuation and vibration. For short term wine storage, a great place is in a staircase closet. The framing makes this a steady spot in the house, it's dark, and somewhat temperature controlled. Without this, look for the following:

• Find a place in your house that doesn't get too warm: don't store your wine rack next to the fireplace, the heater vent, etc. You also need to find a place where the temperature doesn't fluctuate much during the day or over the seasons. If you can't, consider a wine refridgerator (see below).
• If your thermostat is set to 58 degrees while you're at work, and 72 degrees when you're home, you have too much temperature fluctuation for your wine. Anything more than 10 degrees a day is too much and will wear down your wine. Heat changes lead to expansion and contraction of the bottle and the liquid inside, which will change the pressure inside, lead to cork seepage, and a bad tasting bottle of wine.
  
• Find a place that is relatively dark so that your wine isn't exposed to a lot of light, which will break down the chemical structure in your wine faster as well as contribute to temperature fluctuation (remember what sunlight on a bottle does). Sadly, showing off your wine in a decorative rack on the kitchen counter only shows that you don't care about your precious bundles of joy.
• Find a place in your house that doesn't get a lot of jostling, if possible. Not as critical as temperature control, but this keeps sediment from stirring about, which you'll appreciate when it's time to decant.

Wine Fridge -- Perfect For Controlling Temperature
Consumer price-friendly wine coolers / refridgerators that hit the market this past decade are heaven sent. For years, this level of protection was only available to people who had wine cellars or invested in high-end wine caves/cabinets. Some like to place their wine fridge in a showy spot -- remember, it's still best to keep light off the wine (tinted glass), and place on sturdy footing.

If you don't keep wine on-hand for long, and like to have it close to serving temperature, set your wine fridge temp close to that. Example: if you tend to drink reds, served between 62-66 degrees, set your wine fridge at 60 degrees. If you have whites in the mix, turn it down to 55 degrees and know to give your reds more time to "open up" when time to serve.

Suggested Wine Serving Temperatures
Room temperature does not mean 72 degrees!

• Cold friendly reds like Beaujolais, Rose: 50-56 degrees
• Cabernet: 63-66 degrees
• Chardonay: 48-52 degrees
• Chianti: 61-63 degrees
• Pinot Noir, Red Bordeaux: 61-66 degrees
• Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio (cool and crisp): 48 -53 degrees
• Sparkling Wine, Champaigne: 48 - 52 degrees
  
  

Storing bubbly is a bit trickier. You want to preserve the carbonation. There are some solutions on the market that we haven't tried yet. If you find one you like, let us know and we'll share it here.