How to store wine

Cheat sheet for proper wine storage

Check out our cheeky cheat sheet for a quick recap on all the tips you need to know about wine storage.

• Your wine bottles are best stored at 12 degrees Celsius or 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

• If you can't store your wine in a cellar or a basement, a wine cooler is highly recommended.

• To avoid compromising both the cork, wine, and labels, keep the humidity between 60-80%.

• To maintain flavor and aromas, keep your wine bottles in a cold and dark space.

• Ensure that your wine bottles aren't affected by nearby vibrations or other consistent movement.

For the sake of wine and personal pleasure

How is wine stored?

Although an estimated 90–95% of all purchased wine is consumed within the first week of purchase, there is still plenty of reason to understand and acknowledge the wines that are bought for future enjoyment.

After all, it is often these fine wines that are either more expensive or the ones saved for a special occasion.

For optimal wine storing, there are several key points that you should keep in store when it comes to the storage of your wine.

Testing the temperature

A constant temperature is arguably the most important aspect when it comes to storing wine. Correct temperature affects the development of the wine as well as its potential.

The consensus between wine experts is that 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) is the optimal storing temperature for wine, both red, white, sparkling, and rosé. The science behind this is limited, but it is no coincidence that wine cellars in France, particularly in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, are all set to exactly 12 degrees.

Consistency is key

Consistency is almost more important than the right temperature. In other words, it is better to have your wine lying constantly at a temperature range between 8 and 18 degrees Celsius (46–64 degrees Fahrenheit) than have the temperature fluctuating rapidly between 10 and 16 degrees Celsius (50–61 degrees Fahrenheit).

A small variation in temperature over several months is okay and will have no real influence on the wine. But daily fluctuations can easily determine the future potential of the wine, which is why it is highly recommended not to keep your wine in the kitchen, where temperatures rise suddenly and abruptly during cooking, boiling, ventilating, opening and closing the oven, etc.

Anywhere between 7 and 18 degrees Celsius (45–64 Fahrenheit) is also perfectly okay and safe if the wine is consumed within the first ten years. But for 50 years or more, the temperature needs to remain closer to a stable 12/54 degrees.

The reason for this is that the lower the temperature, the slower the wine’s development takes, thereby risking it not reaching its full potential before consumption. Conversely, too high a temperature will advance the development and thereby risk the wine from prematurely aging.

For this reason, storing your wine long-term in the refrigerator is not advised, as these typically cool at 3-5 degrees Celsius (37–41 Fahrenheit).

Don’t follow the light

When it comes to storing wine, darkness is your ally. Both direct sunlight and constant electrical light can meddle with the flavor and the quality of your wine. This is also the reason why wine bottles often are of a darker and less transparent color to protect their valuable content.

Light can also have a bleaching effect on the labels, making the text less visible or even unreadable. This is especially important if you are planning to sell your wine bottles in the future.

If you are considering investing in a wine cooler, make sure that the front is either completely darkened or, if it is made of glass, as most wine coolers are, that the glass is UV-protected. Additionally, if the wine cooler has an internal light function, you may want to keep it at a minimum volume.

Humidity is all around us

Humidity is often related to climate and not always within our control. Generally, it is advised that your wine rests between a humidity of 60–80%. Lower, and the corks may dry out, resulting in the wines oxidizing (being exposed to oxygen).

If the humidity goes above 80%, moisture may occur, which can result in mold and damaged or wrinkled labels on the bottles. While this doesn’t directly damage the wine, it can easily decrease the value of the wine if you are looking to sell it in the future.

Some wine coolers have a hydrometer installed, and alternatively, they can be bought in smaller sizes and are easy to place inside your wine cooler or your wine room.

Shaking and vibrating

Stillness and tranquility are what wine thrives in. This keeps the wine calm and uninterrupted. As a consequence, it is advised to keep your wine away from vibrating objects like dishwashers, washing machines, and other moving equipment.

This is also worth keeping in mind if you are expecting a shipment of wine. Whether it is arriving by plane, ship, car, or has been lying in a plastic bag on the walk home from your local wine shop, the wine has inadvertently been moving around.

Although it may be tempting to uncork your most recent purchase immediately upon arrival in the comfort of your own home, it is better to let the wine rest for a while. This will, in most cases, come quite naturally, since the wine needs to reach its optimal serving temperature before being opened.

Comparing wine bottles

To test the impact of movement, you can try the following (preferably with your own wine at home).

Take two identical bottles of wine (and please note that we are talking about the less expensive end of the scale, and under no circumstances, sparkling wines) and shake one of them vigorously with both hands while listening to "Shake It Off" **by Taylor Swift (this last part is optional).

Then pour a glass of each and taste the difference. They will taste completely different, and guaranteed, you will prefer the unshaken one.

Racking them up

For long-term storing (and for space optimization), it is recommended to store your wines horizontally. Apart from being able to stack the bottles on top of each other, it also keeps the corks moist and thereby minimizes the risk of the corks drying out and crumbling upon opening.

Additionally, horizontal placement also ensures that any sediments inside the bottle are dispersed and spread evenly across the bottle instead of gathering at the bottom of the bottle.

When it comes to residual sediment in wine, there is nothing dangerous or incriminating about it, and it isn’t a sign of poor quality. You won’t get sick from consuming it either, but since it doesn’t look that appealing in your glass, you can avoid it by first decanting the wine and then pouring it slowly into your glass.

Since wine bottles often are made from darker shades of glass, it can be difficult to see the sediment until the final pour. For the sake of consumption and appearance, keep this in mind when offering or drinking the last glass of the bottle.

Storing and transporting

To ensure maximum potential, quality, and storage efficiency, most wine shops, both physical and online, should store their wines horizontally, at a constant temperature, and with as little movement as possible.

The exception is the wines that are regularly removed from the shelves or aren’t intended for long-term storage.

Transportation-wise, wooden boxes or cardboard boxes are the best, and it is always a good sign if there is some kind of space divider between the bottles inside the box. This can consist of either cardboard, wooden dividers, or paper.

In terms of transportation, sea, air, and land all work well, as long as the boxes are contained and not moving around. At Vivino, we ensure that all our wine partners maintain and update the storage and transportation requirements for the benefit of our consumers and customers.

Long-term wine storage vs short-term storage

For immediate consumption, the storing of your wine is happily not too complicated. As already mentioned, the optimal storing temperature is 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) for long-term storing.

And if you, like most wine lovers, don’t have a wine cellar or wine cave, a wine cooler is the most dependable, practical, and tangible way of storing your wine.

But what about short-term storing or wines like white, sparkling, and rosé that are generally enjoyed at lower temperatures than reds?

Wine coolers – for immediate and future enjoyment

Well, when it comes to wine coolers, most of them come with dual zones, which means that you have room for both red and white. If not, and you are stuck with just one fixed temperature, whether that is in a wine cooler, wine cellar, or basement, it merely becomes a question of planning.

If you fancy a glass of white, sparkling, or rosé, merely remove the bottle half an hour to an hour beforehand and place it in the refrigerator, freezer, or a champagne cooler filled with ice.

The exact serving temperature for wine is a science in itself as much as a question of personal taste. The point is that a wine cooler with dual zones is referred to as a serving solution, since you will be able to serve different types of wines at their ideal temperatures.

A single-zone wine cooler is considered a storage cooler, since it has one fixed temperature setting (of course, if you solely drink red or white wine, a single zone may be all that you require).

Wine storage equals wine quality

At the end of the day, wine storage has a great deal to say about its quality, both in the immediate and distant future. For consumption here and now, the most important thing is that the wine has rested for a short period before being opened. The serving temperature is also important, but this depends greatly on the wine in question and personal preference.

Whether we are talking red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, or rosé for long-term storage, the ideal storage temperature is 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit). Furthermore, light exposure, temperature swings, unstable environments, and too moist or too dry air are all elements that can negatively affect your wine.

Overall, wine consumption is about pleasure, flavor, and sharing experiences through a bottle of wine. There is no right or wrong way to go about this, but hopefully, these tips will help guide you when planning your next glass of wine at home.