About Wine Storage

Wine storage options

There are three main ways to store your bottles of wine safely and securely:

Wine cellar – this is the ideal way to store your wine bottles, temperature, and humidity-controlled ideally. Wine cellars are a cost-effective solution for storing wine and are bespoke from one home to another.

A makeshift closet wine cellar – this is ideal for wine lovers and enthusiasts. It is a simple and quick way to store your wine bottles in any size space (small or large) in your house.
A makeshift closet wine cellar is perfect for an everyday drinker but not as effective as long term storage.

A wine cabinet or refrigerator – these are reliable ways to maintain the temperature of your wine bottles and are a worthwhile investment for wine professionals and wine merchants.

Factors pronounced effect on wine storage

Storage of wine is an important consideration for long-term aging. While most wine is consumed within 24 hours of purchase, fine wines are often set aside for long-term storage. Wine is one of the few commodities that can improve in flavor and value with age, but it can also rapidly deteriorate if kept in inadequate conditions.

Proper storage comes with several factors namely temperature, humidity, storage stability, the presence of light, bottle positioning, and keeping wine away from strong odors, etc. Constant temperature and proper humidity have the most pronounced effect on long-time wine storage.

Wine Storage Temperature&Humidity Guide

Temperature
Red wines are robust and slightly more resistant to heat than whites, thus the ideal storage temperature for such ranges from 10 – 15ºC (50 – 59ºF). Whites accept the given range, but some purists store them at slightly cooler temperatures ranging from 7 – 10 ºC (45 – 50 ºF) just to be safe.
According to some experts, storing wine at around 15 – 20 ºC is perfectly safe, provided that the temperature does not fluctuate. Fluctuations in temperature will cause the liquid to expand and contract, disrupting the molecules and adversely affecting the chemical reactions within the wine. Air molecules may give the tipple a “raisin-like” or stewed flavor.

Humidity
Humidity should be kept at around 65-75% RH. This way, the corks are kept tight for long periods.

Ideal temperature&humidity for some wines: