How to Properly Store Wine
Wine is a valuable possession, but it can take up a lot of space. Investing in a wine storage space in your home or renting a storage unit from a company like AA All American Airborne Self-Storage can help you save valuable space in your kitchen. However, wine needs to be stored properly, as improper conditions can ruin the flavor. Here are a few basic things to keep in mind to ensure that your wine is stored away for as long as you need it to be without turning to vinegar.
Temperature Control
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when storing wine is the temperature. Too cold, and the wine will freeze, which will dilute the flavor, while warm temperatures will cause the wine to sour. Though the exact range of temperature will vary on specific wines (most will say directly on the bottle), a good rule of thumb would be to keep your wine in a climate-controlled environment that does not fluctuate much and never goes above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Humidity
You'll also want to ensure that the humidity within the area where you're storing your wine is moderate. An extremely humid environment can cause mold to grow in the corks while an extremely dry room will cause the corks to crack. Since it can be hard to measure humidity, you should try to store wine in a room in which you are comfortable—stay away from areas in your home like kitchens and basements as well as areas that have exposed plumbing.
Light
Avoid storing your wine in areas that receive a large amount of natural light. UV rays from the sun can cause wine to age at a faster rate, which can prematurely ruin the flavor before you ever get the chance to open the bottle. If you can't store your bottles in a darkened room, you should at least cover the bottles with sheets to prevent UV damage.
Physical Storage
Be sure to store wine bottles on their side. This is not done for aesthetic reasons: laying wine bottles on their side makes the wine come into contact with the cork, helping to keep it moist and preventing it from drying up and cracking. This usually entails purchasing a wine rack, which is designed to hold bottles securely in such a way. Avoid storage units that are not specially designed to hold wine bottles, as they greatly increase the risk of a wine bottle rolling or falling out and breaking.