Storing wine for the appropriate
amount of time at an ideal temperature will allow it to reach
and maintain peak drink ability. Too warm and some aspects of
the wine will mature and start to decline before other desirable
traits have had time to be optimized. Too cold and the wine will
not reach an ideal drink ability in your lifetime.
Temperature
is the most important factor and the factor that should
be sought after above all others. The optimum temperature
is 50 to 57°F (10-13°C). However, any constant temperature
within 40-65°F (5-18°C) will do. More important than the
actual temperature you will be able to achieve, is the degree
and rapidity of fluctuation the wine is subjected to. A
slow change of temperature of ten or so degrees between
winter and summer is not a big problem. But this kind of
fluctuation on a daily or weekly basis will cause damage
to your wines and age them prematurely. You will notice
damage of this nature from the sticky deposit that often
forms around the capsule. In time, as the wine expands and
contracts, it will damage the integrity of the cork. When
this happens minute quantities of wine may make its way
alongside the cork possibly even allowing oxygen to seep
back in.
Wines kept at too high a temperature will age faster than
wines kept at a cold temperature. Theoretically, wines kept
at 68°F will age twice as fast as those kept at 50°F. At
55°F (12°C) wines will age so slowly – with ultimately greater
complexity – that you will never have to worry about them.
This is not to say the colder the better. Wine that is stored
too cold can develop deposits or other suspensions in the
wine. Finally, keep in mind that white wines are affected
far more by temperature problems than red wines. Back
A
Wine Storage Facility Is A Necessity.
Fine Wines are worth paying
extra for only if you can store and eventually serve them in good
condition.Wine needs
to be kept in a clean, dark,damp place with good ventilation,
and security, where it can be stored vibration free at a constant
temperature.
