Drink Better With Around Wine

Wine stored properly tastes better. Whether you buy a bottle a week from the supermarket or several cases a month from a fine wine merchant, wine should be stored in the right conditions as it is so easy to damage the delicate flavours that your money has bought.

Never store wine on a wine rack in the kitchen, or somewhere very warm or very cold. The wine will be exposed to the main enemies of wine.

• UV light
• Daily fluctuating temperatures can damage wine in weeks.
• Extremes of temperature
• Dry air
• Vibration (during longer term storage)

ALL wine that is to be kept for months or years will mature properly when stored in a cellar environment. Temperatures below 10 degrees C preserve wine stopping it from maturing and very cold will crush the molecules and so reduce the flavour. Temperatures above 15 degrees C mature the wine too quickly and change the flavour profile. Above 20 degrees the wine will start to break down and become undrinkable. Fluctuating temperatures pull and push the molecules in the wine, gently destroying them over time.

Humidity should be maintained above 50% and in the UK we are lucky enough to have sufficiently humid air. Humidity decreases with temperature as there is less space between the air molecules to hold the water molecules. Humidity is also removed by fridges, air conditioners and artificially heated environments. Humidity is needed to keep corks hydrated maintaining the seal. Wines sealed under cork should be stored lying flat to keep the cork moist.

A EuroCave cellar cabinet recreates all the factors needed for perfect wine storage.

Text Copyright, Daniel Primack, Around Wine.