The first thing you should know when it comes to wine storage is to place bottles on their side somewhere relatively cool and without direct light. This will minimize the damage (mainly in terms of deterioration of taste and flavors) to the wine and allows you to save it as long as you want. But, learn a little more than the basics is advisable and thats what we need to look at now.
Temperature is the main factor to be aware of. Wine should normally be kept between 50-60F, although a series of 45-65F is considered OK. If your temperature is too low, your wine will not age properly. A higher, warmer temperature causes premature aging (not in a good way).
Fluctuating temperatures hurt most wines. It's much better to keep your wine at a constant temperature, although it is too high or too low, than to expose them to large fluctuations each day. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 5 degrees during the day, especially with red wines which suffer more temperature-related problems than white wine.
Another important element in wine storage is moisture, if your storage area is too dry, the corks on your bottles will dry out and allow air to enter, which can lead to damaged wine. Keep your air humidity of about 70 to 80 percent is ideal for wine storage, and you can track it with a hygrometer.
A wine cellar is obviously the best place to achieve these optimal conditions, but because of their cost and the space they take up, they are not an option for most people. But you can mimic conditions of a cellar in a basement or garage. Simply install a wine rack in one of these sites and includes a thermometer and and temperature / humidity gauge to keep track of conditions.
As to how long to save it, it depends on what type of wine region wine was made in the technique used to do it, and the particular year the grapes were harvested in. But a good rule of thumb is to age reds up to 10 years and white for no more than a year or two. If you are starting out, consult a free online aging chart to help you with this aspect of wine storage.
Temperature is the main factor to be aware of. Wine should normally be kept between 50-60F, although a series of 45-65F is considered OK. If your temperature is too low, your wine will not age properly. A higher, warmer temperature causes premature aging (not in a good way).
Fluctuating temperatures hurt most wines. It's much better to keep your wine at a constant temperature, although it is too high or too low, than to expose them to large fluctuations each day. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 5 degrees during the day, especially with red wines which suffer more temperature-related problems than white wine.
Another important element in wine storage is moisture, if your storage area is too dry, the corks on your bottles will dry out and allow air to enter, which can lead to damaged wine. Keep your air humidity of about 70 to 80 percent is ideal for wine storage, and you can track it with a hygrometer.
A wine cellar is obviously the best place to achieve these optimal conditions, but because of their cost and the space they take up, they are not an option for most people. But you can mimic conditions of a cellar in a basement or garage. Simply install a wine rack in one of these sites and includes a thermometer and and temperature / humidity gauge to keep track of conditions.
As to how long to save it, it depends on what type of wine region wine was made in the technique used to do it, and the particular year the grapes were harvested in. But a good rule of thumb is to age reds up to 10 years and white for no more than a year or two. If you are starting out, consult a free online aging chart to help you with this aspect of wine storage.
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