Some wines will improve with age, and some will deteriorate over time. You also need to have some idea of the aging potential of a wine. Make sure the wine rack is not exposed to direct sunlight, and if you set the thermostat above 77☏ (25☌) for hours at a time, you’d be better off not using a countertop rack at all. If you intend to open a bottle within a few weeks or so, it is just fine to keep a white wine in the refrigerator and a red wine on a simple countertop wine rack. Since most of us do not have a wine cellar in our homes, however, we must explore other options.Ĭonsider the length of time you anticipate keeping the bottle before opening it. Obviously, a dedicated wine cellar with controlled temperature and humidity is the best place to store wine for the long haul. It is generally accepted that the perfect conditions for storing wine long-term are those found in an underground cave: around 55☏ (13☌) and between 70 and 90 percent relative humidity. Wine bottles with cork closures are also sensitive to humidity if the cork dries out, oxygen will get past it and spoil the wine. Light-bodied wines such as 2013 Domaine Henri Boillot Bourgogne Rouge and 2014 Do Ferreiro Albariño from the Rías Baixas are particularly susceptible to heat damage. Even a few hours above this temperature will result in noticeable loss of fruit expression and may even result in a wine that is ‘cooked’ - displaying characteristics of stewed or raisinated fruits that would not normally be encountered in the wine. “All table wine will be affected, to some degree, by temperatures that are too high (above 77☏ or 25☌), or by temperature variation over time. “There are many factors to consider when storing wine at home,” says Davis: How do you store your bottles to maximize their potential? In honor of spring cleaning, Davis considers the best practices for wine storage: how to store bottles for the short and long-term, as well as the ideal temperatures and cork conditions. Today’s installment: How should I store wine at home to maximize a bottle’s potential?Īt iconic New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace, sommelier Dan Davis oversees a list of 2,700 wine bottles (!). Served above its ideal temperature, aromas are stripped of their youthfulness and hidden by the sensation of alcohol.Welcome to Ask a Somm, a column in which experts from across the country answer questions about wine. Served below its ideal temperature, tannins will be harsher and acidity will be stronger. Table describing serving temperatures of different styles of wine Each wine style has an ideal serving temperature. NOTE: If you have precise control over the serving temperature with the help of a wine serving cabinet, aim for 2 degrees Celsius less than what is recommended, so that the wine will be in the right temperature range during the entire meal. So rather than leaving a bottle in the fridge as you leave for work in the morning (so you can uncork it as soon as your work day ends), fill a bucket with ice and cold water when you get home, drop in your white wine and it will be at perfect serving temperature in no time: that first sip will be all the more rewarding served at the right temperature. If in doubt though, it’s always better to serve your reds a little cooler, as you can always warm up the glass in the palm of your hand.įor whites, 2-3 hours in the fridge is perfect, but no more, as white wines should never be served under 5 degrees Celsius if they’re coming straight out of a 2 degrees Celsius fridge, the only thing your taste buds will ever register is acidity. Of course, if you store your wine in a wine cabinet at cellaring temperature (12 degrees Celsius), this is no longer necessary: just take it out 15 minutes prior to serving. This is why it makes perfect sense to give your reds some time to cool down in the fridge before service (20-25 min). Served at 25 degrees Celsius, red wine will lose all its finesse and freshness to an overpowering sensation of alcohol. When the French recommend serving your full-bodied reds “chambrés” (at ambient room temperature), they’re actually referring to room temperature as it was in European dining rooms in the medieval times before central heating existed, so 15-18 degrees Celsius. On one hand, a Chardonnay served at 5 degrees Celsius instead of 11-12 degrees Celsius will be stripped of all its enchanting aromas and flavours, while serving red wines at room temperature in Australia (24-30 degrees Celsius) is a common mistake.
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