Wine is a perishable product that can be kept for a long time and evolve with age, keeping its qualities intact, even improving them over time.
However, in order for this process not to be the cause of a bottle of wine definitively spoiling, a series of details must be taken into account: knowing how to store wine correctly is, therefore, the first step in preserving its flavors and aromas over time, offering a pleasant tasting experience.
On the other hand, when we open a bottle and we are not going to consume it completely, there are ways to preserve it optimally so that it is kept in the best possible conditions.
For all these reasons, let's see below the best methods to preserve wine, with the bottle closed or open.
How to save and store bottles of wine at home?
When the wine enters the bottle, its journey has just begun. Its evolution does not end in glass, but continues. To accompany the aging of your favorite labels, the wine must be preserved taking into account some precautions. Here are the ways to preserve wine without opening the bottle:
1 - Place the bottles horizontally
For a perfect conservation of the wines, the bottles must be lying down. This position facilitates contact between the wine and the cork, keeping it moist and well adhered to the neck of the bottle. When the cork dries out, it allows air to enter the bottle and cause oxidation.
2 - Keep the bottles in the dark.
Darkness is the friend of wine. Light and sun, on the other hand, no. Wine is a treasure that is kept in the dark as much as possible. It must be protected from sunlight and also from artificial lights.
3 - Avoid stress and loud noises from the bottles.
Once the cellar is full, the bottles must remain in place until the day of corkage. This means that they should not be moved or subjected to vibrations, loud noises, sudden changes in light or temperature conditions. The aging and maturation give character and personality to the wine, they improve the wine but without disturbing it!
Oh the contempt of the Yale law professors for the petty, bourgeois concern for having a “successful law practice.”… https://t.co/aq9HaNWWhS
— Zach Wolfe Wed Jun 30 02:21:44 +0000 2021
4 - Do not store wine in environments with strong odours.
Keeping the wine collection next to the collection of sausages, strings of garlic and cured cheeses is not a good idea, nor are chemical products such as cosmetics, detergents, paint or varnish cans, for example. The cork stopper could allow odors to contaminate the wine, altering its characteristics.
5 - Temperature and humidity.
In the absence of a basement in our home, we must opt for a room with a temperature between 10 and 18 degrees and humidity between 60 and 80%, as stable as possible in both cases. An electric generator is an alternative, not too expensive , which solves all the problems related to wine conservation: it is adjustable, keeps temperature and humidity constant and protects your bottles throughout their life.
6 - Respect the appropriate storage time.
Each wine has its own life cycle and its ideal cycle of consumption: with rare exceptions, a young wine should be consumed in the first years after its harvest, while those that are aged will have some longer than others depending on the same or the elaboration method. The manufacturer usually indicates the optimal period of consumption on the label. Keeping bottles label-side up and therefore easy to read can be a good way to keep an eye on bottles in your private collection.
Choosing the best moment to uncork your favorite bottles will allow you to taste the wines in their full potential of flavor and aroma.
What to do with an open bottle?
Once the bottle is opened, the wine is exposed to oxygen, which causes oxidation that affects the properties and composition to the point of making it unpleasant on the palate.
However, it can still be preserved, to a certain extent, with correct methods of closing the bottle and tools of various kinds to keep the wine in condition for the next tasting.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the wine must be as isolated as possible from the atmosphere, which is why the airtight seal is vital. In this way we will ensure that it can last between three and five days, except in the case of sparkling wines or cava, which require other types of utensils to preserve freshness and effervescence.
The best ways to close a bottle of wine to preserve its flavor and aroma:
1- Cork
Use the cork to close the bottle well once opened, it is the most practical idea, but you have to make sure that the corkscrew has not damaged it or gone through it from side to side.
2- Baking paper
In case of damage to the cork, it is possible to use baking paper to wrap it and prevent some fragments from falling into the bottle when closing it.
To use this method it will be necessary to wrap the stopper with a piece of paper of the same length to cover it, and then push it into the bottle placed on a rigid and stable shelf.
3- Now stand
The main advice for storing wine before opening it is to store it in a horizontal position so that the cork is submerged. Once opened, it is the opposite, it must be upright, in a vertical position and the reason is to expose the least amount of surface possible in contact with the air, even with that which is inside the closed bottle.
4- Refrigerate
Cold slows down chemical processes. In this way, a covered bottle in an upright position finds its best place in the refrigerator door.
5- Rubber stopper
To avoid air infiltration inside the bottle, the rubber stopper is one of the most effective tools to replace the cork.
6- Vacuum pump
To reduce the contact of the wine with oxygen, it is possible to close the open bottle with a vacuum pump that absorbs the air contained inside and maintains the properties of the wine for longer. This would be the safest and most indicated way, but it requires a tool that is available on the market at various prices.
7- Sparkling wines (never use a teaspoon)
There is a myth that says that by covering sparkling wine with a coffee spoon the bubbles do not escape. Well, it is, of course, a lie. The teaspoon does not have magical powers to prevent the gas from being released. What you have to do with sparkling wines is to cover them and store them following the previous points, and consume them as soon as possible, since the gas, once the bottle is opened, will be lost quickly. In addition, for sparkling wines there are special caps that can be purchased in specialized stores as well as air extraction systems.
8 - Generous and sweet wines
These types of wines, due to their higher alcohol or sugar content, have the ability to last longer. For the rest, the way to preserve it would be the same as any other wine as we have seen.
