Don’t let your wine go bad

Do you how to properly store an unopened bottle of wine? This is especially important when you are spending good money on wines.

Nothing is more heartbreaking than wait in anticipation, only to uncork the bottle and find that the wine has lost all its beauty.

Perhaps you do not have the space or budget to buy a special wine fridge. So how can you still store your wine so that it will still taste good after you unbottle it? Keep the 5 tips below in mind and you should be fine.

1- Keep the temperature at 12 degrees Celsius

The storage temperature should be maintained at a constant 12 degrees Celsius. This temperature is not an exact science, so keeping the wine at slightly lower temperature in your refrigerator is fine as well. This low temperature will slow down reactions such as oxidation in the bottle.

2- Maintain a constant temperature

Perhaps more important than finding the right temperature is to keep it at a constant one. Temperature swings within a short period of time can cause the cork to expand and shrink. This may cause a air to seep into the wine bottle and degrade the wine..

The French Cellar takes extra care to maintain our wines at a constant before delivering them to you. Our warehouse and deliver vehicles have air-conditioned compartments to maintain wines constantly at the right temperature.

3- Keep it away from strong light sources

Notice that many wines sold today come in tinted bottles. This helps reduce the wine’s exposure to light, as harsh UV rays can degrade your wine rapidly. You can also do your part by keeping your wines away from direct exposure to the sun or strong indoor light sources.

4- Keep the wine horizontal

If your wine is bottled using a traditional wooden cork, store the bottle in a horizontal position. This keeps the cork moist and stops it from drying out. A dry cork may break easily when you try to remove it, causing quite a bit of inconvenience when you want to drink your wine. But more importantly, it can also crack and allow air to seep through, which spoils the wine. This tip matters less if your wine was bottled with a synthetic cork or screw cap.

5- Minimize vibrations

Vibrations could disperse the sediments in your wine. This dispersing can produce fine particles which do not settle, so you cannot separate it out from the wine easily when unbottling. These fine particles will affect the wine’s color and flavor as well. So be sure to keep your wines away from electronic appliances that cause vibrations.

With these 5 tips in mind, you can now store any bottle of wine that you have with confidence! Wine novice or interested in discovering wines you do not have access to? Every month receive two bottles of exclusive French wines at home with our sommelier's tasting guide. Find out more