One of the most enjoyable aspects of finding out about and appreciating wine is creating a wine inventory that is unique to your interests. Nevertheless, choosing and buying wines is just the first step; they must also be properly stored.
If kept properly, wine may last for many years or even millennia, increasing in value and quality. Yet even the best wines in the universe can be destroyed by poor storage.
This post about how to store wine without a wine fridge is for you if you do not possess a wine refrigerator but still want to keep the bottles properly.
4 Things to Keep in Mind for Good Wine Storing
There are some aspects for you to pay attention to when you store a bottle of wine:
- Vibration: Wine bottles should vibrate as little as possible. It has been demonstrated that vibration reduces aromatics by raising the propanol content in wine. The isoamyl alcohol is raised when there is too much vibration, which brings out the acetone notes more. The definition of bad vibrations has completely changed.
- Temperature: The recommended storage temperature range is 50–55 °F. This temperature is warm enough to allow the wines to mature nicely while keeping them safe.
- Humidity: Between 50 and 80 percent relative humidity is good for wine storage since it is moist enough to prevent cork drying out but not so humid as to encourage cork mold growth.
- Light: The wine’s structure is kept together by a little to nonexistent amount of light. The wine becomes unbalanced when exposed to too much light, which breaks down its phenolic and chemical components.
How to Preserve Wine That Has Not Been Opened and Has Been Opened Without a Wine Fridge
1. Unopened wine bottle
- Choose a Dim Place: Unopened wine shouldn’t be kept in rooms that get a lot of sunlight since UV rays might hasten the wine’s early deterioration. Nevertheless, it’s not only the sun! Keeping the lights off is preferable. Even fluorescent lights over time might deteriorate your wine.
- Always arrange horizontally while storing: Many people are unaware that they shouldn’t store their bottles upright, although this is a crucial aspect of wine lifespan. This maintains the liquid in contact with the cork, preventing drying out and air infiltration. Invest in a horizontal wooden wine rack to protect your bottles from lying on the kitchen counter.
- Identify when the wine has passed its best peak: The majority of wine isn’t supposed to stay forever, even when stored carefully. If you want a bottle that will survive 10 years or longer, talk to the proprietor of your local wine shop. Instead, attempt to finish your reds and whites in 3 years and one year, respectively.
2. Opened wine bottle
- Diminish exposure to oxygen: Maintaining an oxygen-free environment within the container is crucial for wine preservation. It’s critical to securely seal the opening since once the cork is popped, this becomes more challenging. Wine stoppers that seal the bottle by first removing extra air are available to purchase. For roughly a week, this can keep leftover wine fresh. Use the cork that came with the bottle in a pinch, though.
- Refrigerate and maintain a constant temperature: Your wine will last longer in the fridge. Wine may keep for up to five days in the refrigerator when it is firmly sealed. So yes, you should keep red wine that has been opened in the refrigerator. Place the bottle in a warm bath to bring it back to the appropriate temperature for drinking.
- Avoid exposure to the sun: Although it may be tempting, you should resist leaving unfinished wine on the counter, if your kitchen is exposed to a lot of sunshine. The interior of your cupboard or a locked cabinet is the best option if you must avoid refrigeration and want to consume the bottle within the following day.
How To Store Wine Without a Wine Fridge
- Pack it up in a box: Wine ordered online is usually shipped in boxes. Keep the bottle in the box if at all feasible to lessen the impact of temperature changes, especially if the box is made of Styrofoam.
- Maintain ventilation whenever feasible: Keeping your wines in the cellar or another space under the house is a very good choice if there is appropriate ventilation. If not, your wines could develop a moldy odor.
- Stay away from external walls: To reduce the influence of outside temperature, choose locations away from external walls where you may keep your wine. Consider closets, built-in wardrobes, or storage areas beneath the stairs.
- Keep in a temperature-controlled location: The best storage conditions for wine are cooler temperatures (around 14 – 18 degrees Celsius), but the most crucial factor is that the location remains consistently warm. Indeed, such places are off limits, including keeping it in a closet in one of the kitchen, laundry, or boiler rooms.
- No vibrates: Whether you intend to age it for a few years or maybe not, vibrations are especially not good. Vibrations can upset a wine’s chemical equilibrium and prevent fine red wine’s sediments from settling. Hence, storing wine in an area with less activity and footfall in which the kitchen is a bad choice.
- Avoid storage sheds and garages: Although it would seem like a great idea to store liquor bottles in a basement because it’s dark and generally cold, these spaces typically see dramatic temperature swings throughout the year. Also, if you’re unlucky, the gasoline or potent cleansers you store in these locations could leak into the wine via the cork.
- For maturing wines for a long time, use a wine cellar: The finest place to encourage the appropriate maturing of premium wines that will be kept for many years is a wine cellar. The ability to replicate the constant 55°F (13°C) subterranean climate, better humidity control, protection against vibrations, and capacity to store a sizable wine collection are all advantages of wine cellars.
- Keep wine away from strong scents: Because corks are porous, powerful odors might enter the cork and affect the wine’s flavor. Garbage cans, foods like onions and garlic, painting cans, and cleaning supplies should all be kept away from wine.
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FAQs
1. Is it possible to keep wine at room temperature?
Indeed, they will be alright, is the quick response. The ideal place for the bottles to be kept is in a cupboard or inside a carton box where they won’t be disturbed or illuminated by light, but make sure they aren’t kept in direct sunlight.
2. How long will wine keep if it is not chilled?
3 to 5 days with a cap in a dark, cold place. If a red wine has higher acidity and tannin, it frequently keeps better after being opened. As Pinot Noir has less tannin than Petite Sirah, it won’t keep its bottles open as long. Some wines will even improve beyond the first opening day.
3. What occurs if you keep the wine in a hot environment?
The taste of wine can be irreversibly ruined by temperatures above 70 degrees for an extended period. As the temperature rises above 80 degrees, the wine begins to fry. Unpleasantly sour and jammy, wine heat damage has a prune-like flavor.
4. Do wines that have not been opened go bad?
When stored properly and maintained unopened, white wines can commonly be kept longer than their recommended drinking time by 1 – 2 years, red wines for 2 – 3 years, and gourmet wines for 3-5 years. Fine wine, as you would have guessed, can frequently be enjoyed for decades.
5. Can wine be consumed two years after opening?
Yes. Old opened wine can be consumed without damage as long as no hazardous microorganisms are present. Even though the wine looks to contain mold, drinking it won’t get you sick. Yet, cork taint or ruined wine won’t have a good flavor or scent and may taste strange.
6. Will it be alright if I consume wine that is two years old?
According to the sort of wine, the remaining wine can be consumed anywhere from 1 to 5 days after it’s been poured if it hasn’t been opened more than that. Unopened wine can be consumed for up to 1-5 years beyond its expiration date.
7. What happens if I consume wine that has spoiled?
The most common cause of wine spoilage is oxidation, which can cause the wine to convert into vinegar. That might taste bad, but it won’t hurt you, probably. Food poisoning, however, might occur as a result of microbial deterioration. While uncommon, this kind of rotting is feasible.
8. How long does red wine last?
Red wine bottles that haven’t been opened often last for three years after the recommended drinking window. Its strong tannin content ensures that it will be preserved naturally for a long time. Items should be kept out of the light in a cool, dark area to maximize shelf life.
9. Can wine that has aged make you have bad health?
No, there are no recognized health risks associated with consuming oxidized wine. While acetaldehyde is a poison, the small amounts present in oxidized wine are safe to drink. Vinegar and oxidized wine are both alcoholic beverages. Although it won’t harm your health, the flavor is unpleasant.
10. Can wine be kept upright?
Although it has always been believed that wine should be kept on its side, several recent studies have found that this is not a fact and that keeping wine upright for up to five years or longer may be the best approach to preserving its aroma and flavor.
Conclusion
You can appropriately store and conserve your wine by using the advice we’ve given you. If you want to start your wine collection, a wine cooler will cost a lot of money. Of course, whether or not you have a wine fridge is not a huge deal if you know how to keep things correctly.
Your life would be made much simpler if you kept in mind how to store wine without a wine fridge, enabling you to sip your wine in its most elegant and fragrant state.
In 2014, Leo Colon began working with Big Cottonwood Winery. Over the years he has remained part of this prestigious winery’s team and is also a contributor to other notable wine publications. As an ardent advocate for knowledge, Leo continues his vinous education to this day.