Newsletter
AGEING AND STORING OF YOUR WINES
Storing
Where is the best place to store your wines at home? If you are lucky enough to have
a constant 55 degree F storage condition all year round, then your problem is solved.
You would have the perfect place to store your collection of wines. Most of us don't
have the ideal, so here are some facts to keep in mind.
1. Warmer temperatures prematurely age wine.
2. Fluctuation of temperature is not healthy for wines. If your storage fluctuates from
55 to 75 degrees F, your doing more harm than good to the wine.
3. Higher humidity is better than low humidity.
4. When all else fails,and you don't have any other options,store your wine in the
refrigerator.
For most of us the easiest thing to do is find the most constant cool temperature in
your home and store the wine there. For most people this area is the basement.
But remember cork is natural product, it can transfer smells to the wine. If you have
a musty smell in your storage area this can be transmitted into the taste of the wine.
Storing your wine in a closet with potpourri can do the same.
Ageing
Storage of wine effects the ageing process as well. It plays a factor in
ageing,because of the temperature at which you store wine. Storing your wine at a
higher temperature will shorten the ageing process but may produce a much less
complex wine. While ageing your wine in a refrigerator may stop the ageing process
altogether.
Tannins play a big role in the ageing process. Tannins come from the stems,seeds
and grape skins as well as from added oak and barrel ageing. The more tannins in
the wine the longer it should be aged.
As a rule red wined are higher in tannins then white wines and need longer ageing. A
big full bodied red may need as long a 9 to 12 months of ageing to reach it's full
potential,while a less complex red and most white can be enjoyed in only 2 to 3
months.
Storing
Where is the best place to store your wines at home? If you are lucky enough to have
a constant 55 degree F storage condition all year round, then your problem is solved.
You would have the perfect place to store your collection of wines. Most of us don't
have the ideal, so here are some facts to keep in mind.
1. Warmer temperatures prematurely age wine.
2. Fluctuation of temperature is not healthy for wines. If your storage fluctuates from
55 to 75 degrees F, your doing more harm than good to the wine.
3. Higher humidity is better than low humidity.
4. When all else fails,and you don't have any other options,store your wine in the
refrigerator.
For most of us the easiest thing to do is find the most constant cool temperature in
your home and store the wine there. For most people this area is the basement.
But remember cork is natural product, it can transfer smells to the wine. If you have
a musty smell in your storage area this can be transmitted into the taste of the wine.
Storing your wine in a closet with potpourri can do the same.
Ageing
Storage of wine effects the ageing process as well. It plays a factor in
ageing,because of the temperature at which you store wine. Storing your wine at a
higher temperature will shorten the ageing process but may produce a much less
complex wine. While ageing your wine in a refrigerator may stop the ageing process
altogether.
Tannins play a big role in the ageing process. Tannins come from the stems,seeds
and grape skins as well as from added oak and barrel ageing. The more tannins in
the wine the longer it should be aged.
As a rule red wined are higher in tannins then white wines and need longer ageing. A
big full bodied red may need as long a 9 to 12 months of ageing to reach it's full
potential,while a less complex red and most white can be enjoyed in only 2 to 3
months.
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