Wine Storage at Home

Wine Storage Tips: Bottle Position and Humidity

Bottles with natural cork enclosures require constant moisture. Placing a wine on its side will allow for long aging. Bottle position is not important for wines with screw caps, or glass or plastic corks. The ideal humidity level is around 70 percent with a target range of 50 to 85 percent. Controlling humidity is a much more important consideration for cellars/rooms in desert or tropical climates and for collections that will store wine for 10 or more years. The proper humidity level will help keep natural cork from crumbling.

Wine Storage Tips: Temperature 

Recommendations for storing wine for months, years, or decades are blind to wine color. The ideal temperature is 55°F. The lower the temperature, the slower the aging. Avoid storing wine below 45°F or above 70°F. Also avoid proximity to heating vents, lights, or appliances that give off heat (such as a stove or refrigerator). Fluctuations lead to the expansion and contraction of the bottle, introducing oxygen from the surrounding room into the bottle. Although wine breathes through the cork and requires oxidation, excessive or uncontrolled oxidation will negatively impact the aging process.

General Wine Storage Tips: Vibration and Direct Light

Vibration affects the aging process, expediting chemical reactions and advancing maturity, undermining the benefits of long-term aging. Wine should be stored away from potential sources of vibration such as mechanical rooms and appliances. Energy from natural light sources can also accelerate chemical reactions, causing premature aging. UV exposure in particular prematurely ages wine; indirect natural light or no natural light at all is best. Household lights do not cause notable damage, but they do emit heat, which needs to be accounted for. LEDs are preferred.

Wine Storage Tips: Cork Forward vs. Label Forward 

Cork forward is the traditional method of storing wines in a cellar and is named simply after the element of the bottle seen when the bottle is in its cradle. Label-forward displays put the wine on its side with the label art facing out, creating increased interaction between the user and the bottle of wine. This can also make it easier to find specific bottles.