OK, wine aficionados, today we’re happy to pass along these wine storage tips courtesy of our friends at Underground Cellar.
"I don't have a fancy cellar or wine fridge to protect my wines- how should I store my small-yet-important stash of bottles? I don't want to ruin them before I can drink them!"
Look, most casual wine drinkers are not utilizing a climate-controlled walk-in cellar of any sorts, and many folks don't even have a small countertop wine fridge in the kitchen or dining room.
The thing is, you don't have to spend big money on a fancy wine cooler that's bigger than your kitchen refrigerator or dig a small cave into the hillside next to your house to safely store your bottles of vino.
Here are a few easy yet important tips on keeping your wine from being damaged in your home:
* Consistency of temperature is key. Major temp fluctuation kills wine, and may lead to cork leakage due to the wine expanding/contracting from the wide temp changes. No bueno!
* Keep the wine out of direct light- be it sunshine or direct bright indoor lighting of any kind. There's a reason almost all wine bottles use tinted, colored glass- it's like wine sunglasses to protect the juice inside from damaging UV rays.
* Store your wines on their side, ensuring the cork stays moist. If a bottle is aged for many years upright there's a chance that dry cork could crumble and be a pain in the ass to extract in one piece! I hate trying to fish out cork bits from my precious wine...it's torture.
By remembering these very simple yet very effective storage tips, you can find a suitable spot in your humble abode to keep your wines safe and provide you with a little peace of mind as well.
1) First grab a few crates, racks, or simple storage shelves to hold your bottles. There are many options online, at the wine shop, or hardware store that are cheap and effective.
2) Next clean out that half-full, disorganized, under-utilized closet/pantry space. Reorganize that cluttered basement. Clear out those old golf clubs from underneath the staircase. Make room for your cherished vino collection to move in and find a new, safe home:)
3) Then get your DWSA (Designated Wine Storage Area) identified, prepared, and stocked up. Minor temp fluctuations in your home are normal and just fine. Keeping temps between 55-65 degrees in your DWSA would be ideal, but again as long as things are pretty stable you should be fine.
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