Storing Wine � Some Guidelines

There's always been an aura of wonder surrounding wine so little wonder it has grown to become such a popular drink, much-loved all over the world. Technically, it is an alcoholic drink which is manufactured by fermenting grapes, fruit or flowers but by and large, the raw material used is grapes. In this process, yeast is used to convert the organic material from which the wine is made, into alcohol. Since it is a complex process, many categories of wine are created depending on the vinification process, the vintage, the quality of the product and of course, the taste and color.

One of the most important factors which wine-lovers look for while buying a wine is the way in which it was stored. However good the wine may be, it is never good enough if it hasn't been stored properly. Storing a wine in an appropriate place helps preserve its flavor and richness. Let's take a look at some of the factors which must be taken into account while storing wine.

First off, the humidity factor is vital. The room's humidity plays a very important part in the storage of wine as excess humidity slowly decreases the quality of the cork. This is very detrimental to the flavor and the aroma of the wine. When storing wines, the right humidity should range from 50% to 80%, the ideal humidity being 70%. The wine is not directly affected by the humidity, it is the cork or the cardboard box in which it is stored that is affected. Once they are destroyed, the wine is affected as it is exposed to air.

Temperature is another factor which must be taken into account while storing wine. The overall quality of the wine tends to get affected for the worse when there are seesaws in temperature. Premature aging takes place when wine is exposed to unstable temperatures. 50 degrees to 55 degrees F would be the best temperature to store wine.

The light factor is also very crucial as light tends to make wines age quicker. So one sees that the wine in clear bottles ages faster than that in colored bottles. When it ages very fast, especially if it is exposed to ultra-violet rays, the wine tends to spoil, with a rather bad odor.

Yes, the way the wine is stored is just as important as the way it was made. If you want to enjoy your wines, it would be a good idea to take a closer look at the way they are stored.