Wine storage,In addition to my normal everyday wine, I have about 6 bottles of red wine that were given to me as gifts, some on the expensive side. None are older than a 99 vintage, most are 2001s. I’ve been holding on to these for about 2 years now, and plan to let them cellar for a while longer. I just made the investment and bought a climate controlled wine cabinet. I know this is the proper way to store wine long term. My question though, have I hurt any of the wine by having it out in the open for the past 2 years? It’s been kept in a 70 degree apartment, and the wine has been lying on it’s side in a dark place.
Richard M // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
For your own consumption then there isn’t going to be a problem. those two years will not have hurt them too much, because you are going to consume them pretty soon. however, the longer the storage and maturing time the greater the mistakes made early, will appear.
Example: two bottles of say Cheval Blanc 2001
Bottle A kept in perfect conditions. Matures 20 years later
Bottle B kept in warm temperatures, matures 15 years later.
the 5 years doesn’t sound very much but the effect is to produce a wine that is out of balance, it will have matured way to quickly and will be dried out and raisoned. Where as the other will still have a little fruit and juiciness but also a lot of complexity, tobacco, chocolate cigar box etc. Enjoy them when you open them.
Tip. When buying wine for ageing, always buy 3 of the same vintage.. when you think it’s ready keep notes of them. Try them 1 year apart of each other and compare notes. Cheers
James // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
yes your not posed to shake it or anythinh if yiu want the best taste
Fire // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
first of all apartments are not cellars…
real_beerboy // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
The worst threat to wine storage is frequent and extreme temperature fluctuations. As long as the fluctuations are kept in check wine can be stored at 70 degrees without any problems. You may want to chill it a bit (to cellar temperature) before drinking though, even reds.
Patricia D // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
It hasn’t been cellared under "ideal" circumstances but you probably haven’t damaged the wine or anything. The temperature has been a little high for storing a wine but if it has been constant at that temperature then that does minimize the problems you may encounter. The cabinet will help get the wine down to a proper storing temperature and the dark place is another point in the plus column for your situation.
At this point, what you want to do is not drastically drop the temperature of the wine so if you can adjust the internal temperature of the cabinet you bought, that will be the best way to ensure long term age ability. Keep storing the bottles on their side, in a dark place and get the temperature regulated and you should be fine.
Gillian // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
In my experience, it all depends on the wine. And price is no guarantee of anything.
I have wines as old as 1974 in my collection and as far as storage is concerned they have been kept in all kinds of places and traveled many thousands of miles across continents. I opened one such bottle around a year ago and it still had a fresh fruitiness that was quite remarkable. Others have not done so well.
With regard to your 6 bottles of red, I suggest that you check them out on some web site and see what they say about maturation potential. (Remember that price is no guarantee.) These days, the majority of wines are made for early consumption and quickly deteriorate if left for too long.
Mia // Aug 17, 2010 at 5:52 am
The main issue when it comes to storing wine is that it needs to be maintained at a cool temperature of between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius. Shoved under the bed won’t do.
Many modern wines do not need to be aged over a great period of time; therefore extensive cellars are often unnecessary. Having said this, if you have the time, space and resource to excavate a cellar, your wine will surely benefit. A purpose built cellar is not normally an option for most households and so suitable alternatives must be explored.
Ideal areas for storage include a corner of a garage, garden shed, an unused fireplace or a cupboard that is against an outside wall.
Here are some additional details of how you should store your wine http://www.craft-kits.net/how-to-store-wine.htm
Wherever you choose to store your wine, a few basic criteria are worth keeping in mind.