Storing

What is the best way to store and preserve wine?

Some wines get better over the years. Some don´t. Actually, the majority doesn´t.

The amount of tannin in the wine is the main indicator whether the wine has succumbed to the years. During the years the amount of tannin is getting smaller, so if you wish to preserve the wine for a few years, you have to make sure that the wine already contains enough tannin, otherwise, its quality will start to decrease and the wine will "die" very soon. The wine, we plan to drink within a year doesn´t necessary have to be stored on a special place. The only condition you have to meet is to keep it on a dry and cool place.The temperature most mentioned is 21°C. One shouldn´t keep the wine on temperatures higher than this, especially sensitive, white wine.

When we store wines that still need to ripen, then it´s necessary to provide the right conditions in the cellar:

Temperature - shouldn´t oscillate much - 12°C is ideal, but 10 to 14°C is tolerable. Great temperature oscillations can harm the wine. If the temperature is too high, the wine ripens too fast and looses so its quality, because it didn´t have time to mature. If the temperature is too low, then the wine maturation will be slowed down.

Humidity - about 60% is ideal. This level keeps the cork moist, which stops the oxygen from penetrating into the wine. If the cork dries out, he can let the oxygen into the bottle, and the wine will oxidize. For that reason the bottles are kept in a horizontal position, because in that way the wine moisturizes the cork itself.

Absence of light

Absence of vibrations

Absence of strong smells - Pluto is a porous material, so there is a possibility that it will absorb all the external smells and thereby change the smell and aroma of the wine.

The best place to keep the wine is a cellar that you can build by yourself or buy. There are a lot of people who never follow the rules of wine storing, and claim that it never harmed the quality and development of their wine. It was established that slow changes of temperature from somewhat cold to somewhat warm (but not hot) won´t influence the wine drastically. Still, a prolonged storing in a warm place will cause a premature ripening, and it´ll have some unwanted consequences-a layman would say, that we´ll have a wine that had a very short life.

People often keep their wine in some old fridges, which is actually not a good solution. Most fridges are too cold, especially those old ones, whose thermostat isn´t really trustworthy. Although it´s possible to change or adjust the thermostat, it doesn´t change the other problem connected to it, and that´s the humidity. The humidity is very low in fridges, since they are made to drain the air, and the wine likes humidity. Of course there are other possibilities to moisten the air inside the fridges. Still you are stuck with the last, but not least problem, which is-vibrations.  Every fridge shakes strongly every time it turns on or off, and it´s also vibrating all the time. The wine likes peace and quiet, it doesn´t like to be shaken, or ´disquieted´ in any way.

Air-conditioners are one of the devices people like to use. They are, however, not designed to work on very low temperatures, which are required for wine storing. If you should succeed in getting your device to work on such low temperatures, you should be aware that its spire could freeze. You also have to get an air- moisturizer, so basically you still haven´t done the appropriate thing for your wine storing.

The wisest and most recommendable solution is to make some effort, explore the literature, rethink the whole thing and then adjust one of the rooms in your house and make a healthy climate that will prolong the life of your wines and make them better. Your wine will be grateful.

Wine aging

If you ever have the chance to try some of the great wines when they are fully ripe, try them, because it´s an experience you´ll always remember.

The most wines are not meant to age. Only a small percentage, 5 % of all the wine in the world gets better after spending years in a wine cellar. An even smaller amount of wine gets better after spending 10 or more years in a wine cellar. Most of the wines, red and white ones don´t have the required quality that makes them better with years, but it doesn´t mean that they are not valuable. They are great for everyday consumption. We also don´t use our best dishes every day, do we?

The characteristics of a ripe wine are bouquet and texture. The fruity aroma, as well as the taste of young wine derives from the grapes. As the wine ripens, these primary fruity tastes evolve, they get the dark, earthly and leather tones called, the "bouquet of the bottle" or just "bouquet".As the time passes the wine texture also evolves. The wine gets softer and silkier in the mouth.  This happens when the rough and firm tannin extracts itself from the wine in the form of a sludge or sediment.

The wine at its peak has fruity aromas, but has also a more subtle, complex aroma and the taste of ripeness. The texture of ripe wine seems somewhat softer and the wine is delicate and focused. And during the sampling the "ending of the wine" seems longer.

Finally, the rest of the fruity aromas "fade away" and the wine "declines" whilst changing its color to violet-brown. Sourness and tannins prevail and the wine can be described as "effete", too old or even dead.

Defining the peak

One of the responsibilities of professional wine tasters -sommeliers is the estimation how long the wine needs to unfold the  "bouquet of the bottle", or how long the wine will need to improve itself. These estimations are based on experience, because one can only guess when the wine is best for consumption.

One of the unwritten rules is that the wine will stay at its peak for as long, as it needed to get to it. For example, if it needed  5 to 10 years to get to the peak it will stay on the peak for the next 5 to 10 years.

Personal taste

Finally, the personal taste, which is endlessly different, is the key when it comes to estimating the right moment to drink the wine. Some people like the fruity freshness of young wines, while some prefer the darker, more complex older wines.

In which moment of the evolution curve you like to drink your wine is a question only you can answer, based on your own experience.

(quote from: Tomislav Katanović)

 

Ways of storing

We have separated some of the most common types of holders, shelves and fridges made for wine storing.

 

1. Refrigerated Cabinets

This is the most expensive, but also most effective way of storing the wine.

2. Showcases

When we speak about showcases, then we mean large shelves meant for a large amount of bottles. They are great for cellars and other rooms where we keep large amounts of wine.

 

3. Shelves

Shelves are good for a smaller amount of bottles, and they are also good for less appropriate rooms. The wines kept in such conditions should be drunk in a short time period.