Storing Wine Right: The Ins and Outs of Fine Wine Storage
We offer self-serve storage facilities at K&L San Francisco, Redwood City, and at our warehouse in San Carlos.
We’re big advocates for enjoying wine how, when, and where you like it best. We’re here to support the hyper-decanters and never-decanters equally, and, while we’ll never say no to Champagne… we understand that some folks will never reach for the bubbly. You do you. But when it comes to storing and aging wine there are rules we always follow. It’s one of the few times there’s a definitive right and wrong when it comes to wine.
How a bottle (or case, or pallet) of wine is stored directly impacts how it will age, evolve, and—most importantly—taste once the bottle is opened. It’s why we’ve built out our own storage facilities in San Francisco, Redwood City, and San Carlos and have recently partnered with RareStorage, an industry-leading wine storage company here in California, to increase our storage offerings. We know it’s always worth it to protect the integrity of great wine, whether it’s a crisp rosé for this weekend’s dinner party or a pristine Vosne-Romanée to be uncorked in a century. Read on to discover how to ensure your wines are mesmerizing rather than vinegar when it’s time to (finally) pop the cork.
Mind the Thermostat
You’ve probably heard of cooking with wine, but did you know you can actually cook wine inside the bottle? It’s exactly what happens when wine gets left in a hot car or out in the sun at a summer party. As the temperature rises inside the bottle, the molecules inside the bottle rearrange themselves as the wine literally cooks during a process called Maderization. The result is a wine that’s traded its fresh fruit and earth flavors for tart, baked, or unpleasantly nutty tones.
Instead, keep bottles in cool, dark places where they can age in an undisturbed fashion. At home or in an apartment, low cabinets, closets, basements, and garages are often a good option. The idea is to mimic a winery cellar by keeping the area around 60 degrees and avoiding light, temperature fluctuations, and vibrations.
It’s best to avoid storing wines in high cabinets, near stoves or other appliances, or by sunny windows where temperatures are likely to fluctuate.
Stay Away from the Light
Ever wonder why wineries don’t have windows? It’s because intense sunlight degrades wines, deteriorating their colors, aromas, and flavors. This is why most cellar-worthy wines are bottled in dark glass and the reason most wine fridges use soft blue lights rather than the bright UV-heavy bulbs of traditional refrigerators. At home, it’s best to keep wines away from direct light, storing them in closets, cabinets, or cool cellars.
Store Everything Lying Down or Upside Down
This isn’t just something wine pros do to look fancy: Storing bottles horizontally keeps the cork in contact with the wine, ensuring the cork doesn’t dry out and let oxygen seep into the bottle. Even tiny bits of air can age a wine prematurely, so this is a crucial step to keeping long-term bottles in prime condition for milestone occasions later on.
If you don’t have room to store bottles on their sides, a simple solution is putting them upside down in a standard wine box. It’s not elegant, but it’ll keep the cork wet and the wine sound.
Avoid Vibrations and Unnecessary Movement
Like heat and light, vibrations (think: the thumping bass of a stereo, whirring spin cycle on the washing machine, or furnace rumble) can wreak havoc on the slow and delicate process of aging wine. As a result, it’s best to store wines away from anything that could shake them up, so they can slowly develop their coveted complexities over time. Regular vibrations and movement (like moving that collection from one room to another) can also prevent sediment from settling out of the wine, leaving you with a gritty glass full of… well, not great wine. At heart, the key is leaving bottles undisturbed to age with grace until the perfect moment to open them arises.
The Wine Fridge > The Regular Fridge, Always
There really is a difference between refrigerators designed for wine and those designed for your food. First, the temperatures and humidity levels of wine-specific fridges mimic those of winery cellars, creating ideal conditions for maintaining delicate corks and allowing wine to develop. Secondly, they avoid harsh UV lights and the rattling compressors on standard fridges—those won’t hurt your strawberries, but they will mute the flavors in your Barolo.
Temperature-controlled and tightly secured, pro is the way to go to protect your collection while it ages.
It’s best to pop your wines into the fridge just before serving to adjust their temperatures. Normally, that’s about 15 minutes for red wines and roughly two hours for whites and sparkling wines that should be served well-chilled.
For Investment Purposes, Always Go Pro
If you’re purchasing wine as an investment, it’s always the best practice to opt for professional storage. Especially if you are planning to sell these wines at auction, where proving provenance is a key determinant of the hammer price, it’s essential to keep the bottles pristine. Beyond keeping receipts, proving the wine has been professionally stored in a wine-grade facility can be the difference between prime returns and ending up in the red.
- Laura Burgess, K&L Writer & Editor