How to store your wine properly

Since the time of ancient Greece, alcoholic drinks were made from grapes and considered to be drinks of the gods. The production of these "divine drops" has evolved over millennia and wine consumption has become an integral part of community culture. With today's winemaking technologies and processes, an array of different flavors can be combined, and kept constant in every bottle of wine of the same grape variety. If a wine has become corked and undrinkable, it is often because of incorrect storage. We'll show you what works well when storing wine.

Proper storage is crucial

If you store your wine properly, you'll be able to enjoy a good wine after many months and perhaps even years. The better the wine quality, the longer it can be stored. Stored wine basically has four enemies:

• extreme temperature fluctuations
  
• too low humidity
  
• too much exposure to light
  
• Odors
• Temperature: not too hot, not too cold, just right
  

Depending on who you talk to, people recommend different storage temperatures. These vary between 8 and 17 degrees. According to the magazine k-Tipp, the ideal temperature is between 9 and 12 degrees. If wine is kept for a short time, it will withstand a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees. Most importantly, the temperature should remain constant! More than a few degrees too much will cause significant and fast temperature fluctuations.

Humidity: Not too dry, not too humid, just right

Ideally, the humidity should be between 50 and 75 percent. Humidity and temperature can be measured with a thermo-hydrometer. If the humidity is too low, the corks may dry out. This will cause them to become porous and let air in the bottle, which can spoil the wine. Too high humidity will have less of an effect on the wine, but the labels may become gray and moldy.

Lights off, please!

Wine likes it dark and therefore should not be exposed to sunlight. UV light may cause chemical reactions in wines and may spoil it. Professional wine coolers therefore have a built-in UV filter. If you can’t or do not want to keep your wine in a cellar, you can leave the bottles in the boxes. This will protect the bottles from sunlight.

Keep odors at bay!

Smells can be absorbed in the wines and affect their taste. Therefore, wines should never be stored near oil tanks or vegetables. Storing wine bottles next to canned fruit or jars is not so much of a problem though. Experts also recommend that you clean the storeroom of your favorite wine with an odor-free cleaning agent before storage.

Where and how to store?

Wine should be kept lying horizontally in appropriate shelves, if possible. The aim is that the cork comes into contact with the wine. This way, the cork remains moist from the inside and properly seals the bottle. Sparkling wine is an exception - these can also be stored upright. How you place the wine on the shelves is up to you. It is certainly handy to separate everyday drinking wines from the more special wines. The bottles can also be arranged according to country and variety. Another option is to store the wine according to region and vintage. It's up to you! What contributes to the general orientation: turning the labels to the top.

If you like to build up a private wine collection and have too little space in your home, you can store it in a safe and dry storage room at placeB. All the storage facilities are located in the middle of the city! Or are you selling wine? You can also use placeB's storage facilities for this in an exciting way. For example, with our mobile app you can easily give temporary access to your placeBox to a courier company or an employee, and the wines can be delivered directly to your customers from there.