The wine bottles in your home can be costly investments and you could also be collecting them as a matter of pride and stock them for future use. a party could go well without serving wine to your guests, and your guests are also prone to appreciate you for your stupendous achievements of collecting the rare form of wine bottles. But storing wine bottles and allowing them to age naturally is not an easy task. A wine cooler is generally set up at a higher temperature than a beverage cooler or a refrigerator as the wine should be stored at a particular temperature compared to other beverages.
Generally, wine coolers do not offer a cooling temperature that is below 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, wine ages gracefully through a complex process of subtle chemical reactions. The wine cooler is expected to maintain specific conditions to derive optimal results. The wine cooler should maintain a stable temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity of 70%. The wine cooler is also expected to protect the drinks from direct sunlight. Even mild exposure to temperature extremes can result in the spoilage of wine and result in wine aging much poorly, as it triggers undesired chemical reactions.
In case you haven’t bought a wine cooler yet: List of Best Wine Coolers in the Market
Basics of Wine Storage
Irrespective of what variety of wine you are storing, experts in the field recommend that wine is stored at 55 degrees Fahrenheit as this is the exact temperature of the earth underground. Since ancient times, wine has been stored and aged for years in cellars and caves and a dedicated wine cooler should be able to mimic the same conditions for the wine cooler.
A wine refrigerator that has been set at 55 degrees will helps with perfect temperature and humidity levels to help wine age gracefully and keep the content as fresh as possible. This temperature also helps prevent the occurrence of dried corks and wine spoilage. The best option to store wine is to go for a freestanding wine cooler with adjusting racks, which serves as the most versatile option to stock as many bottles as possible in a compact space for long-term storage.
No matter if we plan to keep the wine for a short term or store it for several years, wine is best stored in a dark place, as there are all chances for sunlight to degrade its flavors over time. Thus, it is always a good idea to look for a wine cabinet or a cooling system that offers expert UV protection for the storage of wine bottles.
Ideal Temperature Requirement for Every Type of Wine
It is important to store different types of wine at a particular temperature, as temperature affects the way how wine tastes. The temperature at which it is stored and served can impact how the wine smells and tastes extensively. To have a good wine tasting experience, it is important to serve them at an ideal temperature. Let us discuss the ideal temperature for a different type of wine:
1. Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine should generally be served ice cold, at a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, people stuff the sparkling wine bottles in the freezer about an hour before they are served. For those who are running short of time, it is pertinent to keep the wine bottle in the ice bucket for about 30 minutes and have the same effect.
The temperature in the wine cooler can also be turned to ice-cold while storing sparkling wine so that the bubbles in the wine bottle stay fine and not foamy. Even after opening the bottle and pouring out a glass or two, the open bottle should be kept on ice, until the rest of it is completed.
2. White Wine
Set the temperature of the wine cooler at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit while storing white wine. The white wine should be kept in the wine cooler immediately after buying it. After opening the bottle and pouring out a few glasses, the white wine should not be placed on ice, but the bottle should be left to sweat on the table. This is because, the aroma and the character of the wine change slightly, as temperature improves, and this is loved by a vast majority of wine lovers.
3. Red Wine
While storing red wine, the ideal temperature in the wine cooler should be between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Serving red wine cool is the most optimal way to enjoy it. This will also help to prevent the formation of sediments, which can be devastating to the quality of the wine. After opening the wine bottle and pouring a few glasses, allowing the bottle to sweat naturally helps in enhancing the taste and flavor of the drink naturally.
Check out: Best Built-in Wine Coolers & Fridges
Optimal Wine Storage Conditions
The following are the wine storage conditions to be followed religiously to help the wine age gracefully by retaining its taste and texture.
- Do not store wine with other beverages and items that have a strong smell, as it can taint the wine and the cork.
- Good ventilation in the storage facility avoids musty odors from entering the wine.
- Keep wine in a dark place and free from vibration.
- Wine should be stored away from direct sunlight as it can ruin the wine.
- Humidity is vital for wine, if it is too high, it favors the growth of mold and the wine tends to deteriorate. Thus the optimal humidity should not exceed 70%.
- The storage temperature of wine should be kept as constant as possible as the fluctuations in the temperature could damage the wine. The constant temperature all through the year helps it to mature appropriately.
Choosing the Right Wine Cooler Temperature for Every Type of Wine
There are different types of wine coolers available for every type of wine. If you have just started to collect the wine, then the single zone refrigerator should be an ideal choice.
1. Single zone wine cooler: A single zone wine cooler is enough if not much space is available for the wine collection. Slowly you can progress to a dual-zone cooler, as the collection gets bigger. The single-zone refrigerator renders only one temperature setting for all the wine to be stored appropriately. The temperature should be set at 54 degrees Fahrenheit or 12 degrees Celsius to store and age wine gracefully.
2. Dual zone wine cooler: These wine coolers have more space than single-zone coolers and allow two different types of wine to be stored in two different temperature settings. We can tune one of the zones at 66 degrees Fahrenheit or 19 degrees Celsius. And the other zone in the wine cooler can be coined at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or 7 degrees Celsius.
Check out: Best Dual Zone Wine Coolers
Bottom Line
Using a dedicated wine cooler is the best way to take complete control over the wine. Choosing the dual-zone wine coolers is the best way to stock wine at the perfect temperature before serving. The highest temperature at which the wine cooler has to be tuned is 67 degrees Fahrenheit or 19 degrees Celsius and the lowest temperature should be 45 degrees Fahrenheit or 7 degrees Celsius. By maintaining the right temperature of the wine cooler it will be possible to keep the wine in the perfect condition for many years to come.
