Any wine lover has undoubtedly already asked themselves questions about storing their bottles, and although the answers often seem logical, here are some tips to help you.
Lying or standing?
First of all, the most important thing is the storage position of your bottles. For bottles with cork stoppers, the lying position is undoubtedly the best for storing and aging a wine in the best conditions: the contact of the wine with the cork helps maintain the seal. For synthetic capsules or caps, storing them upright will not pose any problem.
Temperature, humidity, light?
The temperature of your cellar will have a direct impact on the evolution of the wine, choose a cool temperature: 12°C is ideal. Avoid places that experience sudden temperature variations.
Be careful with light: wine does not like light, it makes it age prematurely. So choose a dark, odor-free place. Indeed, certain odors in the atmosphere can be transmitted to wines, such as chemicals or cleaning products, or even onions and garlic.
Contrary to what one might think, humidity is very good for storing wine, it guarantees the tightness of the cork. Indeed, if your cellar is too dry, the cork may end up drying out and letting air pass through. Humidity can, however, damage the labels on your bottles. And although a moldy and indecipherable label has a certain charm, let's admit that it is not very practical for wine identification! To protect the labels, the best solution is to wrap your bottles in cling film. Don't forget, however, to change it every two or three years.
And transportation?
A question that we also often ask ourselves: how long to wait to drink a wine that has been transported for a day? Have you just bought a wine and want to taste it and share it with your family right away? You'll have to wait a bit. Wine does not like to be shaken and will need a little rest before opening. For a young wine, white or red, three or four days will be enough; on the other hand, if it is a wine more than five years old, wait around ten days. We know, it's frustrating, but it's for a good cause, we promise!
And the flood?
Last tip, and although we hope that it does not happen, if your cellar is flooded, know that the cork or the capsule are sufficient protection so that your wine is not altered, even if it stays some time underwater. On the other hand, you risk losing the label, so you will have to use your memory to identify them!