You’ve ordered a case of wine from one of Canada’s amazing wineries – but what’s the best way to store it?
The enemies of wine are heat, light, vibration, humidity, and oxygen. So, you need a way to store wine that minimizes exposure to these elements. Your options range from a simple wine rack to a custom-built wine cellar. That said, very few people store enough wine – or have enough space in their home – to justify the expense of building a custom cellar, which requires a sealed room with its own HVAC system.
If you opt for a wine rack, the key is to protect your bottles from heat, light, and vibration. Placing the rack in a cool, dark corner of your basement will go a long way toward extending the life of your wine. Most racks store bottles horizontally, which is ideal for cork-sealed wines, as it keeps the cork moist and helps prevent oxidation. (Oxidation is much less of a concern with screw-cap bottles.) As I mentioned in my earlier article, storing wine in your kitchen is probably one of the worst options.
Another excellent option is a wine fridge. These come in all sizes, from 12-bottle models to units that hold 150 bottles or more. Many wine fridges offer dual temperature zones, allowing you to store whites and reds at different ideal temperatures. If you’re really particular, here are some guidelines:
- Lighter-bodied reds: 13–16°C
- Full-bodied reds: 16–18°C
- Light-bodied whites: 7–10°C
- Full-bodied whites: 10–13°C
- Rosé: 7–13°C
- Sparkling wine: 6–8°C
A good rule of thumb is to store reds at 13–18°C and whites, rosés, and sparkling wines at 7–13°C. When shopping for a fridge, look for tinted or UV-filtered glass doors to reduce light exposure.
While wine fridges do generate vibration when the compressor cycles on and off, this shouldn’t be an issue unless you’re storing wine long-term. Higher-end, commercial-grade wine fridges designed for consumers often hold more bottles, run quieter, and feature front-venting systems that let you place them flush against a wall – great for tight spaces.
Once you’re storing wine, you’ll need a good way to track your collection. There are several useful wine cellar apps out there. Personally, I use CellarTracker, which I’ve been pretty happy with. The trickiest part is scanning each bottle as you add it to your cellar – and, even more challenging, remembering to remove it once you’ve enjoyed it! CellarTracker helps me keep track of everything I have, right down to the exact shelf in my wine fridge. I can search by grape variety, producer, country, region – you name it. One feature I love: it alerts me when a bottle is nearing or past its optimal drinking window (because not all wines age well forever).
You don’t need a fancy wine cellar to store wine well. Having a few bottles of various types on hand makes it much easier to pair wine with food – and enhances the enjoyment of both. It also makes you much more spontaneous when friends drop by or you’re simply in the mood to open something great.
Cheers!
By: Stu Charles
WSET Wines & Spirits Level 3, Spanish Wine Scholar, French Wine Scholar, WSET Sake Level 1, Ontario VQA Wine Appellations Level 1, BC Wines of BC Ambassador Level 1, Certified Expert in California Wine Level 2