Everyone knows that selecting and purchasing wine bottles are not the only challenges when it comes to curating a decent wine collection. Whether you enjoy an occasional glass of wine or you are an ardent wine connoisseur, you know that storage plays a great role in the process.
The right storage methods will not only preserve your wine for decades- centuries even, but it can also make it grow in quality and value. Similarly, the finest bottle of wine can be easily spoiled if stored poorly. However, storing an opened bottle of wine unfortunately is a much harder task than storing one that is perfectly sealed. This can be very restricting if you don’t feel like downing the entire bottle in one sitting. With these 6 effective storage tips for opened wine bottles, you’ll be able to enjoy the same bottle on several occasions.
6 Simple Tips How To Store Opened Wine Bottles
Dim Lights
If you want to save the rest of the opened bottle of wine for later, make sure to minimize the exposure to any amount of light, especially natural light. Natural light can cause substantial amounts of heat to build-up inside the bottle, which can significantly speed up the oxidation process. Store your wine in more humid, dimmer, and cooler areas. You should also keep it away from any sources of UV rays as they can degrade the wine and result in an unfavourable smell. The best lighting option for your wine storage area is LED lights, creating soft lights without generating heat. Typically, wine bottles come in dark colours to help protect them from sun exposure.
Refrigeration
As mentioned above, oxidation is your wine’s worst enemy as it changes its composition over time. The process begins by stripping the colour and flavour off the wine. Eventually, as the wine remains exposed to oxygen for prolonged periods, it will turn into vinegar. To help prevent this process from occurring, or to slow it down at the very least, is to refrigerate the bottle as soon as you’re done using it.
You can also invest in a cooling system that is designed specifically for your wine bottles. The wine cellar solution specialists explain that a WhisperKOOL wine cabinet can maintain a suitable temperature to slow down the process of oxidation. Wine fridges are usually set around 55 degrees, making them a great option.
Vacuum Pump
Using a vacuum pump to suck the air out of your wine bottle also helps slow down the process of oxidation. The less air on the bottle, the less oxygen there will be. These pumps usually come with stoppers that can be easily inserted into the bottle and attached to the pump to remove the oxygen inside. This is among the most common methods of preserving opened bottles of wine since they are relatively inexpensive, effective, and easy solutions. However, bear in mind that many wine connoisseurs don’t recommend this method as it may affect the wine’s aroma and flavour.
Half Bottles
If you mostly drink only half a bottle in one sitting, consider purchasing half bottles. Half bottles are a great storage option because they are highly accessible and can be found at many wine stores, and are effective solutions. They basically reduce the ratio of wine to air in the bottle. Once you are done drinking, you can transfer the rest of the wine into the smaller bottle, slowing down the process of oxidation.
Use an Inert Gas
A better option than using a half bottle would be using an inert gas. However, you must make sure that it doesn’t react with your wine. Argon, along with other Inert gas mixtures, can create a protective layer on the wine’s surface and replace the oxygen inside. Argon is a denser gas than oxygen and is non-reactive with wine.
Wine Stoppers
How many times did you accidentally throw the cork and used the situation as an excuse to drink the whole bottle of wine? Make sure that this doesn’t happen anymore by purchasing a few wine stoppers. Wine stoppers are usually made of metal or plastic- some of them even come in decorative designs, and will guarantee a seal that is air-tight.
If any bottle of wine isn’t stored correctly, this can easily damage the integrity of the wine. Imagine what improper storage would do to an opened bottle of wine. Opened wine is more prone to rapid oxidation; a process that can turn your wine into vinegar. Because no one wants to finish an entire bottle of wine on a weekday or risk having it spoil, we collected these 6 effective storage tips that will help preserve your opened bottle of wine.
