For wine lovers, buying wine does not mean consuming it right away or anytime soon; rather, you may wish to have it stored for later enjoyment. Proper storage of your wine and insurance of high-value wine collections are both highly important.
Most wines in the market are best enjoyed within a few years of production. However, if you are interested in buying wines to mature with age, then you may wish to invest in professional wine storage, and there are vendors you can find to help. If you have a valuable collection or a wine-selling business, you should consider winery and distillery insurance coverage.
For anyone who wishes to know proper storage for wines, below are a few pointers regarding how you can keep your wine in a safe manner until you are ready to drink and enjoy it as it is meant to be enjoyed.
Heat is the number one enemy for any wine. Temperatures that are higher than 70° F will age wine more rapidly than is recommended. And if the temperatures get higher and hotter, your wine will be cooked and start tasting like burnt preserves or stewed fruits. The proper temperature range is between 45° F and 65° F. It is okay if your storage runs a few degrees warmer, so long as you open the bottles within a few years from their release.
It is okay to keep wines in your regular household refrigerator for up to two months, but it is not a good idea to keep them there for a longer-term. The average refrigerator temperature needs to be well below 45° F to safely store perishable foods, so having the wine in there will lead to dry corks because of lack of moisture. This, in turn, will let dry air seep into the bottles and damage the wine.
Light, particularly sunlight, can pose a significant problem for long-term wine storage. The sun’s ultraviolet rays could degrade and prematurely age the wine. This is the reason why vintners often use colored glass bottles, as they act like sunglasses for the wine. Regular light from household bulbs will likely not damage the wine, but the light can cause aesthetic damage, such as fading of your labels.
Bottles have traditionally been stored on their sides, so the liquid is kept up against the cork, which, in turn, is intended to prevent the cork from drying out. If you intend to drink from these bottles in the not-too-distant future, or if the bottles have closures such as screw caps, plastic, or glass corks, then this is not necessary. However, if space is a concern for you, then horizontal racking is the best way to optimize space use in storing your bottles, and doing that will not damage your wine.
Your wine collection is valuable, and even after you have taken all the steps to make sure your collection is properly stored, the wine can still be vulnerable to damage and loss. Obtaining the specialized coverage you need from a wineries and distillers insurance professional at FACE is the best thing to do. Contact us for more information.
