To Refrigerate or Not to Refrigerate: The Best Way to Store Wine
March 26, 2022
By Alex XU
Curating your wine collection can be the most gratifying way to appreciate this delightful craft. Whether you’re a connoisseur or are just learning the differences between merlot, cabernet, or pinot, there’s one aspect that you should not take for granted: finding the best way to store wine.
Below, we’ll discuss the factors that you should consider when storing various types of wine, how to tell if your wine needs refrigeration and other tips about proper wine storage and serving.
Wine Storage and Temperature
Temperature is the most influential factor that affects a stored wine’s quality.
Temperature Extremes Can Ruin a Wine
There are two hard rules for wine temperature storage: never freeze a wine and never store a wine above 20 degrees Celsius. The former can affect your wine’s intensity and the latter can speed up the aging process, eventually destroying the wine’s volatile compounds.
The Importance of a Stable Temperature for Storing Wine
Temperature fluctuations can jeopardize the quality and shelf life of your wine collection. Fluctuating temperatures can make the wine cork expand and contract, causing liquid to seep out or, worse, allowing air inside the bottle.
Long-Term and Short-Term Wine Storage Environments
For both short-term and long-term wine storage, collectors advise a shelf temperature of 13 degrees Celsius as the best way to store wine. However, this recommended storage temperature can vary, depending on the type of wine that you want to store.
Should You Refrigerate Your Wine?
Now, let’s go to the main wine storage dilemma: to refrigerate or not to refrigerate?
It depends. An old-fashioned cellar or crate can be ideal, but in case your wine collection needs refrigeration, there are different types of bar fridges in NZ and wine cooler fridges that offer an ideal “cool” place for your bottles.
Storing Red Wines
Should you refrigerate red wines? Well, yes and no. For long-term wine keeping, a traditional cellar, away from vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and humidity, and with consistent air circulation, is always the best place to store prized wines. On the other hand, fridges work great for short-term red wine storage.
Typically, red wine is served at room temperature, but wine lovers later discovered how serving full-bodied reds chilled can make a significant difference. Chilling Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon at 15 to 18 degrees Celsius can rid of its undesirable flabby aftertaste. Other types of red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Grenache, Marsala, Port, and Madeira, are best drank at 12 to 13 degrees Celsius.
Refrigerate full-bodied wines for an hour and a half and lighter red wines for 45 minutes. Storing your wine after opening it will help it last three to five days.
Storing Whites and Rosé
Whites are the stars of the party, so most people stock up on their favourite Chardonnays and rosé to make sure they have a few extra bottles on hand. Best served chilled, these full-bodied delights should also be stored in cool places, away from direct sunlight. Aside from lengthening their shelf life, it will also keep the quality and taste for a long time.
The ideal temperature for your whites and rosé is between seven and 15 degrees Celsius. As for dessert wines, their chilled state brings out their depth of flavour and rich textures. Other white, lighter counterparts, such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio are also served and stored in the same temperature range.
Make sure that your wine is not too chilled. Extremely cold temperatures can result in muted flavours. Refrigerating your light white and rose after opening will help it last three to five days, while opened full-bodied wine bottles can last one to two days. Look for a dependable appliance store in NZ where you can find the ideal fridge storage for your wines.
Don’t Use a Regular Fridge to Refrigerate Your Wines
If you want to buy a refrigerator online for your wines, you can do better than a regular fridge! Bar fridges and wine cooler fridges are dedicated wine storage options that every wine lover should have. Aside from safely storing your wines sideways, they can maintain a stable temperature all year round. Wine fridges keep your bottles in a cool and dark environment, and away from vibrations and uncontrollable humidity.
Midea’s bar fridges and wine coolers are perfect choices when looking for refrigerators online for your wine. Whether for short-term or long-term storage, our units provide the best environment for your cherished wines. Check out our units and see the collection for yourself!
