The Wine Bottle

Many times in my wine courses, somebody will ask whats the proper temperature to serve wine? The real answer is whatever temperature you prefer. The actual answer is like all things in wine, it’s solely subjective. But lets have a look at some axioms below that may help you to get started.

Occasionally during a wine class, someone will think that I am serving wine that is too hot. I dig slightly deeper and realise they are used to drinking their wine straight from the refrigerator. The problem with that is that most refrigerators are set to about 40 degrees.

That’s superb for lager or colas, but way to cold for wine. If a wine is too cold, it loses most of its flavor. Literally the flavor molecules slow down and you lose the aromas that are so vital to wine tasting. If it is too warm, it’s just not refreshing.

The perfect temperature for whites is about 55 degrees. At 55, it’s still cool enough to be refreshing and feel chilled, but warm enough for the scents and finally the taste to be at their maximum. OK, if this is the right temperature, the best way to I get my wine to 55?

The perfect solution is to get a home wine chiller. They’re usually available anywhere where electronics are sold. Units vary in price but in a few cases can be as low as $100. A great investment for when you become a regular wine drinker.

Another solution to serving wine at the right temperature is to take your wine out of the key fridge and set it on the counter for approximately a half hour. The temperature will rise about 3-4 degrees every 10 minutes. The downside is that it’s incredible hard to take a look at the bottle that long without drinking it.

It’s kind of like going thru the drive thru, ordering fries and seeing them on the passenger seat and telling yourself that you’re going to wait until you get home until you eat them. It isn’t really possible.

If you realize that your wine is too cold, say in a cafe, use body heat to your benefit. Cup your hands around the bowl of the glass for two minutes and you should be OK.

Champagne on the other hand is an exception the white wine temperature range. It is intended to be server a bit less warm than “still” wine. I myself like my sparkling wines to be about 45 degrees. A different reason for that is the less warm the bottle, (to a point) the smaller the carbon-dioxide expands which actually make the bottle easier and safer to open.

I suspect the perfect temperature for red is about 64 or 65 degrees. Heresy you assert! What, I assumed reds were meant to be a room temperature. Well, perhaps. It really relies upon what you standard of room temperature is. If you remember back about a hundred years when wine was dominated by the French, the standard trend-setter was some type of royal who lived in a big castle with 2 foot thick stone walls.

Think of the times you have walked thru buildings like that. They’re actually cold. Room temperature two hundred years ago and before central heating was likely in the low to mid 60′s. Not the 72 most folks think of today. So through the years, people recollected the room temperature part, but forgot that room temperature is different from era to era.

So that the result’s that today, we drink our reds at our room temperature, not in the low to mid sixties. About 10-15 minutes in the fridge or about 5-10 in the refrigerator should do the job

If you like your wine at 72, by all possible means drink it at 72. But I would also encourage you to try your wine with a slight chill and see which 1 that you like best. Remember, drink what you like and how you’re keen on it. The wine serving temperature is down to you.

Mark is a professional winemaker, former winery owner, writer and frequent speaker on wine. He now helps folk learn about wine by teaching wine classes all though the US.

For folks who love to drink and collect wine, wine storage is certainly one of their foremost concerns, particularly in regards to the correct techniques of stocking all those bottles within a wine basement. Whatever the size of your wine collection, you ought to be aware of the things that you should refrain from doing when storing wine to make sure that the wine will taste good up to the final drop. Here are some great tips

No! To Upside Down

If you would like to maintain the airtight seal which protects your wine from outside aromas and oxygen, its natural cork must be kept expanded and moist. When dealing with wine storage, make sure that you store your wine bottle on its side in order for the cork to be constantly in contact with the content. Avoid storing your wine bottle upside down since the sediment might accumulate on the cork.

No! To Bright Light

Wine bottles which have been exposed to bright light for a long time are called light struck and this could affect the wine’s taste. Regardless of whether tinted glass is used in making the wine bottle, something that offers some sort of protection, there is always a likelihood of exposure. This is why your wine cellar must have dim switches so you can better control the lighting to your preference when you are doing some work, like organizing the wine bottles.

If the Temperatue is Not Cool, Make it Stable

The best wine temperature for white wine storage is 45 F, while for red wine storage – 55 F is recommended. If you will open your wine bottle within 6 months, it'll be advisable if the room temperature will be hotter. Avoid holding your wine bottles in very heated pockets or in places where there is a significant fluctuation of temperature.

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The best way to store a growing wine collection is to build a home wine cellar. Your cellar should be designed to correctly store wine as it ages, ensuring that the wine develops complexity and depth and does not spoil.

Building a home wine cellar from scratch may seem like a daunting process, but the first step that proverbially applies to climbing mountains applies to wine cellars, too. Of course, it all starts with collecting the first bottle and eventually finding that your collection has grown so large that you can no longer store it.

The cost of a well-constructed wine cellar can run to many thousands of dollars but so can a large capacity refrigerated wine cabinet, so you may find that building your own wine cellar can be the most economical and cost effective way of storing your wine.

Before you start building your home wine cellar consider the following.

The first cons should be temperature and the amount of natural light. Your wine room must be well insulated – extruded polystyrene provides ideal insulation. If you live in a mild climate you may be able to create a passive cellar that doesn’t require any cooling system.

A wine cellar is usually built with thick walls. Two-by-six construction allows for better insulation, allowing the cellar to remain at a constant temperature. In an active wine cellar, major factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a cooling system.

Temperature swings can destroy your wine collection. Small temperature fluctuations from season to season will not damage the wine but those same temperature fluctuations on a daily or even weekly basis will cause your wine to age prematurely. Temperature should always be between 45 and 60 degrees F, and avoid direct sunlight. It is possible to build a wine closet or a wine cupboard at home that will have the required humidity level of between 50% and 80% that is ideal for all types of wines.

When storing wine all vibration should be avoided; it agitates the bottles and speeds up the chemical reactions taking place inside the bottle – and not in a desirable way.

Vibration is a major issue during the transportation and is the reason winemakers recommend allowing your wine to rest after travel. This is also important whenever you buy wine from a winery or even from your local wine outlet. Never take it home and immediately pull the cork out without allowing it to return to a rested state. In fact, all wine should be immediately placed in your cellar.

Remember that it is not only your wine which is valuable; the wine cellar itself will add value to your home. So, the bigger and better your cellar, the more the value of your house goes up as well.

A wine cellar generally maintains a lower temperature compared to its surrounding living spaces and therefore must be treated differently in relation to those spaces. Do not attempt to cool a wine cellar by installing a domestic air conditioning unit if your wine cellar requires cooling. Home air conditioning removes the humidity from the air and will quickly destroy your wine collection by drying out the corks. Several popular brands of wine cellar cooling units are available that will cool any sized wine cellar. Your wine cellar makes a personal statement about you, and will become the most important area in your home. This is the place where you will indulge your passion for collecting fine wine and where you will display your precious acquisitions. Click here to discover how to build a home wine cellar and, if you have the space, you could try incorporating a bar or a wine tasting area.

Building your own wine cellar is the best way to age your wine collection. A wine cellar must be designed to store wine in the right conditions as it ages, ensuring that the wine does not spoil and that it develops complexity.

Building your own wine cellar from the ground up – or more likely, the basement up – may seem like an overwhelming task, but the proverbial first step is usually the most difficult. It starts when you collect your first bottle of wine and soon you’ll find that your collection has grown so large that it requires its own wine cellar.

A well-constructed wine cellar can cost many thousands of dollars but so can a large refrigerated wine cabinet so often a custom built wine cellar at home can be the most economical and cost effective way of storing your wine.

There are several items to consider before you begin building your wine cellar.

Temperature must be a major consideration and also limiting the amount of natural light. Make sure the room is well insulated – extruded polystyrene insulation is ideal. If you live in a mild climate you may be able to build a passive wine cellar that requires no cooling system.

A wine cellar will usually have thicker walls. Two-by-six construction provides space for quality insulation, allowing the cellar to remain at a constant temperature. In an active wine cellar, major factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a cooling system.

Temperature swings of more than a few degrees a day can destroy your wine collection. Small temperature fluctuations from season to season will not damage the wine but those same temperature fluctuations on a daily or even weekly basis will cause your wine to age prematurely. Temperature should be maintained between 45 and 60 degrees F, and avoid direct sunlight. Thus, you can often successfully create a wine cellar in a closet and a humidity level between 50% and 80% is ideal for all types of wine.

Vibration should always be avoided when storing wine; it agitates the bottle and speeds up the chemical processes taking place inside the bottle – and not in a good way.

Vibration can become a major issue during transportation and is the reason most shippers recommend allowing your wine to rest after extended travel. This is important, too, whenever you buy wine at a winery cellar door or even from your local wine outlet. Never take the wine home and plan on drinking it without allowing it to rest. In fact, all your wines should be put immediately into your cellar.

Note that it is not just your wine which is valuable; the cellar itself will improve the value of your home. So, the bigger and better your cellar, the more the value of your house goes up as well.

Unless you live in a very cold climate a wine cellar is generally a lower temperature environment compared with its surrounding living spaces and therefore must be treated differently in relation to those spaces. If the temperature in your wine cellar suggests that it requires cooling do not attempt to cool it by using a domestic air conditioning unit. Home air conditioning removes the humidity from the air and will fast destroy your wine by drying out the corks. There are many brands of wine cellar cooling units available to cool any size wine cellar. Your wine cellar is a personal statement, and will become one of the most important areas in your home. It is the place where you can indulge your passion for fine wine and where you can display your precious acquisitions to friends and family. Discover how to build your own home wine cellar and, if you have the space, why not consider incorporating a bar and tasting area.