September 24th, 2018 | Updated on August 23rd, 2021
Regardless of whether you’re a wine enthusiast or an informed connoisseur, here are a few tips and tricks that will help you to age your wine correctly.
1. Have A Plan
Before you consider how to store your wine, there are crucial things to think about: how long do you intend on aging the wine? How much wine do you have?
Do you want to keep it at home, or rent out self storage units? Figuring out these critical issues will help you create the perfect environment to store your wine for aging.
2. Go For Dark Spaces
Your wine storage space should be away from light, including direct daylight and fluorescent lighting fixtures.
The UV rays from these lighting sources can make the wine have an unpleasant smell – a condition caused when too much light exposure mixes with the phenolic chemical compounds in the wine thus ruining its taste.
Also, the lighter the color of the wine, and the brighter the bottle glass, the more likely the wine is to have the same problems caused by excess light.
The trick is to store the wine in a dark and dry place to preserve its flavorful taste. On the off chance that you can’t keep the bottles entirely out of light, then keep it within a case or wrapped lightly in a piece of cloth.
If you decide to store your wine in self-storage units then choose one with UV-resistant walls and doors.
3. Keep The Wine Cool — But Not Too Cool
If there’s one essential tip to keep in mind, is to store your wine at the correct temperature and humidity!
Mostly, people tend to store wine in the warmest place in their house — the kitchen — however wine doesn’t do well in high temperatures. If you need to keep wine for the long term, find the coolest place in your home that is away from sunlight.
Wine cellars are perfect, however, if you don’t have one in your home, consider renting out self-storage units with climate control features to provide the optimum temperatures for aging wine correctly.
4. Store The Wine Separate From Everything Else
Wine breathes, always remember that — so don’t store it with anything that has a strong smell. The strong scent can pervade the cock and contaminate the wine.
Therefore, keep your wine far from onions, garlic, used paint cans, cleaning products, trash cans and whatever else that may radiate a strong smell.
5. Avoid Vibrations
Are you thinking of storing wine in the refrigerator? You might want to consider that option. Storing wine in the cooler not only exposes it to odors, but the compressor vibrations can taint the wine, too.
If you are looking to store wine for aging, stay clear of any vibrations as it causes a chemical imbalance of the wine by decreasing tartaric acid (a crucial component of flavor)
To avoid these issues, store wines away from loud household devices like the dryer, washer, or boiler. If you are maturing the wine in self-storage units, then choose units that are away from highways and areas that receive frequent foot traffic.
Following the tips and tricks above, you should be able to mature your wine in perfect conditions. If you lack the space and resources to do it at home, then self-storage units are a great option to consider.
