The basics of proper
wine storage include: an ambient, constant temperature of around 55 °F, proper humidity levels, no direct natural or artificial light and no to minimal vibrations.
How does a regular kitchen refrigerator stack up against the basic wine storage best practices?
Temperature: First, kitchen refrigerators typically maintain temperatures much colder than the ideal 55 °F wine storage temperature. Most refrigerators run between 35 to 40 °F. A kitchen refrigerator is too cold. Wine is supposed to age slowly and gently over time. 55 °F is the perfect temperature for wine aging. Plus 55 °F is the ideal middle ground for proper wine serving temperatures. If wine is stored at 35 °F the aging will be disrupted and the temperature will be too cold for drinking.
Humidity: Wine storage humidity levels in a wine cooler or wine refrigerator are ideally within a range of 50-70%. Kitchen refrigerators have lower humidity levels. Too low humidity levels can increase the chances of cork shrinkage. Excess cork shrinkage could allow oxygen to enter the wine bottle, causing oxidation which in turn causes wine to develop an unfortunately familiar acidic, vinegar taste.
Light: The kitchen refrigerator makes the grade on this test maintaining a dark environment.
Vibration: Kitchen refrigerators are a an appliance that is constantly used, opened and closed and can be vibration filled. There are differences of opinion regarding vibrations’ impact on wine storage and aging. Most people believe that excessive and or constant vibrations can disrupt the natural settling of sediment at the bottom of the wine bottle. Constant vibrations could disperse sediment hard enough so that the vibrations produce fine sediment particles that remain in the wine body and do not settle at the bottle’s bottom. Fine sediment in wine can affect flavor and taste.
To recap, versus a wine cooler, a kitchen refrigerator is too cold, has too low a humidity level and is more prone to vibrations and constant usage. A kitchen refrigerator does not provide the same ideal, constant temperature and humidity environment that a wine refrigerator provides.
Published 9/10/2009 12:00:00 AM
Tags: Wine Storage, Wine Aging, Temperature, Humidity