Saving the Wine: Storing the Wine

Note - this post was originally published 6.11.2014

We've had another little heat wave (highs over 100 deg F) this week.  Which beyond the desires for mounds of frozen yogurt and to seek the nearest swimming hole, has brought up the topic of how to store wine.

Wine is fragile.  It's important to keep it out of direct light and heat - think of the ideal conditions of an under-ground cellar: consistently cool, dark, and damp.  Then make sure you keep the cork wet by storing the bottles on their side or upside down and you've got potential to age your wine and enjoy it in the months or years to come.

It's also important to remember that it can even cook as you're touring around or on your way home.  Here in wine country there are so many wonderful opportunities to pick up a bottle you wouldn't be able to get else where.  At temperatures over 70 deg F the wine will start to cook and worse case scenario, the cork will push out of the bottle, the wine leak out, and to say the least your special bottle will be spoiled.  So, save the wine.  Think of it like chocolate.  Don't put it in the trunk of your car, keep it in the cabin with you and if you must leave it in the car, then park in the shade and crack the windows.

The best article we've read about this lately is last week's article in the Financial Times by Jancis Robinson, How to keep wine.