Your bottle of wine is only as good as the conditions in which it's stored. While we often follow general rules such as avoiding direct sunlight and seeking cool, dry spaces, you may be committing a handful of wine crimes without realizing it -- otherwise known as pour decisions.
Fortunately, I chatted with Liz Martinez, general manager and sommelier at Centrolina in Washington, DC, as well as Beki Miller, advanced sommelier and beverage manager of Las Vegas's Caramá by Wolfgang Puck, to remind us what reds, whites and bubbles demand in ensuring that their quality and integrity are maintained with every cork pop.
Here are their top tips and warnings about proper wine storage.
1. On top of the fridge
The heat emitted from the top of your fridge can decimate wine in just a few days. Joey Kotfica/Getty Images
While you may have ample space to line or stack bottles on top of your fridge, it's far from ideal.
"Refrigerators give off heat and vibrate constantly, both of which accelerate aging and degrade quality," explains Miller. "You don't need specialized equipment to store wine well. You just need the least bad option."
"My go-to solution is simple: boxes of wine on the floor of an interior closet, with the bottles stored on their sides," she says. "This keeps the cork from drying out and protects the wine from light and vibration. I also store wine in a box under the bed, which offers a dark, quiet and relatively stable environment without taking up valuable space."
2. In fact, most of the kitchen is off limits
The kitchen is one of the worst rooms to keep your wine rack. Ucpage/Getty Images
... continue reading