Vigilant’s Wine Storage Tip: Wine Temperature

Why is controlling wine storage temperature important?

Maintaining a constant, cool temperature is the best way to preserve your wine collection. Avoid temperatures over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, as that will age wine too rapidly. Also stay away from drastic changes in temperature. The rapid change from heat to air conditioning will force a wine cork outwards and allow air to enter the bottle (air permits wine to oxidize). A little air, at the proper time, is good—as when letting a wine “breathe” before consuming it. Long-term exposure destroys the fruit flavors in a wine and gives it a brownish color.

If you have a single rack or wine tower in your living room, kitchen or dining room, make sure that it sits away from the heating vent and air conditioner unit. With kitchen racks, keep wine bottles well away from any cooking appliance.

If you have, or are planning, a self-contained home wine cellar, consider temperature control for your cellar. Some sites are naturally well-suited for wine storage, such as a cool, dark basement, or a space beneath a stairway. Others will need the help of a temperature control system.

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