How to keep the wine: 5 golden rules

Come conservare il vino Marchesini Winery 1970

The wine changes once more after the wine is bottled.  The perfection of the wine in the bottle, better known as ageing gives another maturation of the wine that permits it to achieve the maximum of the organoleptic quality.  How can this process be helped without altering it? 

Here are a few simple tips in how to best conserve your wines and how to make a real winery at home. 

Make sure the temperature is always constant
In the room where the wine is kept, the temperature must be as unvaried as possible.  If the temperature is too high or too low then the maturation of the wine will be compromised and if there are sudden changes in the temperature then it will change the quality of the wine.  The perfect solution would be to keep the wines in a basement cellar, if this is not possible make sure the room you use has a temperature between 10°C and 16°C. The ideal conservation temperature  is 10-12°C for white wines and 12-15°C for red wines.  Avoid keeping wine in the loft or the attic, and also do not keep it in the kitchen:  this is the room in a house that is most subject to drastic variations of temperature, that could therefore give a negative effect on the conservation of the wine.  

Keep the wine in a humid area
Another important factor to take into consideration when storing wine is the percentage of humidity in the air itself.  If the cellar is too dry then a phenomenon called “dry cork” may occur risking that the wine could become oxidised. A cellar, that is on the other hand too humid, risks mould on the cork therefore, compromising the quality of the wine.  The ideal solution would be to keep a constant humidity of between 60% and 80%.

Keep it away from light
Wine loves the dark.  The natural light just like that of the artificial light of neons can activate an oxidising process causing alterations in the wine.  The best solution is that of a dark environment or that of a suffused light; you can alternately keep the bottles in a wooden or cardboard box, so as to protect the glass bottles from the infiltration of light.  

Store the bottles on their sides
The best way to keep a bottle of closed wine for as long as possible is by keeping it on a wooden shelf, in the horizontal position or slightly inclined (5°).   In this way the cork will always be moist with a bit of wine, making it elastic and humid and keeping it attached well to the neck of the bottle. This simple precaution avoids air from entering into the bottle and therefore avoiding the oxidation of the wine.  This problem does not exist for bottles with synthetic corks. If you have bottles of wine of long ageing then please remember to put the bottle in an upright position the day before you decide to drink it in order to deposit eventual sedimentation in the lower part of the bottle.  

Create an aerated environment, without any odours
The environment where the bottles are kept must be silent (that means, no vibrations), but above all well aerated.  It is best to avoid keeping them in the garage (or where cars are parked) or in a cellar where cheeses and salame are matured.  Wines absorb odours and risk that the natural aromas and flavours are modified.  Now you have learnt the 5 golden rules of storing wine, you can start a little wine cellar with the perfect wines for all your special occasions.  

If you are partial to a rosé, here you will find some advice on how to choose the best rose wine. 

If however, you prefer a fruity white or a full bodied red then feel free to pop by our winery in Lazise.  We will be more than happy for you to taste our wines and we will give you advise on how to match them with different dishes.  

Book your wine tasting experience.

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