Storing Wine & Spirits:
How to Ensure Your Collection Retains Quality
By Nicholas King
Wine & Spirits Coordinator
The proper storage of wine and spirits goes a long way in retaining the value and longevity of your investment. Improper storage can affect the taste of wine and spirits, sometimes leading to an entirely tainted bottle. More often, it heightens the risk of leakage, a true disaster.
Fear not: there are a few simple rules to follow when storing alcohol that will ensure your bottles stay in the best condition. These guidelines will ensure that your collection stays at its best until you decide to open up a bottle, or put it back on the market!
Whisky
Properly storing your whisky is much simpler than it seems – temperature, light, and the way that you store your bottles will go a long way in preserving your bottles.
Cool temperatures
The most important step in storing your whisky is to ensure the bottles are in a cool environment with a steady temperature. Rapidly fluctuating temperatures can cause the liquid inside the bottles to expand and contract, leading to the degradation of the corks, which can subsequently lead to a leak. Avoid keeping bottles in your fridge or freezer: not only are these environments colder than the ideal whisky storage environment, but cool temperatures will also lead to cork dryness.
Keep it in the dark
Take care to keep your bottles out of direct sunlight, much like extreme temperatures, sunlight can degrade the labels of the bottles and the spirits themselves. Additionally, direct sunlight will affect the temperature and throw off the balance of the spirit. Cool, dark environments are optimal for the longevity of your bottles.
Cork Care
Whisky should only be stored with the bottles standing upright, as the high alcohol content in spirits can and will break down the cork. Some sources will recommend tilting your bottles periodically to keep the cork hydrated, but in most cases, doing so will not provide the cork with enough hydration. This instead leads to a slightly advanced rate of degradation of the cork’s base, and can result in swelling. For optimal results, keep your bottles upright and leave them there.
If you plan on opening bottles older than a couple of years, make sure to have some spare rubber corks around, as well as potentially a decanter and strainer in the event that a cork breaks on you.
Enjoy it once it’s opened
Once a bottle of whisky is opened, it can begin to degrade in quality. While an unopened bottle will last forever so long as it stays sealed, once a bottle is opened it will begin to change. How long a bottle will last once opened will vary significantly depending on the spirit itself, as well as how much is left in the bottle.
Some will argue that a bottle should be finished within a few months of opening it, others will say a bottle is good for years, a general rule we follow is that once a bottle is about halfway gone, you should plan on finishing the remaining whisky within the next year. If you plan on keeping a bottle opened for a significant period of time, it may be worth investing in a vacuum-sealing cork to prolong the flavour of your favorite spirits.
Wine
Bottles of wine are much more sensitive to their environments, and thus, the rules for storing wine are a bit more complex. The results are worth it. Properly storing your wines will ensure your bottles stay enjoyable, and even improve, over years to come.
Cool Temperatures
Just like whisky, heat is the number one danger to your bottles of wine. Temperatures above 70° F (21°C) will cause a bottle of wine to age at a significantly increased rate. Any temperature higher than this leads to the risk of the wine being “cooked” – the wine loses all of its fresh notes and takes on jammy, cooked fruit flavour. Red wines will often turn brown or the colour of brick.
Temperatures too low can also be detrimental: if a bottle freezes, the liquid inside will expand and can push the cork out of the bottle on your shelf. For this reason, you should avoid storing your bottles in a fridge or freezer for an extended period of time.
The optimal temperature to store your wines lies in a range of 45°F to 65°F (7°C to 18°C). at Hall’s Auction Services, our coolers are set to a steady 55° F (13°C).
Keep it in the dark
Keeping your wine collection in a dark room is key to preserving both the wine and the labels on the bottles. UV rays from the sun can prematurely age and potentially spoil your wine; this is part of the reason why wine comes in dark-tinted bottles. With sunlight comes heat, which as we noted earlier, can contribute to the ‘cooking’ of your wine or the expansion of the liquid leading to a leak.
The best practice is to always keep your bottles in a dark room with a steady temperature.
Cork Care
Wine should always be stored on its side. Keeping the liquid pressed against the cork will prevent the cork from drying out, and the lower ABV of the wine ensures the cork stays in one piece. If a bottle is stored vertically, the cork will begin to dry out. If the cork shrinks, air can get in and oxidation will begin. Any size change in the cork can also lead to the wine can leaking if it becomes unsealed.
Fortunately, most dedicated bottle storage solutions are set up to ensure bottles remain on their sides.
Enjoy it once it’s opened
Once a bottle of wine is opened, a timer is started. Generally, an opened bottle of wine is fantastic that evening, and will be alright the next day.
If you plan on keeping a bottle opened longer than one or two days, you will need to use a vacuum-sealing cork. For sparkling wines, a champagne sealing cork is always a good idea. White and sparkling wines should be stored upright in the fridge to maintain freshness and fizz.
Cellar Alternatives
Not everyone will have the right space in their house to establish a cellar. If you don’t have a cool dark location to set some shelves up in, a wine cooler might be the solution for you! With entry level units allowing you to store dozens of bottles at an exact temperature, and higher-end models coming with humidity controls and multiple cooling zones, coolers are an efficient solution to storing your wines correctly.
Be sure to research what capacity and what features are most important to you before purchasing.
With these tips in mind, you should have no problems in adding to and preserving your collection. Whether you are looking to grow your cellar, or to downsize, we will be happy to assist!
Storing wine on its side allows the cork to stay hydrated.
We’re always accepting quality consignments for future sales.
Thinking of deaccessioning? Have questions about the Wine & Spirits market?
Get in touch with Nicholas, our Wine & Spirits Coordinator.