Saving Time and Money While Moving: Tips From a Mum

The age-old adage about wine storage for preserving peak quality is so widespread in people's minds that it is universally accepted as common knowledge, but mistakes related to wine storage continue to plague many connoisseurs. Self-storage is an interesting solution for enthusiasts who want their wines to mature. If you're looking to store ageing wines in a secure self-storage unit temporarily or for an extended period, you must consider certain factors.

Make Sure You Invest In Cool And Dry Storage

Heat and wine don't go well together, and heat will end up ageing the wine much faster than desired. This will result in flat flavours and fragrances from the wine. You should ideally invest in climate-controlled self-storage units for your wine bottles because this keeps the humidity and temperature constant. Keep the temperature constant between 12 and 16°C. Any deviation from this temperature will affect your wine quality.

Also make sure that the self-storage unit isn't too cold because this will reduce moisture. Lack of moisture will cause the corks to dry out. Moderate humidity in the storage unit is ideal because you don't want the cork to dry out and oxidise.

Switch Off The Lights

Wines don't particularly like any type of light, but most especially sunlight. Lighting can potentially be a problem when it comes to long-term ageing wine storage. The UV rays of the sun or rays from artificial lighting can cause wine to age prematurely, which is something you'll want to avoid at all costs. Some fluorescent bulbs also emit small amounts of UV light. You'll notice that most wine bottles are made from coloured glass. This is because it protects the wine from early degradation because of prolonged light exposure. The best thing to do in the storage unit is to switch off the lights to give your wine the best possible chance of maturing desirably.

Store Wine Bottles Sideways Instead Of Upright

The traditional way to store wine bottles is sideways instead of vertically upwards. This is because storing the wine sideways allows liquid to fill up against the cork, preventing it from drying out before you open the bottle. Sideway stacking also enables you to save space in the self-storage unit and will protect your wines from harm. A portable horizontal wine rack should do the trick for placing your ageing wine bottles in the temperature controlled self-storage unit.

Proper wine storage is just as vital as drinking it. Follow these key considerations to store ageing wine bottles in a self-storage unit.