Recommendations on how to store wine in plastic bottles at home

Winemaking technologies have been honed over centuries, so each stage is important for the formation of the right bouquet. Our lesson today is about the aging process. We will learn how best to age wine - in barrels or bottles; Are there any aging characteristics of different types of wine?

The bell rings - let's start the lesson!

Barrels or bottles - how is wine aged?

What is wine aging and why is it needed?

There are several stages in the process of making wine. The wine material must be fermented, clarified, and then aged in order for the complex chemical processes that form the bouquet to go through.

Proper aging is a prerequisite for obtaining a high-quality drink. Compared to other traditional stages, aging is the youngest. During Antiquity, and then the Middle Ages, wines were not subjected to aging everywhere and, rather, as an exception. The reason is simple - there was nothing to keep the wine in so that it would hardly interact with oxygen for years. And without such containers, the drink quickly turned into vinegar. Only the richest people could afford to store wine in tightly sealed amphoras or jugs dug into the ground, filling them to the very top.

Wines were stored in such qvevri in Transcaucasia

Long-term aging of wine became possible in the 18th century with the advent of glass bottles. The idea of ​​limiting the contact of wine with oxygen gained popularity in the 19th century, when Louis Pasteur conducted research on the interaction of wine with air. He found that excess oxygen promotes rapid oxidation, and wine can be stored for years in a tightly sealed bottle.

If stored for too long, any wine gradually loses its properties. Thus, the famous explorer of the ocean depths Jacques Cousteau once discovered an amphora with wine that was about 2000 years old. This wine tasted almost like vinegar.

It is necessary to distinguish between two stages of wine aging:

• maturation in barrels,
• aging in bottles.

Maturing and aging of wine are part of the aging process.

How to store homemade apple wine

Wine is stored in warehouses (cellars) adapted for these purposes. The cellar for storing wine must be dry, cleared of everything that can mold, rot, or deteriorate, as this affects the taste and aroma of wines, even bottled and sealed. The storage temperature should be as constant as possible throughout the year - about 8 °C.

Wine poured into a decanter cannot be stored. Aged wine in air quickly oxidizes and deteriorates its quality.

In order for wine to be stored better, it must be pasteurized. To do this, before storing homemade apple wine, place the filled bottles in a bowl of water, first placing a wooden grid or towel on the bottom. The necks of the bottles are covered with cotton wool or gauze stoppers (bandage). The water is heated to 65–70 °C and kept for 15–20 minutes. Cork the wine with clean, boiled and cooled corks. After capping, the protruding edge of the cork is cut off and the neck is filled with paraffin, sealing wax or wax, placing it in the molten composition. The finished wine is kept in the refrigerator or in the basement at a temperature no higher than 10–15 °C.

Wine bottles are used for bottling and storing wine, as they are more durable than beer or vodka bottles. Bottles are thoroughly washed with soda ash and rinsed with clean water.

Corks must be free of deep cracks and punctures, which is especially important when storing wine for a long time to better preserve its quality. Pour wine into bottles, leaving no more than 1–1.5 cm of space between the cork and the wine.

Filled bottles are immediately sealed with corks. Then the surface of the cork and bottle is wiped dry and filled with molten paraffin or sealing wax.

A good place to store wines, especially table wines, is a cellar or basement.

It is better to store bottles of wine in a horizontal position so that the corks (corks) are constantly wetted from the inside with wine. If stored in a vertical position, the cork dries out, the closure becomes loose, as a result of which the wine evaporates, the access of air to it increases, which can lead to a deterioration in the quality of the wine

If bottled wine is intended for long-term storage for aging purposes, then its storage temperature is important, especially for the formation of the wine's bouquet. In these cases, it is recommended to bury bottles of wine in the ground in a dry basement or underground

To do this, you need to dig a hole 75-100 cm deep, place bottles there (horizontally), in no more than four rows, layering them with straw and filling the gaps in the rows with fine sand, then cover them with earth. Such storage provides a constant temperature, which has a positive effect on the quality of the wine.

Maturing wine or aging in barrels

In order for the wine to mature, it is placed in oak barrels. In them, the wine is oxidized due to interaction with oxygen, slowly entering from the surrounding air through micropores in the barrel. As a result of ripening, wines acquire a pronounced varietal aroma and are enriched with phenolic compounds produced by oak wood.

Red and white wines respond differently to barrel aging.

In red wines, quite a significant amount of sediment is released, which decreases with subsequent aging. The wine darkens and acquires a garnet hue. The tart notes are smoothed out, the taste of the wine becomes subtler and more refined. All barrel aging processes benefit the taste of red wine.

When kept in barrels for long periods of time, white wines lose their fruity aromas and softness, and if you over-age a white wine, its taste will become rough and harsh. However, oxygen is necessary for the maturation of white wines. Therefore, winemakers practice frequent pouring and leave barrels for storage with the tongues facing up. This promotes an active flow of oxygen and saturation of the wine with it. Oxidation not only removes carbon dioxide from the drink, but also helps to precipitate substances that cloud the body of the wine: proteins, pectins, yeast residues.

Wine is placed in barrels to mature

Are all wines sent for barrel maturation?

Although aging in oak barrels enriches the taste of wine, not all wines require such a procedure. Young wines are not bottled at all. They contain few tannins, so they do not need aging - their bright and fresh bouquet deteriorates from prolonged contact with oxygen and oak tannins. Ordinary wines also do not go through the barrel stage. They are usually kept in steel tanks for 6–10 months and then bottled.

Table wines take only a short time to mature. The first year they are kept in large tanks and only in the second year they can be placed in barrels.

The fewer tannins in a wine, the earlier it should be consumed. Long aging and subsequent storage work best on wines with a high tannin content.

What other conditions would be desirable to provide?

Stable temperature is not the only condition for long-term storage and natural aging of wine. To do this you need:

• lack of ultraviolet radiation, so it is recommended to arrange a special room without windows in the basement or basement (ultraviolet rays can lead to an unpleasant odor);
• relative humidity of about 70% (this condition should be paid attention to only in cases where a cork stopper was used for the bottle, which will prevent the latter from drying out); a higher value may cause mold;
• lack of vibration, so a garage or kitchen is not suitable (vibrations cause sediment to constantly disperse throughout the bottle, which can affect the clarity and taste of the drink);
• horizontal arrangement of bottles, which allows the liquid to constantly contact the cork, preventing it from drying out and cracking.

It is best to store finished homemade wine in dark glass wine bottles. If there are no bottles, you can store them in screw-on glass jars, closing them with glass lids with a silicone seal. Do not close jars with a metal or nylon lid.

It is strictly forbidden to pour into plastic bottles. They can only be used as temporary storage for no more than 3 months.

Features of barrel aging

If you are going to send wine for aging in barrels, you need to take into account some features of the technology.

Size matters

The larger the barrel, the slower oxidation occurs. And vice versa - the smaller your oak container, the more active the air exchange. Therefore, in traditional wineries, wine is aged in large volume barrels - from 400 liters. At home, it would be wise to take the largest possible size barrel that you can completely fill with wine material.

Standing or on your side?

If you want to age the wine for a long time, then it is better to store the barrel on its side, so oxygen exchange occurs with less intensity, and the oxygen content in the air chamber above the surface of the wine is very small.

Every year, a barrel of wine needs to be topped up so as not to increase the oxygen chamber above the wine and prevent the barrel from drying out. Fill the container with the best wine material you have.

Storage conditions

• The optimal container for maturing wine is a French oak barrel. Products made from Slavonian or Caucasian sessile oak are also suitable.
• The wine is poured into the barrel almost to the top, filling 90% of the volume.
• The wood of a new barrel stores many phenolic compounds, which gradually migrate into the wine. Over the years, their number decreases.
• Barrels are stored in dark basements at a temperature of 11 to 18 degrees; for red wine, the optimal temperature is 14–16 degrees.
• The air humidity in the storage should be between 75 and 85%. The drier your cellar is, the faster the wine will evaporate.
• For storage in a home cellar, it is better to install barrels on special grates that do not interfere with the movement of air and ventilation of the room.

Every year, up to 4% of the wine volume evaporates through the pores in a barrel, so after each new harvest, the barrels in which the wine continues to mature should be replenished.

What is the aging potential of wine?

Any wine, including homemade wine, has its own aging potential (an indicator of the drink’s ability to maintain and improve its taste over time). Not all of them are equally suitable for long-term storage.

The potential for aging depends on many factors:

• quality of raw materials, their diversity;
• grape growing region
• vintage (wine or harvest of a special year);
• compliance with processing technology;
• container used after fermentation.

During natural aging, hitherto unexplored chemical processes occur, leading to the acquisition of a softer, multi-layered taste and aroma, and their improvement.

Aging – aging wine in a bottle

The ripening stage does not take much time - from six months to several years, depending on the type of wine. Then the drink is bottled and carefully sealed with a cork stopper. With this form of storage, maximum isolation of wine from interaction with oxygen occurs. But this does not mean that all processes stop.

Slow oxidation and other chemical reactions continue in the bottle. As a result, the taste of the wine continues to change. This process is called “wine aging”.

Bottle-aged wine continues to evolve

During the aging period, oxidation is fueled not by oxygen supplied from outside, but by the oxygen already present in the wine molecules. It interacts with heavy metal ions and organic peroxides, which are also contained in wine. The process continues until the peroxides are completely processed and takes many years.

Tannins and coloring substances participate in oxidative reactions, being consumed as they occur. Therefore, the process of bottle aging reduces the tannin content, the taste of the wine becomes softer, more delicate, and reveals more subtle notes - floral, vanilla, spicy. Color saturation also decreases, brick shades come to the fore.

Wines in bottles can be aged for decades, and their taste will only improve from this. For example, vintage strong wines - port, Madeira - achieve an ideal bouquet after 20-30 years of aging in bottles.

Vintage port is aged in bottles for up to 20–30 years

Are all wines bottled?

There are no exceptions here - you can and should bottle any type of wine you receive: young or aged in barrels. Glass bottles with cork stoppers create ideal conditions for long-term storage of wine.

How to store homemade wine

In many ways, the specifics of preserving homemade wine are similar to preserving the products of professional distilleries, but there are also distinctive nuances.

Where and under what conditions

Identical to factory wine, the ideal place is the cellar. The storage temperature for table wine is from 10 to 12 C°, and for dessert wine – from 14 to 16 C°.

In an apartment, the room or closet should be selected so that there is no access to direct sunlight, and this place should not be visited too often, and objects in it should not move, creating vibration or causing wine bottles to move.

A pantry, window cabinet or niche in the wall, equipped with an opaque partition, is perfect for these purposes. To maintain humidity, you can use a humidifier or treat the room with a spray bottle, using a hygrometer to monitor the optimal humidity - from 60 to 70%.

Too dry air causes the cork to dry out. There should also be free air circulation between the bottles; mustiness will negatively affect the organoleptic qualities of the wine, especially if it is stored in a wooden container, but the effect will also be noticeable through the cork.

If it is not possible to provide such conditions, then the already mentioned professional wine cabinets can come to the rescue. They will provide everything at once, but you will have to spend money on the purchase.

What container should it be stored in?

Regardless of the material of the container, it must be in perfectly clean condition before use. It is correct to store wine at home either in oak barrels or in dark glass bottles, since light glass transmits light, and plastic interacts with alcohol. The exception is PETE and HDPE plastic, provided that the wine strength is from 10 to 14%. Fortified specimens - 18-20% - are guaranteed to interact with plastic, which will lead to damage to the aroma and taste of the drink.

Oak barrels are convenient for large quantities of wine, and dark glass bottles for small quantities. Before using a wooden container, it is first fumigated with a sulfur wick.

For glass containers, high-quality closure is important and special attention should be paid to it. After sealing, the top of the bottle should be wiped clean, and the stopper should be filled with wax if possible.

It is also advisable to fill bottles with wine right up to the neck, which will reduce the cavity into which oxygen can potentially penetrate.

How long can you store

For homemade wines, this indicator, as for factory wines, depends on many factors: grape variety, amount of sugar and strength, storage conditions and the tightness of the containers with the drink.

• By definition, young varieties are not stored for long; they begin to be served within a couple of months after planting.
• Ordinary table varieties also do not last long, especially sparkling varieties, which begin to lose their organoleptic properties after just a couple of years.
• Strong dessert wine, especially red, on the contrary, only gets better over the years, and the high sugar and alcohol content ensures its preservation for more than a dozen years.
• It is believed that full-bodied red varieties fully ripen only after 15 years and are in optimal condition until 20, after which they begin to age, and by 40-45 years their shelf life expires.

It is often difficult for an amateur distiller to calculate how long his wine will be stored. In this case, a simple and effective technique will help - you need to regularly try the product, remembering and making notes about how its organoleptic properties change.

After a few bookmarks, experience and notes will accumulate, and an understanding will come of what needs to be done and when.

Features of storing wine in bottles

Despite the apparent simplicity of the question, there are important nuances to it. Proper storage of wine in bottles is the key to preserving and developing its bouquet.

What bottles and corks are suitable for wine?

I am against storing wine in plastic containers. If you want to get a truly high-quality drink with a good bouquet, then take classic dark glass bottles.

They need to be sealed with cork stoppers, which are considered the best choice for long-term storage. It is preferable to choose corks made from Portuguese or Spanish cork oak.

To preserve the outer side of the cork plug, it is filled with sealing wax if long-term storage is expected. Cork plugs can also cause some problems. During long-term storage, the cork may crumble and the outer part may dry out. This leads to depressurization of the bottle and spoilage of the wine. To be fair, I note that this is only possible after a considerable period of storage of the wine in the cellar.

A more modern option is to use polymer plugs. They are neutral and do not affect the taste of the wine. In addition, they do not dry out over time and fit tightly to the neck. If you are not embarrassed by such a deviation from authentic recipes, then you can use polymer stoppers.

A glass bottle and a cork stopper are the ideal container for wine

Bottle storage conditions

It is best to store wine in a dark, ventilated room at a temperature of 8 to 12 degrees. In such conditions, the wine will continue to develop.

Bottles are stored in an inclined position so that the cork is moistened with wine. Otherwise, the cork may dry out and crumble, and this will spoil the appearance and taste of the wine.

The main enemy of bottled wine is sunlight, so make sure that your bottles are not exposed to sunlight during storage.

In a closed bottle

Red

Produced from red grape varieties, stored for up to 10 years, with the exception of dry Burgundy, Bordeaux and the like, which can retain their properties for up to 100 years.

White

Produced from white, red and pink grape varieties that have moderate acidity and accumulate sugar well. They are stored for about 2-3 years, with the exception of white French Chardonnay or Burgundy, which are still suitable after 20 years.

Pink

Made from red grape varieties by briefly contacting the pulp and must. Allowed for use for 2-3 years.

Sparkling

Saturated with carbon dioxide. Some labels indicate that they have an unlimited shelf life, but this is not entirely true. Products of the middle price segment, such as Asti Mondoro, Martini Asti, for example, are stored from 6 months to 2 years.

Fortified

At the initial stage of production, alcohol is added to sweet and semi-sweet dessert varieties, after which the liquid is infused in an oak barrel. It is better to store bottles with them for 5-10 years in an upright position, otherwise alcohol can damage the cork and break the seal.

Homemade

At home, winemakers use various fruits and berries. For them, we recommend sticking to the following time periods:

• black currant – 24 months;
• cherry – 24 – 36 months;
• grapes, pears, plums – up to 5 years;
• apple – up to 12 months.

The conditions for keeping homemade bottled wines should be as close as possible to the recommended ones. It is strictly prohibited to store such liquid in a plastic container. It is best to use darkened glass vessels or wooden barrels.

There are a number of common places where wine is kept, but not all of them provide favorable conditions.

In the refrigerator and freezer

Only open bottles or white and rose sparkling wines should be stored in household refrigerators immediately before serving, since according to etiquette they are consumed chilled. At sub-zero temperatures, the wine can also only be cooled for 15-20 minutes. Staying there longer and freezing are prohibited. Refrigerators and freezers are unsuitable for a number of reasons:

1. Low temperature has a detrimental effect on the structure and, accordingly, taste.
2. Vibration, foreign odors and light accelerate the aging process.

At room temperature

Storing wine in rooms with temperatures above 15ºC (room) has a detrimental effect on its properties: oxidation occurs faster and its lifespan is shortened, although it is not dangerous to consume it until the period indicated on the label has expired.

In a special closet

This is ideal. Accessories for such storage organization can be purchased in specialized stores. A cabinet for 12 bottles will cost approximately 13,000 rubles. Such a device ensures the maintenance of the most favorable conditions, which will extend the life of the wine collection for decades.

In the cellar

Having your own home, equipped with a basement or cellar, also allows you to provide favorable conditions. In the basement you can build furniture (racks, chest of drawers, shelves, stands, cabinet, drawer) for any number of bottles. Unlike special cabinets in cellars, you still have to monitor the temperature and humidity of the room to avoid unwanted harmful effects. As we know, products can be stored in wine cellars for decades.

Aging times for different types of wine

Different types of wines require different aging periods and conditions. Here is a small guide that will help you understand what and how to withstand.

Special mention must be made about blended wines. Blending is the mixing of different wines, which are combined to improve the richness of the bouquet. Blending is carried out after aging in barrel and before the wines are sent to bottle storage. Some blends must be stored in bottles for at least 3-5 years to fully harmonize the taste.

As a rule, aged red wines are blended.

Where to store the drink in an apartment or private house?

It is strictly not recommended to store bottles in:

• garage (there are unpleasant odors of gasoline and paint, which can penetrate into the wine through the cork bottle);
• kitchen (this is the warmest room in an apartment or private house with good lighting, and it is most susceptible to temperature fluctuations during cooking and vibrations from the use of household appliances);
• a storage room, for example, a barn or a summer kitchen (in these rooms there is no way to regulate the temperature);
• refrigerator (this place is characterized by low temperature and humidity, constant vibration, and the presence of products with strong odors).

The best place is a basement or cellar, but before placing bottles there, you should make sure that this room meets all the requirements.

If the wine will be stored in the apartment, then you can allocate a cabinet for it, the main thing is that it is not built into the external wall. Moreover, if the question arises of choosing between a place with a high but stable temperature and a cooler room, but where the temperature often fluctuates, then it is better to give preference to the first option.

Apartment storage is a short-term solution. In such conditions, wine can be kept for no more than 6 months. Therefore, it is better to purchase special refrigerators for an apartment.

Wine selection

Please note: only high quality unopened wines can be stored for a long time. Their shelf life depends on the grape variety, the method of preparing the drink and the method of sealing the bottle. In particular, the cork must be natural - plastic ones do not allow air to pass through.

Even if you store inexpensive wine correctly, it will still spoil after the expiration date.

The shelf life of wine largely depends on the technology of its production.

First, determine the purpose of purchasing wine:

1. Savings for a period of 1-1.5 years . You can choose a drink in the mid-price segment.
2. Storage for several years or decades . The wine must be of high quality, and the variety must be suitable for long-term storage.
3. Collecting as a hobby . Choose a high quality drink. Before purchasing, get acquainted with expert assessments of a particular crop. Store several bottles of the same variety: by opening them one at a time every 1-2 years, you can feel how the taste of the drink gradually reveals itself.
4. Investments . Before purchasing wine, carefully study expert assessments and compare the opinions of several competent sources. Please note that ratings are revised from time to time because sometimes wines do not develop as expected. The first, relatively long-term assessment is issued only 5 years after the start of storage.

Wine Spectator magazine and wine critic Robert Parker are considered one of the best experts in the world. If you are considering purchasing wine as an investment or for a collection, it is advisable to check out their ratings.

Wine rating scale for storage and investment according to the international system:

How long can wine be stored in barrels?

If you are making a supply of wine for only a few weeks at a time, then you can store it in any suitable place, away from heat and light. The wine, which should be stored for a year or so, will do well in any reasonably cool, dark place - in a separate cool room or cupboard, away from hot radiators and warm walls. Experts constantly argue about how long wine can be stored. It is believed that wine can be stored in barrels for decades and even centuries, but in bottles the drink loses its properties in 5-10 years.

But for long-term storage of wine, especially fine wines - a period that can last from five to twenty years or even longer - a good cellar is necessary, where the wine can ripen on its own without being subjected to the harmful effects of heat, light and shaking.

An ideal wine cellar should be kept at a low temperature at all times, be sufficiently humid and well ventilated. Such conditions naturally exist in underground cellars, but they can be created artificially using air conditioners and humidifiers. In any case, the optimal temperature ranges from 10 to 14 °C. Temperatures below this level will slow down the maturation of the wine but will not cause any other harm; higher temperatures will cause the wine to mature too quickly, preventing it from developing its best qualities.

The temperature should be as constant as possible: even in the best cellars it varies at different times of the year, but sudden changes in temperature can damage the wine. Humidity prevents the corks from drying out and preventing so much air from penetrating into the wine that it can oxidize. A cellar with an earthen floor will be too wet. Stone or concrete floors should be sprinkled with gravel or sand and sprinkled with water from time to time. Good ventilation and clean, odorless air are also very important because strong odors or even stale air can enter bottles through the corks and ruin the wine.

In general, wine bottles intended for long-term storage should be stored horizontally, so that the corks are in contact with the wine, so that the wine can breathe and the corks do not dry out. In specially built cellars, wines are stored in bunkers or niches, usually made of concrete. Moreover, in one bin there are bottles of wine of the same name and from the same vintage. If the bin contains bottles of wine of two or more names and different vintages, then they are separated by wooden planks to make it easier to take a bottle from the top rows. Each bin is labeled with the type of wine it contains. It is most convenient to store individual bottles of different wines on shelves so that you can take one bottle without disturbing the others.

Storage temperature

The question at what temperature to store wine is the most important. The drink requires certain storage conditions. Cold stops fermentation, and if it is too warm, the process will happen faster than expected, which will not allow the product’s qualities to develop correctly.

Red wine is stored under the same conditions as white wine:

• red and white dry: +10°С -+12°С;
• red and white dessert: +14°С -+16°С.

It is important that the wine storage temperature is stable, without sudden changes.

Humidity level is also very important. If the storage is too dry, the corks will dry out and the bottles will become depressurized, which will affect the quality of the drink. When the air is too damp, mold begins to form. The unpleasant smell of mold can be absorbed into drinks, even through the cork. Also, labels on bottles become deformed due to moisture, which makes them unpresentable.

The humidity level in wine storage areas should be between 60 - 80%.

What determines the shelf life?

The fermented drink cannot remain unchanged indefinitely. Higher quality, seasoned ones are not afraid of decades. But the simplest options look more like vinegar after a couple of years. Many people don't know why this happens. In fact, there are many factors related to the fact that the technology for producing wines has changed and improved over the years.

The shelf life is determined by the following factors:

• room temperature;
• presence or absence of light;
• air humidity;
• varieties of grapes used and their quality;
• wine conditions (sugar concentration, strength);
• container material.

Depending on its “age” and, accordingly, its shelf life, the drink is divided in increasing order into:

• young;
• without endurance;
• seasoned;
• vintage;
• the most expensive and durable collectibles.

The shelf life is determined by the color of the wine and the concentration of alcohol in it. Therefore, dry white varieties can be stored for the least amount of time, while fortified red varieties do not lose their characteristics longer.

Optimal places to store wine bottles at home

If the house has a cellar, then it is necessary to make the finishing from wood or stone, and also place special shelving. Any other room with a constant temperature of +10-160C or around it will do.

In the apartment it is necessary to place bottles of wine away from heating appliances. In old apartment buildings there are “refrigerators” under the window in the kitchen, as well as storage rooms - there is no radiator in them, and it is almost always dark.

If you are a true wine connoisseur and have more than 15 bottles of wine in your collection, then it is best to purchase a wine cabinet. This device holds up to 500 bottles, depending on the model and cost. There are wine cabinets that maintain different temperatures in two compartments: separately for dry and dessert wine.

A small thermostat cabinet, 51 cm high and with a capacity of 18 bottles, can be purchased for 12-15 thousand rubles. Low cost for true wine connoisseurs.

Special shelves for bottles are on sale. However, it is worth considering that they will provide real benefits, and not just the beauty of the interior, only when they are installed in a room with the correct temperature.

Attention : it is not recommended to store wine on a balcony or loggia: at low temperatures, a sediment forms in the wine - tartar. After which the wine is not suitable for its intended use. And after the summer heat, the wine will turn into vinegar.

Storing an Open Bottle of Wine

The shelf life of an opened bottle of wine is very limited. The standard shelf life is 3 days, sparkling wine is stored even less - about a day.

The reason for this shortening of life is contact with oxygen. Even after closing with a cork, the chemical processes in the wine do not stop working. Oxygen quickly destroys the noble taste and aroma of the drink. All other wines have approximately the same shelf life and should not be kept longer than the indicated 1-3 days.

But fortified and dessert wines have a longer shelf life after opening - about a week. Higher sugar and alcohol content extends shelf life. True, wine experts recommend storing opened red wine for no more than 5 days, and white wine for no more than 3 days.

How long to store

It is important to understand that not every alcohol improves during storage. How long wine can be stored depends on its type. If it is young, it should be consumed after the end of the active fermentation phase as quickly as possible. White wines should generally be used no later than after 3 years, not counting individual brands.

The shelf life of red wine can range from 2 to 100 years. There are centuries-old representatives of the world famous Burgundy and Bordeaux.

An important factor influencing the shelf life of a product is its composition. It matters how much sugar, tannins, and acids are present in it. At the same time, their balance plays an important role.

Some people buy good wines and age them for decades, which greatly increases their value.

Drinks such as Sauvignon and Cabernet are able to reveal all their qualities after 5 - 7 years of storage, although their price is relatively low.

Fortified drinks can be aged for a long time. This applies to sherry, Madeira, and Tokay. At the same time, red wine lasts longer than white wine.

Sparkling young wines and vermouth are natural drinks whose fermentation process has been interrupted. They are carbonated or herbal infusions are added. This does not affect the quality, but reduces the shelf life of the product to 1.5 years. The situation is similar with the storage time of fruit and berry wines without the addition of alcohol.

Transporting wine

Containers with wine belong to the category of special delicate cargo and are transported in accordance with the standards of GOST R 52523-2006: – compliance with the temperature regime of 11–12 ° C with permissible fluctuations of 2–3 ° per day; – it is allowed to transport wine in glass bottles and barrels placed in boxes that prevent depressurization or damage to the integrity of the container; in plastic thermal bags and bottles, packed in thick cardboard boxes or sealed with polyethylene; – when transporting long distances (over 300 kilometers), the bottles are stacked horizontally, and the box is marked “Caution, fragile!” and information about the maximum stacking height; – packaging containers must be securely secured with straps or clamps; – for transportation over distances of over 300 km, special freight transport is used - isothermal vans or refrigerators equipped with closed temperature-controlled containers; – in containers intended for transporting wine, it is prohibited to transport goods with a strong foreign odor; – the forwarder or owner of the cargo must provide a route that maximally protects the cargo from excessive shaking, and transshipment points at which appropriate storage conditions for wine will be observed.