Storing a Wine

Proper Wine Bottle Orientation Can Prevent Disaster

Wine bottle orientation is very important to preserving your wine’s quality. While there has been significant discussion of how to best orient your wine bottle during storage, the general consensus is that you cannot go wrong by storing it horizontally instead of vertically.

The quality of a wine (including its taste) can degrade drastically over time if it is not stored in the right conditions. If air is allowed to enter the wine bottle through the cork, the oxidation will cause a chemical shift in the wine and significantly alter its quality. In order to prevent the air from entering through the cork, it is recommended to store the wine on its side.

When wine is stored horizontally, the cork is kept moist. However, stored vertically, the cork is allowed to dry out and actually will shrink as it dries. As the cork shrinks, it allows air to enter the wine bottle and degrade the quality of the wine. Often you will not realize that this has happened until you open the wine and take your first drink. What a disappointment – especially if you have been saving that wine bottle for a special occasion!

Selecting a Wine Rack

While a short storage period in the vertical position will not damage the wine (in fact, many wine sellers actually store their wines this way to make it easier for the customer to read the labels), you should avoid vertical wine storage for extended periods of time. If you are planning on storing your wine for more a couple months, invest in a wine rack that will allow you horizontal wine storage capability.

There are many different types of wine racks available for horizontal storage and any of them will keep your cork moist and your wine at its peak quality. Just be careful to avoid “designer” wine racks or “stylish” wine racks that do not offer a horizontal storage solution for your wine.

Often, these wine racks are created by people who simply want to sell you a product and are not aware of the proper storage conditions for wine. If you do choose to purchase a vertical storage rack for your wine, use it only for wine which you intend to drink within the next month so that you will not lose any quality in your long-term wine collection.

About the Author: Dan Maynard is a marketer, musician and a consumer of the occasional bottle of wine. He also authors a wine related web site where you can find information related to:
Where to buy wine online
Discount wine rack
Beautiful wine basket gift

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Serving a Wine | How to taste a Wine | Tasting Types | Describing a Wine | Wine with Food | Storing a Wine | Aging Wine |
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