How to store your wine?

Wine improves with age. That's why it's important to know the right storage conditions for your wine, so you can get the most out of it. Wines are made to be kept, and their quality improves with age.

What are the reasons for this improvement?

The 2 main factors in a wine's evolution are its tannins and acidity. A wine is what we call a living product, meaning that its structure changes over the years. The gradual oxidation of the wine melts its tannins and reduces its acidity.

- What is tannin?

Tannins are protective molecules found in all plants. They are a chemical defense mechanism used by plants to protect themselves from external microbes or herbivores, giving them an astringent taste, for example.

- Tannin characterizes the structure and taste of wine.

During the production of a wine, it is in fact the transmission of tannins contained in the grape bunches and the grape itself, as well as in the wood of the barrel in which the wine matures, that will give it its aromatic characteristics. Depending on the different grape varieties used and the choice of barrels, the winemaker will influence the taste of the wine produced, making it more or less bitter, for example, and with such or such fruit notes. Tannins also confer substance to the wine, since they are molecules that form complexes that modify its appearance on the palate (more or less raspy, more or less silky, for example). But tannin also has an antioxidant characteristic, which is why it is the guarantor of good cellaring. Indeed, even when bottled, wine will gradually oxidize in contact with the little air contained in the bottle. Tannins help to slow down this phenomenon, while modifying the structure of a wine over many years, allowing its taste to evolve. In short, by melting, tannins both prevent the wine from oxidizing, allowing it to age longer, and enhance what we call the aromatic structure of a wine.

- The acidity of a wine affects its mouthfeel.

Unlike tannins, which affect the aroma of the wine itself, acidity is a constituent element of wine, and its degree of concentration has a direct impact on the wine's freshness. Acidity is responsible for salivary mechanisms and therefore characterizes the wine's mouthfeel. The more acidic a wine is, the more it will make the taste buds salivate and "shock" (like vinegar, for example), while the less acidic a wine is, the flatter it will be on the palate (neutral pH: sensation of drinking water). The final acidity of a wine is affected by every stage in its production. First of all, there are: - the geological composition of the vineyard - the climate during the vine ageing period - the ripeness of the grapes at harvest time These are so-called "natural" factors, over which the winemaker sometimes has only partial and arbitrary control. Alcoholic fermentation and all the winemaking processes that follow contribute to lowering or raising a wine's acidity. In this phase, the winemaker exerts a much more controlled influence on the acidity level of his wine, and the aim will be to find the right balance to enable his wines to be sufficiently fresh and revealing of flavors while remaining pleasant on the palate. Once bottled, the phenomenon of oxidation will tend to diminish a wine's acidity. In short, each stage of the winemaking process contributes to the final acidity of a wine, and it is this characteristic that plays a role in how the wine is perceived on the palate.

Once the wine has been bottled, oxidation will tend to reduce acidity and make it "flat". This is why tannins play a complementary role in delaying oxidation. This allows the winemaker to store all the freshness of his work for many years before the wine goes off
In conclusion, tannins and acidity are the chemical elements that determine the genesis, evolution and ageing potential of a wine.

- Wine conservation.

As we have just seen, wine is a living product, and its proper preservation will ensure that it evolves in the best possible conditions, making the most of its quality and the work carried out upstream. The aim of optimal preservation is to slow down as much as possible the oxidation phenomenon responsible for the wine's evolution until the end of its life. The main factors influencing the speed of oxidation are : - temperature - luminosity - bottle position - hygrometry - aging temperature, different from serving temperature.
It's important to distinguish between ageing temperature, which is the ideal temperature for storing wine, and serving temperature, which is the ideal temperature for tasting wine.

- Aging temperature: limiting oxidation while allowing the wine to mature.

Oxidation is a chain of complex chemical reactions between oxygen and the various components of wine. Generally speaking, in any chemical reaction, an increase in temperature increases the speed at which the reaction occurs. Indeed, increasing temperature accelerates the kinetics, i.e. increases the probability of the molecules involved in the various reactions of the oxidation chain meeting simply by making them more "mobile". To give an order of magnitude, it is estimated that a step of 10°C on average doubles the speed of a chemical reaction. It is therefore logical to store wines at low temperatures to limit oxidation. However, there are micro-organisms in wine that are involved at other levels of the oxidation chain, and are responsible for microbiological development that is said to "contaminate" the wine. Some of these micro-organisms are active over a temperature range from 4°C to 10°C, and although it's a slow process, it's important to avoid keeping wine too cold for too long to avoid "breaking" it. Another part of these micro-organisms grows strongly around 26-28°C

To sum up, prolonged storage of your wines above 25°C is likely to give them a rancio taste, an oxidation phenomenon known as "maderization". It can be recognized visually, as it also gives the wine a generally amber color
At 20/25°C, you'll simply be accelerating the natural oxidation process (i.e., the reaction that occurs when wine comes into contact with air), compared to keeping it at 10/15°C. This will not "maderize" the wine, but it will reduce its ageing potential, since it will accelerate the wine's aging process.
Finally, storage at too low a temperature, below 10°C, may risk contaminating the wine by activating some of the undesirable micro-organisms, but the slower the reaction, the lower the temperature. There remains a risk of "breaking" the wine, but this risk is much lower than at high temperatures.

Finally, the ideal storage temperature for your wine is therefore between 11°C and 14°C. This is the temperature range that will ensure optimal aging while avoiding any oxidation or "contamination" phenomena. There may be variations depending on the alcohol content, the region, or if it's a champagne, for example, but to be absolutely sure you're not making a mistake, we recommend storing your bottles at a constant 12°C

- Serving temperature: this depends on the type of wine or champagne.

Generally speaking, we recommend serving red wines between 11°C and 18°C, depending on their alcohol content. Serve a light, low-tannin wine at around 11°C and a full-bodied wine at around 18°C. For well-balanced wines, i.e. most of the great Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône wines we sell on this site, the ideal serving temperature is somewhere between the 2, around 15°C. (A mnemonic that can be used is to serve your wine at a temperature 1°C higher than its alcohol content).
Champagne, on the other hand, should be served slightly cooler to optimize the finesse of its bubbles, and we generally recommend a serving temperature of around 8-10°C.

- "The taste of light

There are certain compounds in wine, notably riboflavin, which reacts with light rays, altering the wine's aromas. This compound is found in greater concentration in white wines, sparkling white wines and champagne, which are therefore more sensitive to exposure to light than red wines. This is why it's best to store wines in the dark, with low-intensity lighting, to avoid activating this phenomenon. Remember that storing your wines at too high a temperature will promote the appearance of this phenomenon. The latter is characterized by a cauliflower-like odor, and results in discoloration of the wine. Red wines are a little less prone to this alteration, as they are generally bottled in tinted glass to protect them. Studies show that this alteration can be felt from 3 weeks of prolonged exposure to high light intensity. If you don't have a perfectly dark cellar, choose a relatively cool room in your house or apartment, out of the sun, to avoid any risk of reaction to riboflavin.

- The cork imposes 2 conservation criteria: position and hygrometry.

The choice of cork as a closure system for grands crus is due to its excellent sealing properties, which minimize oxidation by preventing oxygen from seeping into the bottle. As cork is also a natural bark material, it enhances the aromatic evolution of fine wines, respecting the aging mechanisms designed by the winemakers. Like wine, cork is a "living" material, so 2 essential conditions must be met if you wish to preserve all its protective properties

- The importance of storing a bottle of wine in a horizontal position:

< The reason why it's essential to keep wine lying down in the case of long storage or aging is that the liquid must remain in contact with the cork. This keeps the cork moist, preventing it from drying out and shrinking, which would cause it to lose much of its sealing properties

On the other hand, strong alcohols tend to attack the cork, which is why whisky, cognac and chartreuse bottles should be stored upright for optimum preservation

- Cellar humidity or hygrometry:

With the same objective of keeping your cork in good condition, you must avoid storing your bottles in an environment that is too dry, so as not to damage the protective properties of the cork. It is also important to avoid an environment that is too damp, as this could rot the cork and alter the wine's aromas, giving it a corky taste. What's more, a cork that's too dry or too damp is more likely to break on opening, which is rather unpleasant and can impair the tasting experience. We recommend the use of a bimetal corkscrew to open sensitive bottles, especially older wines which are generally more delicate to open. Note, however, that even if a poorly preserved cork increases the risk of a "spent" wine, there is still a probability that the wine will be good, especially if the other conditions have been respected and the bottle has remained immobile throughout its preservation.