How do you store your wine?

Wine improves with age. That's why it's important to know the right conditions for storing your wine so that you can make the most of its potential. Wines are made to be kept, and their quality improves over time.

What are the reasons for this improvement?

The 2 main factors in the development of a wine are its tannins and its acidity. A wine is what we call a living product, meaning that its structure changes over the years. The gradual oxidation of the wine will melt its tannins and reduce its acidity.

- What is tannin?

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

- Tannin characterises the structure and taste of wine.

During the production of a wine, it is in fact the transmission of the 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 add substance to the wine, as they are molecules that form complexes that modify its appearance on the palate (more or less rough, more or less silky, for example). But tannin also has antioxidant properties, which is why it is the guarantee of a wine's good ageing qualities. Even when bottled, the wine will gradually oxidise in contact with the little air contained in the bottle. Tannins help to slow down this process, while modifying the structure of a wine over many years, allowing its flavour to evolve. In short, by melting, tannins both prevent the wine from oxidising, allowing it to age longer, and help to develop what is known as the aromatic structure of a wine.

- The acidity of a wine affects how it feels in the mouth.

Unlike tannins, which affect the aroma of the wine itself, acidity is a constituent element of wine, and depending on its degree of concentration will have a direct impact on the freshness of the wine. Acidity is responsible for the salivary mechanisms and therefore characterises the wine's impression on the palate. The more acidic a wine is, the more it will make the taste buds salivate and "shock" (like vinegar, for example). On the other hand, 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 ageing period of the vines - 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. It is also alcoholic fermentation and all the winemaking processes that contribute to lowering or raising the acidity of a wine. In this phase, the winemaker has 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 flavours while remaining pleasant on the palate. Once bottled, the phenomenon of oxidation will tend to reduce the acidity of a wine. In short, each stage in the winemaking process contributes to the final acidity of a wine, and it is this characteristic that affects how the wine is perceived on the palate.

Once the wine has been bottled, oxidation will tend to reduce its acidity and make it "flat". This is why tannins play a complementary role in delaying oxidation. This allows the winemaker to store up 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.

- Preserving a wine.

We have just seen that a wine is a living product, so storing it properly will ensure that it develops in the best possible conditions so that it can make the most of all its quality and the work carried out upstream. The aim of optimal preservation is to slow down as much as possible the oxidation process that is responsible for the wine's development until the end of its life. The main factors that affect the speed of oxidation of a wine are : - the temperature - the light - the position of the bottles - the humidity - the ageing temperature, which is different from the serving temperature.
It is important to distinguish between the ageing temperature, which is the ideal temperature for storing wine, and the serving temperature, which is the ideal temperature for tasting wine.

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

Oxidation is a chain of complex chemical reactions between oxygen and the various components of the wine. Generally speaking, in any chemical reaction, increasing the temperature increases the speed at which the reaction occurs. In fact, increasing the temperature accelerates the kinetics, i.e. increases the probability of the molecules involved in the different reactions in the oxidation chain coming together, simply by making them more "mobile". To put this into perspective, 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 even though it's a slow process, you should avoid keeping a wine too cold for too long to avoid "breaking" it. Some of these micro-organisms grow strongly around 26-28°C

To sum up, prolonged storage of your wines above 25°C is highly likely to give them a rancio flavour, an oxidation phenomenon known as "maderisation". This can be recognised visually, as it also gives the wine a more amber colour
At 20/25°C, you will simply be accelerating the natural oxidation process (i.e. the reaction that occurs when the wine comes into contact with the air) compared with keeping the wine at 10/15°C. This will not "maderise" the wine, but it will reduce its ageing potential, since it will accelerate the wine's ageing process.
Finally, storing the wine at too low a temperature, below 10°C, even though it may risk contaminating the wine by activating some of the undesirable micro-organisms, the slower the reaction, the lower the temperature. There is therefore still 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 between 11°C and 14°C. This is the temperature range that will ensure optimal ageing while avoiding any oxidation or "contamination". There may be variations depending on the alcoholic strength, the region, or whether 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, slightly tannic 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 a little cooler to optimise 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. That's 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 encourage this phenomenon to appear. This is characterised by an odour of cauliflower in particular, and results in discolouration of the wine. Red wines are slightly less prone to this alteration, as they are generally bottled in tinted glass to protect them. Studies show that this alteration can be felt after 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 flat that is not exposed to the sun to avoid any risk of reaction to riboflavin.

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

The choice of cork as the closure system for fine wines is due to its excellent sealing properties, which minimise 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 by respecting the ageing mechanisms designed by the winemakers. Like wine, cork is a "living" material, so 2 essential conditions must be met if you want to preserve all its protective properties

- The importance of storing a bottle of wine lying down:

< The reason why it is absolutely necessary to keep wine lying down in the case of long storage or ageing is that the liquid must remain in contact with the cork. This allows the cork to be moistened to prevent it drying out and shrinking, which would cause it to lose much of its sealing properties

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

- Cellar humidity or hygrometry:

With the same objective of keeping the cork in good condition, you should avoid storing your bottles in an environment that is too dry so as not to damage the protective properties of the cork. You should also 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 is too dry or too damp is more likely to break on opening, which is quite unpleasant and can impair the wine-tasting experience. We recommend using a bimetal to open sensitive bottles, especially old 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 chance that the wine will be good, especially if the other conditions have been respected and the bottle has remained immobile throughout its preservation.