How to preserve unfinished wine

If you have bought wine but have not finished it, you must preserve it so that you can drink it next time. However, if you do not preserve it correctly, the wine will deteriorate. You must pay attention to the humidity and temperature of the storage, which is actually very critical. Light is also very important. Never place the wine in direct sunlight; store it away from light.

1. Temperature

The most important factor is temperature. The best storage temperature for wine should be around 13°C. It is best to keep the temperature constant, otherwise it will greatly damage the quality of the wine. As the temperature rises, the time required for the wine to mature will be shortened, the flavor of the wine will become rougher, and the wine may deteriorate due to excessive oxidation.

2. Humidity

The influence of humidity mainly affects the cork, and the humidity is generally suitable between 60% and 70%. If the humidity is too low, the cork will become dry, affecting the sealing effect, allowing more air to come into contact with the wine, accelerating the oxidation of the wine and causing the quality of the wine to deteriorate. Of course, too high humidity is not good either, as moldy corks can also damage the quality of the wine.

3. Light

The ultraviolet rays in the light can also cause great damage to the wine and are one of the culprits that accelerate the oxidation process of the wine. Therefore, if you want to preserve the wine for a long time, you must put it in a dark place.

4. Vibration

When wine is bottled, the change is a slow process. Vibration will accelerate the maturation of the wine, but of course the result is that the wine becomes rough. Therefore, it should be placed away from vibration and not moved frequently.

Another thing is the placement of wine bottles. Everyone knows that wine should be stored horizontally, but in fact, it is also possible to tilt the bottle mouth 15 degrees upwards. For red wine that needs to be stored for a long time, it is not advisable to place the bottle with the mouth facing downwards. Because wine will have sediment after being stored for a long time, if it is placed flat or with the bottle mouth slightly tilted upwards, the sediment will gather at the bottom of the bottle; if the bottle mouth is tilted downward, the sediment will gather at the bottle mouth, and will stick there over time. When pouring the wine, the sediment will also be poured into the wine glass, affecting the taste of the wine.

As for wine that has been opened but not finished, the ideal way is to first pump out all the air in the bottle and then put the cork back in, so that it can be preserved for a week. A more economical way is to transfer the leftover wine into a small bottle so that no air can be retained in the bottle and the wine can be stored for another 24 hours. However, opened wine should be consumed as soon as possible, because the longer it is stored, the faster its flavor will dissipate.