Wine is a complex, ever evolving beverage. If not treated with care, it can spoil very easily. There are a couple very simple things to do in order to keep your wine safe from spoilage.
Instructions
Keep Wine From Going Bad
1. Drink it sooner, rather than later. As simplistic as this sounds, it is the number one reason why most wine "goes bad." Ninety-five percent of all wine made every year was meant to be drunk within the first three years of production. In particular, inexpensive, mass produced wines are meant for immediate enjoyment. The idea of "cellaring" all wine and letting it mature for years upon years is a dubious one. There are only a very small hand full of wines that fall into this category. That being said, all wine should be stored properly in order to keep it at a high level of quality.
2. Keep it out of sunlight. Sun is one of wine's worst enemies. It literally changes the chemical composition of the wine, itself. A dark closet or low lying cupboard is good. A sunless basement is better. Basements are ideal for storing wine, because...
3. Keep it at a constant temperature. This is wine's other worst enemy. The more the temperature vascilates, the more likely the wine will oxidize. Aside from not being good for the living organisms in the liquid itself, the cork that is stoppering the bottle expands and contracts whenever the temperature changes. If it changes too often, the cork will begin to let air in, and oxygen is the third and most dangerous of all of wine's enemies. That is why, if you are cellaring wine for an extended period of time (over five years) you must also...
4. Keep it at a constant humidity. This is where wine cellars and wine storage units start coming into play. Just as with heat and cold, humidity can also affect the cork. A lack of humidity will dry the cork out, it will contract, and, again, let air in and oxidize the wine.
5. Construct your storage unit to your needs. If you have a cellar or basement, there will most likely be places down there that are at a constant temperature and humidity year round. If you are planning on storing wines for a moderate period of time, purchase a thermometer and barometer. Take readings, every day twice a day (at the same times each day) for two weeks. If the temperature and humidity stay the same, this is a great place to store wine. If you don't have a basement, or even if you do and are planning on storing very expensive wines indefinitely (more than five years) invest in a wine storage container. This will keep your wines at a constant, healthy humidity and at a cellar temperature which your own basement (should you have one) may not reach (55 degrees, Fahrenheit is optimal).
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