When you’re new to the world of wine, it can be difficult to tell the proper techniques for storing and serving wine. After all, the amount of information on the web can be overwhelming — and much of it is contradictory, too.
In this article, we explain everything you need to know about refrigerating wine. Aside from clearing up the myths and answering whether you should chill wine, We also explain the best techniques for storing and serving every variety of wine.
Should You Refrigerate Wine?
Refrigerating wine is essential for preserving and keeping it in the best condition. Additionally, serving your wine at the correct temperature can boost the flavor enormously. If you want to enjoy the benefits of refrigerating your wine, however, you’ll need to ensure that you’re doing so properly.
You should always make sure to refrigerate your wine properly. If the wine bottle is opened, it should be re-corked and refrigerated upright. You should avoid chilling your wine in a space like your fridge door, as appliances like a dedicated wine cooler will provide better control of light, humidity, vibrations, and temperature.
How to Properly Store Wine
Red Wine
When storing red wine, you should always ensure that your bottles are kept at a consistent temperature and moved as little as possible. For this reason, you must never store your red wine in the fridge door.
Instead, you should opt for a space like a dedicated wine cellar or wine cooler to store your bottles. Red wine can be kept and served at temperatures between 60 and 68°F, so you don’t need a dedicated refrigerator if you have a dark and quiet place to store your red wine.
You should keep the humidity level of the space you store your red wine between 50 and 80 percent. You can use a sensor to monitor the humidity levels around your bottles of wine and use a humidifier or dehumidifier as needed.
Once your red wine is opened, re-cork the wine bottle and store it at a temperature of around 55°F. Using a dedicated wine cooler is the perfect way to keep your bottle of red wine intact. You can refrigerate light reds for about one to three days after opening, while dark reds can last up to five days.
White Wine
The proper storage techniques for white wine are quite different from those recommended for red wine. To start, it’s significantly more important that you keep your white wine out of the reach of sunlight, as the white wine lacks any protective tannins.
You should keep your white wine in a wine cooler. You must store white wine at a significantly lower temperature than red wine, so using a cabinet isn’t recommended. The ideal temperature range is between 45 and 50°F.
Much like red wine, you can keep your bottles of white wine at humidity levels ranging from 50 to 80 percent. You should store your unopened bottles of white wine on their side, as the wine touching the cork will reduce the possibility of oxidation or the cork drying out.
An open bottle of white wine generally lasts one to three days. Acidic white wines last longer than other white wines. It’s worth noting that open bottles of wine don’t expire in the span of several days, but they will develop unpleasant vinegary flavors.
Rosé Wine
If you want to store your rose wine properly you’ll need to use different techniques than red or white wine. Much like white wine, it’s essential to protect your rose wine from light. The rosé wine has low tannins and will develop terrible flavors quickly when exposed to direct sun.
You should keep your rosé wine storage temperature ranging from 55°F to 60°F. Depending on your preferences, you may be able to adjust the temperature. Light roses are better kept at lower temperatures, while full-bodied dark roses can be kept closer to room temperature.
Unfortunately, rosé wine expires very quickly once the bottle is opened. You should drink the bottle within one to three days after opening it. It’s also generally recommended that you only store an unopened bottle of rosé wine for a month, as the wine is meant to be consumed fresh.
Other Wines
You should research your other types of wine to determine the best conditions for refrigeration. In general, you should always keep the humidity level at 50 to 80% and store your wine at the proper serving temperature.
If you have a bottle of champagne or prosecco, you should store the bottles upright to reduce pressure on the cork and maintain the fizziness. With a bottle of red wine, however, you should keep it on its side to maintain the sediment.
Sparkling wine needs to be refrigerated at a much lower temperature than other wines. In fact, you should store sparkling wine like champagne or prosecco in temperatures ranging from 40 to 50°F. A compressor-based dual-zone wine cooler is one of the best ways to maintain these temperatures reliably.
Tips for Serving Wine
- If you need to chill your wine in a pinch, put your bottles in a salted ice bath. As long as you stir the bottles around frequently, it will only take a few minutes for the wine to reach an ideal serving temperature.
- Use the right type of wine glass. A glass with a large and wide bowl is perfect for varieties like pinot noir or most white wines, while you should always opt for a large and narrow wine glass for sparkling wines.
- Ice your wine without diluting it by using frozen grapes or fruit. This whimsical technique will allow you to chill your wine without watering it down — and best of all, you’ll have a sweet treat to pair with your wine.
- Decant your red wines. You should decant any red wine with an aggressive tannin flavor before serving. Pour the wine into a decanter for at least an hour. Young wines will need more decanting than older red wines.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do you need to refrigerate wine?
- Not all wine needs refrigeration. White, sparkling, and rosé wines should be refrigerated before serving to keep them at their ideal temperature. Red wines are generally stored at room temperature but can be chilled slightly before serving, especially lighter reds like Pinot Noir.
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Can I store wine in the fridge long-term?
- A regular fridge is too cold and lacks the proper humidity for long-term wine storage. It’s fine for short-term storage of opened bottles or to chill white and sparkling wines before serving, but for long-term storage, a wine cooler or cellar is recommended.
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Should red wine be refrigerated after opening?
- Yes, refrigerating red wine after opening slows the oxidation process and helps preserve it for 3 to 5 days. Before serving, let it come back to its proper serving temperature, which is slightly cooler than room temperature (around 55°F-65°F).
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What is the proper temperature for serving wine?
- Red wine should be served at 55°F-65°F (13°C-18°C), white wine at 45°F-50°F (7°C-10°C), and sparkling wine at 40°F-45°F (4°C-7°C). These temperatures help bring out the best flavors and aromas of each type of wine.
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How long can wine be stored at room temperature?
- Unopened wine can be stored at room temperature for several months, as long as it’s kept in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight and temperature fluctuations. Opened wine should generally be consumed within a few days and stored in the fridge.
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Can you re-chill wine after it has been opened and warmed up?
- Yes, it’s perfectly fine to re-chill wine after it’s been opened and warmed up. Just make sure the wine is tightly sealed to prevent oxidation, and it can be returned to the fridge or wine cooler for preservation.
Conclusion
It can be challenging to learn how to properly store and refrigerate your wines, considering the plethora of inaccurate information on the web. As long as you use our essential guide to refrigerating and storing each variety of wine, you won’t have any trouble keeping your wines in optimal condition to enjoy.