Why right now is the time to start aging your wine collection
Our mission to help you navigate the new normal is fueled by subscribers. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today. Between social distancing and more time spent at home these days in the coronavirus age, many people are turning to new hobbies as well as organizing multiple facets of their personal belongings. For wine novices and self-described oenophiles alike, there could be no better time to start, grow, and improve one’s wine collection. Here is a helpful starter guide with tips from wine distributors, wine directors, sommeliers, and other industry experts on how to nurture your own collection and ensure your bottles age safely well beyond 2020. “A wine fridge will also have racks that are sized for bottles to lay on their side, which is better than standing upright in order to keep the cork in contact with the wine to stop it from drying out,” says Andrea Morris, wine director at New York’s Union Square Café. Getty Images Safe storage Ideally, for long-term wine storage, wine should be kept at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% to 80% humidity, and in a dark space. It all depends on the storage horizon of the wine, says Lauren McPhate director of sales at Tribeca Wine Merchants in New York City. “If you’ll be drinking it within the next few months, a regular refrigerator is just fine,” says McPhate. “The key thing with any wine storage is a consistent temperature. You want to avoid fluctuations, both hot or cold, and too much movement in the wine. So, if you’re planning on storing wines for a year or more, it’s best to put them in a designated location with consistent temperature, such as a deep basement or wine fridge, where they’re out of the way.” While aging in a cellar is best, for most that is unattainable. Storing wines in a refrigerator specifically designed for wine works just as well. Sara Maule, a specialist in Italian fine wines with wine wholesaler and importer Frederick Wildman, explains a wine fridge is best because it keeps the temperature constant, keeps the bottles out of direct light, and keeps them horizontal. If a wine fridge is not an option, keep the wines in as cool and as dark of a place as possible. Sometimes that means the back of a closet or pantry. Humidity is not as critical as light; heat (including from window exposure) can “cook,” or maderize wine, muting the fruit aromas. For white and sparkling wines, a regular home refrigerator often works well. But for reds—and bottles you want to preserve in general—you need to be cautious about storing these in a regular fridge. “A wine fridge and a regular household fridge are two very different devices made to serve their own purpose only,” says Jean Frederic Hugel the 13th-generation owner of Famille Hugel, a winery in France’s Alsace region. “A fridge is supposed to keep perishables; even the mildest setting is way too cold for wine aging or even wine servicing, except for whites, of course. In a fridge, your wine will simply not age.” Regular household fridges are designed for general storage purposes, says Valentina Abbona, owner of the Marchesi di Barolo winery in Piedmont, Italy, and the typical working temperature is around 39 degrees Fahrenheit, or four degrees Celsius, which is quite low for wine storage. Specific wine fridges usually have a working temperature that can be set at 57 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or 14 to 16 degrees Celsius, which is very close to that of underground cellars. Another reason to invest in the wine fridge is the issue of vibration, says Hak Soo Kim, assistant wine director at Chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant in midtown Manhattan. “Household refrigerators use the motor to cool the unit. As for wine, you definitely do not want the motor to constantly stir up the wine. I believe this is why wine fridges tend to be expensive.” Kim suggests looking at the secondary market for a starter wine fridge, adding he bought a used one a few years ago to hold part of his home collection encompassing more than 60 bottles. “Specific wine fridges normally have cooling engines generating very little vibrations, which is not always the case when referring to multi-purpose fridges,” Abbona explains. “Moreover, dedicated fridges have a large glass door which can be chosen as UV-proof, to better preserve your wines from the outside lighting.” The absolute worst places to store your wine at home: Near the oven, the stove, the firepl…