The three factors that have the most pronounced effect on wine in storage are light humidity and temperature.
Red wine cellar temp.
Keeping one s wine cellar at a fairly consistent temperature throughout the year seems like a capital idea but unless one s storage room gets to 95 degrees in summer over a period of weeks.
But room temperature is typically around 70 degrees and the ideal serving temperature for red wine is anywhere between 60 and 68 degrees.
Wine fridge temperature range.
While we can t speak for the influence of 90s pop songs on pinot noir temperature fluctuations do appear to alter the structure and character of wine over time.
Wine ages 4 times faster at room temperature.
Fulvio mattivis a food scientist at fondazione edmund mach gathered 400 bottles of tuscan wine and placed half of them in a professional cellar and the other half in a dark room designed to mimic the natural temperature fluctuations of a home closet over the course of 2 years he compared the wines chemical structure and taste.
Generally speaking wine aficionados don t like white wines to be too cold or reds to be too hot.
Some specialized units can offer temperatures below 40 f but that will be too low for most wines.
But don t let those.
Poorly stored wines may not retain their original freshness and will most likely develop faster and less predictably than bottles that have enjoyed a constant steady maturation process in a temperature controlled cellar or wine cabinet.
Most standard units have a temperature range between 40 f and 65 f.
Tips for proper wine storage.
Direct sunlight or incandescent light can adversely react with phenolic compounds in wine and create wine faults.
In fact if the wine is over chilled the aging process can actually slow down changing its aroma and flavour.
Say your reds and whites are stowed away stored in a cooler at the ideal temperature.
Wine coolers are at their most basic standalone units designed to maintain a consistent temperature sometimes one suitable for serving rather than long term storage whereas a wine cellar is a cabinet or an entire room that stores wine in optimal conditions for long term aging.
Light bodied white wines run the greatest risk from light exposure and for that reason they are often packaged in tinted wine.
Room temp is no bueno.
This allows proper temperature at all time.
Lower quality wines do well served cooler it mutes potential flaws in the aromas.