How to Age Wine Without a Cellar

The hardest part about aging wine is not drinking it right away. The average wine made today does not need to be aged, and many of them shouldn't be. The average time from the market shelf to consumption of the wine is only 20 minutes.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wine to store
• Cool, dark area (preferably a basement)

1. Determine if your wine would benefit from storage. As I said before, many of them wouldn't. You rarely want to store white wines, as they don't have the necessary tannins to age. Most whites should be drunk within 5 years of the vintage. A good wine for storage is a well rounded, high tannin wine. Anything that says velvety, full bodied, deep, intricate, or anything like this on the label is probably a good candidate.

2. Find a place to store them. Basements are ideal. You want a place that will have a stable temperature, low light, and relatively high humidity. The temperature should be low-ish, around 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit, but as long as it is stable, it should be ok at room temperature.

3. Store bottles on their side. An upright bottle will get cork rot or the cork will dry out and the wine can even settle easier. Keeping the bottles on their side will allow the wine to keep the cork moist and fresh, while the higher humidity will help maintain the dampness too.

Tips & Warnings

• Rotate your bottles. If you spin them every once in a while, it can only help. You want the wine to remain one piece without separating.
• Don't ever store a bottle with a twist off cap. These caps tend too let too much air in too quickly, and will produce a skunky, bitter smell and taste.

[sinceyouasked]

on 9/2/2009 Interesting article. Thanks for sharing!