Help with Wine Storage


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Grand Lodge

Hey guys, I'm not really a wine guy but I just got a case of Port and, since it'll be a good year before I gift it all away (and drink a bottle or two myself), I need some advice on its storage.

My home stays between 70-79 Fahrenheit, too warm -- and my only other real option is the refrigerator. Is the fridge too cold or humid to store Port for a year?

Thanks


A friend of mine just told me (I asked on your behalf) that it should be stored on its side at about 60 degrees in a dark cabinet.


I would think that the wine would be best stored in your stomach, though that would make giving it to somebody else socially awkward and somewhat messy. :-)

Unfortunately I'm not enough of a wine snob to give you a real answer to your question. I have a sneaking suspicion that the humidity of the place where you store your wine is only a real issue if the bottles are sealed with actual cork stoppers. In which case the humidity might affect the cork which could in turn affect the wine. If the bottles are sealed with a metal screw on cap then it might not be an issue.

I couldn't advise you as to temperature. I would think that colder would be better but I could be wrong. I also dimly remember seeing a show somewhere that mentioned that bottles stored in wine racks for extended periods of time should be rotated occasionally. Though I can't for the life of me recall how often that was supposed to done. Neither can I recall the reason why that was supposed to be done.

Regardless, I wish you well with your vintage and hope somebody can give you reals answers to your questions.


Cal is correct about the best setup. If you've got tawny ports they are a bit more hardy but 55 to 60 degrees is ideal.

Ray, might I know what port you got?

Grand Lodge

Yeah, it's from NakedWines.com, their "Port-Style" (since not actually from Portugal) S + A Doce Forte, from Amador County, 2013 ("S" & "A" for Sarah & Ana).
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And I'm still a bit uncertain.... which non-ideal situation is recommended, my fridge or my house which stays between 70-79 F?

Scarab Sages

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Bury it in the walls. Be sure and get a friend to help you!


Ideally, to prevent 'degradation' of the port, you want them kept at 55-60 degrees in a dark spot. Resting on their side is to keep the cork moist. With a new vintage that generally isn't a problem.

I don't know how sensitive 'port-styles' are, I just have port. I'm not a connoisseur by any means. I keep mine on the floor of a closed cupboard and my room temp fluctuates between 68 and 72 degrees. I've had all my bottles there for over two years and I haven't noticed any changes in the taste. But most of my ports are tawny so they are a bit more temperature hardy according to the experts.

I don't know if storing them in your regular fridge (at ~40-something degrees) would be better or worse. The other unknown is how much the taste might change with your vintage being so young. My youngest bottle is 10 years old and the flavor is fully developed by that time.

If I were in your spot, I'd probably hedge my bets and store some bottles in both locations with an eye to tasting the room temperature ones sooner than the fridge ones. I hope that helps.


If your wine stored over 70 degrees for a length of time run the risk of altering the taste. Over 80 and you get what's called "cooking the wine"

Personalty given the scenario you presented I'd go with the lesser of evils and put it in the fridge as far from the cooling element as possible. On it's side so the cork does not dry out. That is the real risk when putting wine in the fridge, it tends to dry out the cork.

Grand Lodge

I'm torn because, between here and reddit many people are indicating that my house in as cool a place I can find (probably around 72-75) will be okay, especially since the wine is so young: 2013, and because it's Port.

On the other hand, the fridge seems safer -- just a bit too cold at, what, 40F sound about right for a fridge .... I could put it in the fridge door but then opening the door jostles the wine, which is also not good.


Why don't you find a wine snob forum and ask there?

Grand Lodge

W E Ray wrote:
...between here and reddit many people are indicating...

I went to reddit first, but I'm a Paizonian and D&D guy at heart so I knew I could get some help from the Lords of the Boards -- especially when so many here brew their own elixers.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Ceaser Slaad wrote:
I also dimly remember seeing a show somewhere that mentioned that bottles stored in wine racks for extended periods of time should be rotated occasionally. Though I can't for the life of me recall how often that was supposed to done. Neither can I recall the reason why that was supposed to be done.

That's actually *not* advisable. Over time, unfiltered wines (and even some filtered ones) "throw sediment," which goes to the bottom (meaning the side that is down, not the actual bottom of the bottle). Rotating the bottle stirs up the sediment, and you don't want to do that. You want to leave that sediment in the bottle when you pour the wine, and that's much easier if you know where the sediment is. (You may have heard of some sommeliers candling a wine, meaning they pour while holding the bottle above a light—traditionally a candle—so they can see where the sediment is.)

This is true for all wines that throw sediment, but many port producers who age their wine in bottle prior to release are one step ahead on this—you'll often see a swipe or circle of white paint on port bottles called a splash mark that tells you which way the bottle was stored in their cellar so you can do the same. (The splash mark should be on top, meaning the sediment will be on the opposite side.)

(I'm wondering if what you saw was about the process of making sparkling wine using the traditional methode champenoise, where the wine undergoes secondary fermentation in bottle while stored in racks that keep the bottle angled with the neck down so that the lees (dead yeast cells and other sediment) aggregate in the necks until they are disgorged (removed) prior to final corking. During this time, the bottles are riddled (turned frequently) to help the lees settle in the neck.)

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

stormraven wrote:
Resting on their side is to keep the cork moist. With a new vintage that generally isn't a problem.

It's not really about the vintage; it's about the long-term storage. If you're going to drink the wine in a year (as the OP said), the cork is unlikely to dry out in that time even if kept upright. If you were holding it for a few years, though, you'll want to keep that cork moist. While that's most commonly done by laying the bottle on the side in a rack, I do know people who just turn their cases upside down in a closet.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

W E Ray wrote:

I'm torn because, between here and reddit many people are indicating that my house in as cool a place I can find (probably around 72-75) will be okay, especially since the wine is so young: 2013, and because it's Port.

On the other hand, the fridge seems safer -- just a bit too cold at, what, 40F sound about right for a fridge .... I could put it in the fridge door but then opening the door jostles the wine, which is also not good.

72–75 will be fine for a year or so, especially with a port-style wine. And the fridge would be fine too. But you will likely want to serve it cooler than your room temp, and warmer than your fridge temp—I'd suggest somewhere in the 60s.

Don't worry too much about humidity—the only issue there is if it's too dry, the cork could fail. But do keep it out of sunlight.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote:
Bury it in the walls. Be sure and get a friend to help you!

I have a lovely cask of Amontillado to share with you!


Vod Canockers wrote:
Why don't you find a wine snob forum and ask there?
W E Ray wrote:
W E Ray wrote:
...between here and reddit many people are indicating...
I went to reddit first, but I'm a Paizonian and D&D guy at heart so I knew I could get some help from the Lords of the Boards -- especially when so many here brew their own elixers.

Yeah, Vic Wertz certainly had much to say. And if you click on this link to a news video about the 2012 Seattle Wine Awards, you'll see Lisa Stevens at around 0:30 to 0:32.


Vod Canockers wrote:
Why don't you find a wine snob forum and ask there?

Because the Paizo community are cool friendly and helpful people, with diverse interests and collective know how.

Love Port, must have a cheese and fruit board or dark chocolate and coffee when drinking.

Before we had children our game nights were dinner, wine or beer and cheese appreciation nights as well.

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