If you are an aspiring wine collector, then you may want to make sure that you are placing your wine in an environment that is suitable. This is one reason why individuals purchase wine refrigerators and place their bottles in carefully arranged wine cellars. One of the most important aspects of wine storage is making sure that bottles are kept at the right temperature. Keep reading to learn about wine and how too warm and too cold of temperatures can affect it.

Warmer Temperatures

Most wine experts will tell you to keep wine at a relatively cool temperature. However, while more refrigerators run at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less, wine is best kept at a higher temperature of 55 degrees. This is one reason why individuals keep their wine in cellars that are warmer than a refrigerator but cooler than the ambient temperature in the average home. 

However, if your cellar is quite warm, then this can actually ruin your wine. Typically, you want to be concerned about temperatures that are above 70 degrees, but even a temperature of 65 can harm your wine over time, especially if you are saving an expensive bottle for a special occasion. So what does heat do to wine? Well, it allows the wine to age at an incredibly fast rate. This causes the wine to turn flat with a taste that is not nearly as robust with flavor. In other words, all of the fine floral and woody notes that you like to savor in your wine will be gone.

Wine can even acquire a vinegar-like taste if it is kept in a warm temperature for too long. When this happens, the temperature has essentially "cooked" the wine. 

Cooler Temperatures

You may be able to keep a bottle of wine in your refrigerator if you plan on drinking it within a few weeks or a few months. You definitely do not want to keep all of your bottles in your refrigerator though. The temperature is too cold and can cause corks to dry out. When this happens, the cork will start to crack and fall apart, and this will allow air into the bottle.

Air will cause the wine to oxidize and deteriorate, and it can turn flat in this situation as well. If the cork really falls apart, you could also end up with pieces of cork in your wine. If the wine happens to freeze, the expanding fluid can even push the wine right out of the bottle. And this will essentially mean that your wine is open and will need to be consumed quickly.

For more information on storing wine, contact a company like LA Fine Arts & Wine Storage.