It’s pretty likely that you have white wine at home that you’re storing, whether it be in your living room or in your cellar. Most people have at least some wine at home. However, not everyone knows the best way to store it. In this article, we will discuss at what temperature white wine should be stored.
The ideal temperature for white wine storage 55°F. Since this temperature isn’t even close to the 72°F that most people keep their houses at, if you wish to properly store your wine, you’ll need to find a solution that lowers the temperature for those little babies.
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Some people have a wine cellar or room in their house that is naturally colder where they can store their wine. Other people might store their wine in a wine refrigerator if they are worried about it getting too warm.
Ultimately, the best way to store your wine is to know your own personal preferences and storage needs. You don’t absolutely need to strive for the perfect temperature, you just need to get in the ball park range and do it in a way that is convenient for you.
What is the Ideal White Wine Storage Temperature?
When it comes to wine, temperature is key. The ideal temperature is 55°F, according to wine experts. However, it’s perfectly fine for wine to be stored between 45°F and 65°F. Keeping your wine within this range and not changing its location often will do the most to preserve the wine’s flavor and aroma.
If you’re storing your wine in a cool, dark place, like a cellar, it’s likely that the temperature is already within that range, so you can store it there without worries. When you’re ready to drink it, you would bring it up to the proper drinking temperature, which varies by wine type.
If you’re not sure about the temperature in your cellar, you should take a temperature reading over a few average weather days to see. Also check the temp in the summer and winter to be sure it doesn’t change dramatically. The last thing you need is to end up with frozen wine.
Will Wine Go Bad If Not Stored Properly?
Years ago, I was living in an apartment with no air conditioning. I was away for a weekend in summer when it got particularly hot and when I got home I found a bottle of white wine had exploded on the wine rack and sprayed across the entire room.
While this is an extreme case that had probably more to do with the quality of the wine than the heat, it goes to show that wine shouldn’t really be stored in a room with fluctuating temperatures.
For the casual wine enthusiast who brings home a few bottles just to have with meals occasionally, it’s not necessary to store those bottles as 55°F. They will likely be drank before they will ever go bad due to temperature.
However, if you are building a true wine collection, with expensive or important bottles of wine, you will want to make sure you store it properly to ensure the very best aging and profile. White wine, in particular, can be changed by extreme temperature changes. You wouldn’t want to ruin a good bottle of wine.
How to Keep White Wine at the Correct Temperature
For short term storage, a wine rack in the kitchen is fine as long as it’s not too close to a heat source, like the refrigerator or the TV.
Most white wine is meant to be drank soon, no more than say 2-3 years after release. It’s not like red wine that is often made for aging, because it doesn’t have the same high level of tannins that generally come from the skins of the grapes. Because of this, it’s often not incredibly important to store your every day white wines at the ideal temperature.
However, there are those rare white wines that can withstand aging, and you might want to have a robust white wine collection that is being held at the proper temperature, so storage options are vital.
In a Cellar
You can keep your white wine at the correct temperature by storing it in a cool, dark place, like a cellar or basement. This is the ideal location for storing wine because it’s naturally cooler than other parts of the house and it’s dark, which helps to preserve the wine’s flavor and aroma.
In a Wine Refrigerator
If you don’t have a cooler or cellar to store your wine in, you can refrigerate it. Not just in your regular refrigerator, but in a dedicated wine fridge. Be sure to buy a wine refrigerator that provides enough storage space for your needs.
Wine refrigerators come in all different sizes and they also can be split into two different temperature zones so you can keep your whites and reds at separate temperatures.
On a Wine Rack
If you keep your wine on a wine rack in the living room or kitchen of your house, that is generally fine to do as long as you are careful about temperature fluctuations and drink it within a reasonable time frame – generally no more than a few months from purchase for white wine.
It’s best to use a wine rack for every day drinking wines that you plan to keep no longer than a couple of months, not special wines that you are intent on aging. As normal house temperatures reach as high as 74 degrees, it’s just not ideal for keeping a wine at its best.
If your house gets particularly hot in the summer, you could have a problem with some bottles getting too hot. I’ve had a bottle of white that wasn’t perfectly stable explode on the wine rack during summer.
How to Know If It’s Stored At the Right Temp?
If you’re worried about whether your wine is at the right temperature or not, you can use a wine thermometer. This will help you to monitor the temperature of your wine and make sure it’s staying within the correct range.
The best way to decide how to store your wine is to experiment with different temperatures and storage locations around your house to find what suits your needs the best.
What Happens if White Wine Isn’t Stored Correctly?
If white wine isn’t stored at the correct temperature:
- It can cause the wine to lose aroma and flavor.
- In extreme cases, it can also cause the wine to become cloudy and develop a vinegar smell.
- The cork can become damaged and cause the wine to be corked, which degrades the wine’s flavor and aroma.
If you’re storing white wine in a non-refrigerated area, be sure to keep it in a dark, cool place. This will keep it from being exposed to harsh light, which can change the flavor of the wine, or be exposed to humidity that can also ruin it.
Conclusion
Storing white wine at the correct temperature is crucial for preserving its flavor and quality. If you follow the tips in this article, you can ensure that your white wine is stored properly and will taste great every time you drink it.
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Laura is the founder and editor of the travel blogs Savored Sips and Savored Journeys. She is dedicated to sharing the best information about drinks found around the world.