We all know that wine is well preserved, but you may not know how well preserved it is. There are three major taboos in wine storage: High temperature, light, and vibration. In terms of temperature, a 4-degree increase in storage temperature will accelerate the ripening of wine by 50%.

The two most important factors in all preservation conditions are temperature and light. The best storage temperature of wine should be about 13 °C, some scholars have done a special analysis, the ideal temperature is 12.8 °C, this is a little too absolute. Alexander J., a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. Pardell has done experimental research, if 13 °C as a benchmark, if the temperature rose to 17 °C, wine ripening rate will be 1.2-1.5 times the original, if the temperature rose to 23 °C, the mature rate will become 2-3 times, temperature rise to 32 °C, the ripening rate will be 4-5.6 times. It is difficult for the professor to make such precise analysis, although we can not verify, at least one point is right, 10 °C to 18 °C temperature for the preservation of wine is a reasonable range. In addition, the temperature had better keep constant, change very big temperature, also unfavorable to wine. And the ultraviolet ray in the light also has a very big influence on the wine mature and the aging. Based on these results, we know that months of exposure to intense sunlight or the heat of a balcony can be enough to spoil a wine.

Humidity itself has little effect on the wine's ripeness, but humidity affects the cork, and too dry conditions can dry the cork, cause trouble opening the bottle, or lose its seal and oxidize the wine. Too Humid Environment, it is easy to breed mold in the bottle mouth. As for the effect of vibration on wine, experts are divided. Some people think that vibration can speed up the chemical reaction, it must have an effect on the wine ripening process, while others have done special tests, after three years of shaking a red wine on a Shaker, it tasted no different from a normal wine.

At this point, a picture of an ideal preservation environment has been outlined: 10 °C ~ 18 °c constant temperature, light-proof, shock-proof, no odor, humidity about 70%, wine bottles lying. With storage conditions in place, here's how to meet them.

1. Dig a wine cellar more than 10 meters deep

The ideal preservation environment is, of course, a decent wine cellar, which was once the center of wine production and aging. For the winery, this is the birthplace of wine, wine into the cellar, as the wine back to the mother, is certainly the best care of the wine.

Similar cellars have been built in various places, some in caves, some in tunnels, some deep underground, some towering above the ground, to mimic the original, matrix-like feel of the cellars within the Château. The underground cellar is a natural incubator, temperature and humidity control is very easy, especially in Europe, not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer, do not need special equipment can achieve the ideal preservation environment.

2. The wine cooler is not the freezer

Of course, the average person does not have the energy to make wine cellar, qualified constant temperature wine refrigeration is also a good choice. On the surface, it looks like a large refrigerator, but on the inside, it's very different from the refrigerator.

Wine Cabinet and refrigerator are essentially different, the wine cooler insulation material than the refrigerator thick, low cooling power, cooling soft and slow, not only conducive to a constant temperature, and will not take away moisture. The Cabinet's temperature control system is more precise, ensuring that the temperature changes in the range of plus or minus 1 °C. The refrigeration of the wine cabinet adopts the compressor with shock absorber system, during the start-up and operation of the compressor, there will be no vibration transmitted to the wine stored inside; for some small-capacity wine cabinets, there is semiconductor refrigeration, the moving parts in the refrigeration system were completely eliminated.

3. Thick newspaper bottles in corners

If even the most basic hardware can not be purchased, find a shady and quiet place in your home, wrap the wine in some thick newspaper, and lay it flat. Don't put it in the kitchen because it's too hot and it smells like cooking fumes. Don't put it in a closet with camphor, or under a bed full of smelly socks. Keep in mind that the temperature in the room should not exceed 25 °C and the red wine should be acceptable for 1-year storage.

4. Inert Gas protects the bottle or wine dispenser machine

There is an air-pumping device, including a pump, as if it were an air-pumping cylinder, but the working process is reversed, consisting of an air-pumping cylinder and several rubber plugs. There's a one-way valve in the rubber plug. The remaining half of the wine bottle with a rubber stopper, with a pump to remove the air from the bottle, the rest of the wine can be isolated in the state of temporary rest. Although the device is inexpensive and all the components can be reused, it's not realistic to try to completely drain the air from the bottle with a single pump, which can only keep the wine open for another day or two. If you want to keep it for a long time, you should buy a wine dispenser machine. It can help you store it for 30 days.