Nothing says “I’ve had a long day and I need to unwind” more than a glass of wine. The next time you gloss past the wine selection on your favourite online liquor wholesale store, pick a new bottle of wine that catches your eye and try it out. Share it with some friends, and if you don’t like it you can always put it aside. However, if you do decide to keep it around for a bit before uncorking it, these points might save your wine from turning putrid in the warm Singapore climate.
The Perfect Temperature
The ideal temperature for storing wine varies heavily on the type and vintage - white wines, sparkling wines and sweet wines should be stored at around 8 degrees celsius. Meanwhile, red wines, full-bodied or port, prefer a balmier average of 15 degrees celsius. The cause for this difference is the presence of tannins in the red wine which react adversely to temperatures that exceed tolerance. Storing your wine at the appropriate temperatures allows the contents to mature and age properly, bringing out its best flavours.
Of course, in a country that averages 25 to 31 degrees year-round, it can be tricky to store your wine at the perfect temperature. If that thought has you panicking, fear not. The aforementioned temperatures serve as a guideline for enthusiasts who consciously want their wine to develop a certain way over a prolonged period of time. If you’re like us and have to resist the temptation to uncork every bottle within a fortnight of purchase, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Location and Position Matters
After establishing the range of temperatures that suit wine storage, conventional wisdom dictates that the fridge would be a perfect place to store wine. Well, yes and no. Keeping wine on a fridge shelf might be suitable for a few months but if you’re looking for a long term storage option, it just won’t do.
The basic design of a fridge is meant to keep food safe from bacteria, reducing the risks of food poisoning. To ensure this, most fridges keep a constant temperature of about 4 degrees celsius. What happens to your wine at this temperature? Over a protracted period of time, the cork dries out. If you’ve ever opened a bottle of wine and had the cork literally disintegrate under your wine opener, it’s probably because of the moisture being removed from the fridging process.
Experts also recommend that wine bottles be kept in a horizontal position, to ensure the wine is in contact with the cork. Again, this prevents it from drying out and ruining your wine tasting experience.
Unfinished Business
Storing a bottle of opened wine is a simple task if you’re bougie like us and bought one with a screw on cap. But what if you were splurging for a nice occasion and uncorked an expensive bottle of wine, only to leave it unfinished?
The first thing to take note of is to always save the cork in order to seal it. In addition, it might be tempting to use the unstained side to re-cork it, but the bacteria on the exposed portion might leave your wine spoiling in a day or two.
Another way to store a half-consumed bottle of wine would be to pour it into a clean glass container, filling it to the brim. By doing so, you eliminate any residual air and bacteria, which is the main contributor to wine turning sour.
Get Your Bottle of Red or White at JARBARLAR
Whether you’re a wine novice looking for a place to begin, or a veteran who can tell a wine’s country of origin from smell alone - JARBARLAR’s collection of red and white wines in Singapore has all you could desire.
Check out our impressive selection of wines and other alcohol available for delivery now, at JARBARLAR.