There are many reasons why you should learn how to preserve wine. The reason can be simply to protect your wines or it can be useful when you want to own older wines.
How Long Can You Store Wine At Room Temperature? That means you must have a lot of experience in short-term wine storage. So that you can continue to learn about the preservation of difficult-to-preserve wines.
1. Reasons you should store wine properly
If you don’t learn how to store wine carefully, everyone can make mistakes no matter how long you are holding the wine.
However, do not worry because storing wine properly is easy for you. In this article, we have compiled all the information regarding wine preservation.
Any wine is quite sensitive to 4 factors: heat, light, oxygen, and vibration. The two biggest causes of your wine spoiling are temperature and light. Therefore, you should pay attention to preserving wine to avoid overexposure to these factors.
Factors that will affect the preservation of wines:
- Heat: Although wine that has completely oxidized is dead alcohol, some oxidation happens naturally as wine ages. Wine reacts with oxygen in the bottle’s space as well as with very little quantities of oxygen that seep through the cork as it ages, resulting in an acceptable level of oxidation.
- Ultra-Violet Light: The most vulnerable types of wine are white and sparkling wines. Red wine, however, seldom produces a moderate intoxication because tannins in the wine guard it. According to a study, wine can suffer UV deterioration in just a few hours. Because of this, it’s crucial to keep wine storage facilities dark or to restrict wine’s exposure to direct sunlight.
- Oxygen: The rate of oxidation rises when a bottle of wine is excessively warm. Through the cork, oxygen may also ruin your wine. Wine bottles are frequently set on their sides rather than upright, as we’ve seen. Here’s why. To prevent shrinkage and drying out of the cork, wine should be in continual contact with the cork. More oxygen will enter the bottle if the cork shrinks while the bottle is upright. Large amounts of oxygen will dilute the wine’s taste.
- Vibration: The dispersal of silt may be the sole negative aspect of the vibration. You could discover that it creates particles that are so little that they are unable to settle if you distribute them forcefully and frequently enough. Thus, it may have an impact on clarity, which then has an impact on flavor. Vibration does not significantly affect the storage of wine, nevertheless.
You can completely build a private wine cellar if your conditions allow. However, a cellar to store wine is not so necessary because there are now a few tricks for you to properly age wine. Here, let’s take a closer look at the issues related to wine preservation.
2. Is it safe to store wine at room temperature?
If you are an avid wine collector and have learned about them, you are no stranger to the phrase “ideal conditions for wine storage”.
All those factors that are directly related to the quality of wine are called “ideal conditions for wine storage”. As mentioned above, the important factors in the preservation process are temperature and light.
Wine can be stored at room temperature.
However, the room temperature mentioned here is not the temperature of homes with heaters but refers to the temperature of an underground wine cellar. So, the temperature of an underground cellar or the ideal storage temperature for wine is 55 degree Fahrenheit or 13 degree Celcius.
You shouldn’t worry too much about your wine bottles going bad. When wine is stored in places not exposed to direct sunlight or near a fireplace, wine can be stored at room temperature for about 6 months. However, this also depends on the type of wine you want to preserve.
3. How long can you store wine at room temperature?
How long will unopened wine last at room temperature?
Wine is most affected by temperature-related factors such as overheating, high-temperature fluctuations, and sunlight, in addition to being affected by factors such as vibration and high humidity.
If your home has cool rooms like mud baths or basements, this could be the place to easily store your wine for up to a year without needing cabinets. premium wine. And this will also vary depending on the type of wine you are having.
- Red wine: Typically, red wines will retain their best flavor at room temperature for a period of about a year. Provided that the storage location is kept away from excessive heat, sunlight, and vibration. In case you want to preserve it for a longer time, you may need more professional methods such as investing in building a wine cellar.
- White wine: White wines cannot be stored for as long as red wines because they do not contain tannins. However, the method of preserving white wine is similar to that of red wine with the requirements of temperature and location where the storage is cool, dark, and quiet. Do not let the temperature fluctuate too much. If these requirements are met, you can store the white wine at room temperature for about six months.
How long does open wine last at room temperature?
Storing an opened bottle of wine has completely different requirements than storing a closed bottle of wine. Once opened, wine must be kept refrigerated at all times.
- Opened but properly covered red and white wines can be stored for about three days.
- Other wines such as dessert wines or fortified wines can be kept for a period of three to five weeks.
- With sparkling wine, as long as you cover the bottle tightly to prevent the sparkling wine from escaping, you can store them in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Sum up of how long wine can last:
| Wine bottle condition | Type of wine | Suitable storage temperature | Suitable humidity | Maximum storage time |
| Unopened wine (Can be stored at room temperature) |
Red wine | 55-60°F | 60-70% | About a year |
| White wine | 45-50°F | About six months opened | ||
| Opened wine (must be store in refrigerator or wine fridges) | Red wine | 55-60°F | 50-70% | About one-week |
| White wine | 45-50°F | About three days (room temperature)
About one week (in the fridge) |
You can see more:
- How To Dry A Wine Decanter? A Detailed Step by Step Instruction
- Best Wine for Italian Food: A Pairing Guide by Wine Experts
- Common Problems With Wine Coolers | Reasons and Solutions
4. After Being Chilled
If wine is stored at refrigerator temperature, it should always be stored at the same temperature even after opening.
For sparkling wines, this is a great way to preserve them to help maintain their bubbles. In addition, this is also a good method to preserve white and rosé wines.
If you chill wine for a while and then the storage temperature range changes, it can shorten its shelf life. The best condition for wine storage is to maintain the wine storage temperature.
Besides, you also need to pay attention to the ideal temperature to store wine. Wine should not be stored in places that are too cold or too warm.
Our recommendation would be to store refrigerated wine in the refrigerator until you’re ready to open it unless you have no other option and are running out of room.
5. Places to avoid when storing wine at home
5.1. In the refrigerator
Unopened wine can be stored in the refrigerator without issue for up to a month. The issue with storing wine in the refrigerator for an extended period of time is that it is too cold, too dry, and contains a lot of nasty items. You are not in too much danger if the refrigerator is overly chilly. However, it’s an issue when your wine is too dry.
The cork will contract due to a lack of moisture, allowing oxygen to enter the bottle. The fragrance of blue cheese and cabbage, which was also present in the refrigerator, arrived with the oxygen. This isn’t detrimental to your wine.
5.2. On the counter
This approach has likely been utilized the most recently. Because it is the hottest room in the house, the kitchen. Even on a lovely wine rack, putting your wine bottles on the counter exposes them to light and heat, despite the fact that you want to exhibit them. Your wine spoils more quickly as a result.
5.3. Near a window
Direct light from the sun is extremely bad for wine. That’s why people use dark glass bottles for wine with the purpose of reducing UV rays. Just leave it in direct sunlight for a few hours and your wine will spoil.
5.4. On top of the refrigerator
This can be considered the worst location if you use it to store wine. The top of the refrigerator has a high temperature, there is a lot of light and vibration. These are the three factors that destroy your wine fastest.
5.5. Near the oven
Leaving it near the fireplace is like cooking your wine. The terrible heat of the fireplace will destroy the wine.
5.6. Garage
Throughout the day and particularly throughout the year, the temperature in the garage varies. In general, summers are too hot and winters are too frigid. All year long, wine should be kept at a consistent temperature. A different situation arises, though, if the area in your home has air conditioning.
5.7. Attics
It is exceedingly difficult to use wines that are kept in the attic. Alcohol should be readily available so that you can keep track of what you have and avoid abusing it.
6. Some valuable ways to preserve wine at home
6.1. Wine storage in the basement
It is advisable to utilize basements away from washers and dryers as the perfect climate for storage rather than developing a basement with complete temperature control.
Because it is underground, doesn’t get too hot in the summer, receives little light, and has enough moisture to keep the cork moist, it is cold.
6.2. Wardrobe drawers
If space doesn’t allow it, find a drawer to store your wine. However, you still need to make sure elements like alcohol will still be placed on their side and out of direct sunlight. You should store it in the bottom drawer to prevent the wardrobe from spilling.
6.3. Use a dedicated refrigerator
A wine refrigerator is a wise purchase. If you want to keep your old wines in a cellar, we advise purchasing a smaller one. If there is room, you should upgrade to a bigger basement if you don’t already have one.
To maintain the ideal temperature, store your regular red wine in the wine refrigerator. They may be put next to your wine glasses and wine accessories in the kitchen or dining area because they don’t take up much space.
6.4. Pantry
Pantry rooms typically do not use appliances that generate heat or vibration. The pantry is also extremely suitable for short-term or even long-term wine storage from 1 to 2 years.
7. FAQs
7.1. Can you store wine at 20 degrees?
As we said above, the ideal wine storage temperature is between 10°C and 15°C or 50°F to 59°F. When wine is stored between 15°C and 20°C, it can be guaranteed that the wine will be preserved for a certain period of time.
7.2. Is wine drinkable after 20 years?
White wines may often survive 1-2 years over their indicated shelf life, red wines 2-3 years, and cooking wines 3-5 years when stored carefully and unopened. As you might have imagined, good wine can frequently be kept for decades.
7.3. What happens if you store wine at 30 degrees?
Higher temperatures will cause the wine to spoil faster, and lower temperatures can slow down the aging process. The slow aging process will help the wine to be better preserved. If you store wine between 28 degrees and 30 degrees, the chances of the wine going bad within 1 month are very high.
7.4. Can wine go wrong if it’s not refrigerated?
Of course, if preserved by refrigeration, your wine will be better preserved. Usually, the temperature in your house will be too warm, making it difficult to guarantee the preservation of your wine. Because the warmer the temperature at which wine is stored, the faster the wine will age and spoil.
7.5. Where do you store unopened wine?
It is not necessary to refrigerate unopened wine. White wine should be stored at 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and red wine at 55 degrees, but if you want to drink the wine within six months, a warmer ambient temperature is ok.
7.6. Can you drink red wine 7 days after opening?
Red wines can be enjoyed three to five days after opening if they are corked and stored in a cool, dark location. Natural tannins and acids found in red wines are abundant, helping to shield them from the harmful effects of oxygen. Wine will age longer the more tannins it has.
7.7. Why does wine go bad after 3 days?
A wine that has been opened loses some of its shelf life since it starts to oxidize as soon as the bottle is opened. The oxidation process starts when a bottle is opened because the alcohol within comes into contact with the air. Wine can get spoiled and can turn into vinegar as a result of oxidation.
7.8. What happens if you drink spoiled wine?
Wine often deteriorates due to oxidation, which implies that it may turn into vinegar. Even if you might find the taste unpleasant, it won’t likely hurt you. However, food sickness can result from bacterial deterioration. Although it is uncommon, this harm can occur.
7.9. Can wine grow bacteria?
The answer is yes. In the aging process of wine, it is inevitable that a number of different types of yeasts and bacteria develop, which is also the cause of wine spoilage.
7.10. Should wine be stored upright?
Wine should never be stored straight; it should always be slanted. Unfortunately, this is not the proper method to store wine even if you may believe it is since you have seen it displayed upright in stores.
8. Conclusion
According to research surveyed by Sonoma State University, most people will usually use it within a week or two after purchasing wine. Therefore, the cases of wine being damaged due to the factors we mentioned above are very few.
If you intend to store wine at room temperature for a long time, put it somewhere cold and dark to get the most out of it.
In 2014, Leo Colon began working with Big Cottonwood Winery. Over the years he has remained part of this prestigious winery’s team and is also a contributor to other notable wine publications. As an ardent advocate for knowledge, Leo continues his vinous education to this day.