How to store and serve wine: temperatures, keeping open bottles and decanting
TUREFF• •0
You do not need a cellar to look after wine well. A few simple habits about where you keep bottles, how cold you serve them and what you do with leftovers make a noticeable difference to how they taste.
Storing unopened bottles
- Keep it cool and steady. Around 13°C is often cited as ideal for long-term storage, with roughly 10–15°C a comfortable range. Steady matters more than exact: big daily swings in temperature are what damage wine.
- Keep it dark. Light, especially sunlight, can harm wine over time, which is why many bottles are tinted.
- Keep it still and away from smells. Avoid the top of the fridge, beside the oven or anywhere that vibrates or gets hot.
- Lie corked bottles on their side. This keeps the wine in contact with the cork so it does not dry out and let air in. Screw-capped bottles can stand upright, and for wine you will drink within a few weeks orientation hardly matters.
- Mind the humidity. For long storage, moderate humidity (often cited around 60–75%) stops corks drying out; most homes are fine for short periods.
Most everyday wine is made to be drunk within a year or two of release and does not improve with keeping. Only some wines are built to age, so ask when you buy if you plan to hold on to a bottle.
Serving temperatures (general ranges)
Many people serve whites too cold and reds too warm. As a guide:
- Sparkling wine: well chilled, roughly 6–10°C.
- Light, crisp whites and rosé: chilled, roughly 7–10°C.
- Fuller whites (such as oaked Chardonnay): lightly chilled, roughly 10–13°C.
- Light reds (such as Pinot Noir): slightly cool, roughly 12–16°C.
- Fuller reds (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah): cool room temperature, roughly 15–18°C.
- Sweet wines: chilled, similar to crisp whites.
Sources differ by a degree or two, so treat these as ranges. Very cold wine hides its aroma; warm wine tastes alcoholic and flabby.
Quick tricks: a white straight from the fridge can sit out for 10–15 minutes before serving; a red at a warm room temperature benefits from 15–20 minutes in the fridge. An ice bucket with ice and water chills faster than ice alone.
How long open bottles last
Once opened, oxygen slowly flattens the flavour. Reseal tightly and keep leftovers in the fridge, reds included (take them out a little before serving). Rough guides, which vary by wine:
- Sparkling: about 1–3 days with a proper stopper.
- Light whites and rosé: about 3–7 days.
- Fuller whites: about 3–5 days.
- Reds: about 3–5 days; more tannic, high-acid reds tend to last longer.
- Fortified wines such as port and sherry: generally weeks, though light, dry sherries fade sooner.
- Boxed wine: usually lasts longer than a bottle because the bag keeps air out.
A smaller bottle filled to the top, or a vacuum stopper, slows things down. Wine that has faded is not dangerous, just dull, and is still fine for cooking.
Decanting: when and why
Decanting means pouring wine into another container before serving. It does two jobs:
- Separating sediment: older reds and some unfiltered wines throw a deposit. Stand the bottle upright for a day, then pour slowly and stop when the sediment reaches the neck.
- Aerating: young, tannic or tight wines can open up and taste softer after some time in contact with air.
Very old, fragile wines can fade quickly once decanted, so open them just before drinking. For most everyday wine, simply pouring into large glasses and swirling does the same job.
Glassware in brief
Any clean, clear glass with a bowl that narrows slightly at the top works for everything. Hold it by the stem so your hand does not warm the wine.
Enjoy wine responsibly, with food and water, and never drink and drive.
How do you store wine at home, and what is your trick for leftovers? Share your tips or ask a question in the comments.