Your home is made for hosting!!!

You’ve had your friends over for a drink, you opened several different wines, you popped up a glorious evening.

YOUR FUN!!!

But after the celebration is over, you are left with a dozen bottles full up to three-quarters and a half in fine wine and thoughts on how to ensure it stays no less fresh and delicious for the next couple of days.

That’s right, wine is more sensitive than other drinks. With a little attention and understanding, you too, can extend the life of any fine wine you just opened to taste:

·         Temperature Control: Do you remember the story of Goldilocks & the three bears Not to hot not to cold but just right? Well wine is the same thing if it’s to hot the wine can sort of “cook” creating an unpleasant aftertaste. The trick is to store your wine in a cool dry place with a consistent temperature. No you’re fridge is not great for that. Find a place that is about 58 to 65 degrees.

·         Dark: Direct sunlight can cause what is called a “light strike” and spoil the wine. And yes this can occur quickly. Direct sunlight can spoil the wine you love in just 3 hours. Bottom line you may be scared of the dark but you’re wine loves it so store it in a dark place.

·          Wines should lie - by placing the bottle on its side, the wine will keep the cork moist and it will maintain the seal. If you store the bottle upright the cork will shrink and let in air.

·         Bottled wine does not need to breathe - If you let the wine be exposed to oxygen for too long, the oxygen will oxidize the wine completely, and you will taste vinegar instead of wine. 

 The reality is that oxidation is a real problem and preventing it is key to wine preservation.

What is oxidation?

We'll not to get to technical, it is the chemical process that occurs when air hits alcohol, the combination of these two elements can result in the alcohol converting into acetaldehyde, which is another organic chemical compound. Give that time and it can turn into acetic acid which basically converts wine to vinegar.

Storing wine horizontally, is not the ultimate solution, unfortunately, as gradually the corks will no longer keep as their tight seal. Air will enter the bottle, causing premature aging and again you would be left with vinegar instead of wine, the process would just be slower.

In addition, under too high humidity conditions the cork will be covered in mold or if too dry it will be difficult to reopen the bottle.

In short while controlled oxidation is used in the winemaking process you definitely want to do everything possible to ensure that oxygen stays out of the bottle of wine left over from dinner!

Storing wine horizontally, is not the ultimate solution, unfortunately, as gradually the corks will no longer keep as their tight seal. Air will enter the bottle, causing premature aging and again you would be left with vinegar instead of wine, the process would just be slower.

In addition, under too high humidity conditions the cork will be covered in mold or if too dry it will be difficult to reopen the bottle.

In order to solve this issue, with just a few pennies you can purchase a Wine Stopper. The tight seal created by the wine stopper will prevent oxygen from entering the bottle and extend the life of you’re favorite bottle.

 The added benefit of wine stoppers is that aside from performing the basic functionality of preserving youre wine they also add personality to the bottle and can serve to enhance the theme of a party, for example a “flamingo” themed party can have pink wine topped off with a flamingo wine stopper while a beach party can have deep red wine with nautical wine stoppers.

Whatever you choose to do!