If you buy your wines directly from the winegrower or wine merchant, the basis is already right in terms of storage. Here, the storage conditions of the wines are usually paid close attention to. But what happens after that? Off with the box on the kitchen shelf? Or placed representatively in the dining room? For short-term enjoyment, of course, but for medium- or long-term storage, the following applies in short: cool, damp, dark.
But why is that so important?
What exactly do I have to pay attention to?
And what are the biggest mistakes?
At what point is it perhaps too cool and too damp?
Unter Weinliebhabern ist es immer wieder Thema, dass Weine in vielen Fällen zu jung getrunken werden. Hochwertige Weine besitzen das Potential, durch die richtige Lagerung weiter zu reifen und sich damit in Sachen Geschmack und Aroma weiter zu entwickeln. Guter Wein ist daher nicht ausschließlich eine Frage des Anbaus und des Erzeugers. Fakt ist: Wer bis zum finalen Genuss das Beste aus dem guten Tropfen herausholen möchte, sorgt sich auch um die Lagerung nach dem Kauf.
Storage temperature of red wine, white wine and co. - and why it is so important
Grundsätzlich mögen es Weine in der Lagerung feucht, dunkel und kühl. Temperaturschwankungen wirken sich dabei besonders schädlich auf die gelagerten Schätze aus und sollten daher gänzlich vermieden werden. Das geheizte Wohnzimmer im Winter mag zwar einen schönen Platz für die dekorative Rotweinsammlung bieten, wirkt sich jedoch aufgrund seiner Wärme und Helligkeit negativ auf die Weine aus. Der klassische Weinkeller überzeugt dabei durch konstante Temperatur und Luftfeuchtigkeit und schließt zudem schädliches UV-Licht aus. Auch konventionelle Weinkühlschränke eignen sich hervorragend, um ausgewählten Weinen die idealen Lagerbedingungen zu garantieren. Wird Wein zu warm gelagert, reift er quasi im Zeitraffer. Wird er zu kalt gelagert, können sich keine neuen Aromen entwickeln. Die ideale Lagertemperatur liegt daher für alle Weine zwischen 8 und 13 Grad.
In principle, almost any place is suitable where a stable and cool temperature, as well as a reasonably constant and high humidity can be guaranteed and the wine is protected from sunlight.
Naturally, this is best done in a wine cellar - with or without additional air conditioning. But wine refrigerators equipped with special glass or walk-in glass rooms are also possible, as long as they meet the aforementioned requirements. All this, of course, only if the wine is not intended for quick consumption - with a few bottles in the kitchen, even the UV for a few weeks plays a rather subordinate role.
However, if you are stocking up for the long term, storage is a decisive factor. The temperature in the kitchen, for example, tends to rise to well over 20 degrees during cooking. In addition to the light, the changing temperature also puts a strain on the wine. Decoratively lined-up red wines that would reach their optimum maturity after five years under good storage conditions can taste old and tired after just one year.
Maturing wine likes it quiet, dark and unexcited. It loves a constant climate and abhors sunlight and temperature fluctuations.
Die Temperatur sollte im Bereich von 8° bis 13°C liegen. Die relative Luftfeuchte ist vor allem für Weine relevant, die mit einem Naturkork verschlossen sind – was noch immer auf die meisten hochwertigen Weine zutrifft. Sie sollte zwischen 50 und 70% rLf. betragen. UV zerstört den Wein. Schnell. Sehr schnell. Das dunkle Glas kann nur einen geringen Teil der UV-Strahlung vom Wein fernhalten. Daher: raus aus der Sonne. Achtung: auch LED-Leuchtmittel können das Wein-schädliche UV abstrahlen. Hier sollte man beim Einsatz im Lagerraum auf die Wellenlänge achten.
Measurements with the novel Sensorbottle have shown that even cellars equipped with special aggregates are subject to a relatively high temperature fluctuation. In addition, the temperature in the different air layers deviates by up to 2°C. A wine that is permanently exposed to a regular air temperature fluctuation of only 1°C will absorb about 1.3kWh of heat in a year with a fluctuation period of 4 hours. That is easily enough to bring ten liters of water to the boil.
Correct storage for maximum flavor.
Wird Wein korrekt zwischen 8 und 13 Grad Celsius gelagert, kann er sich bei hoher Ausgangsqualität viele Jahre halten. Besonders gut lässt sich die ideale Lagertemperatur dabei mit der neuartigen Sensorbottle messen. Diese stellt aktuelle Temperaturdaten auf dem mobilen Endgerät zur Verfügung und simuliert mittels Referenzflüssigkeit Werte im Inneren einer Flasche. Während der Lagerzeit entwickeln so besonders Rotweine aufgrund ihres höheren Tanningehalts ihr volles und komplexes Aroma. Doch auch Weißweine werden immer länger gelagert und entfalten im Laufe der Zeit durch ihren Säuregehalt neue Aromen und vielfältige Geschmacksnoten. Sind die Weine nach individueller Lagerungszeit bereit für den Verzehr, sollten sie bereits einige Zeit vor Trinkgenuss aus dem Keller oder dem Weinkühlschrank genommen werden, damit sie sich langsam an die Zimmertemperatur anpassen können. Für die optimale Trinktemperatur werden Weißweine bekanntlich gekühlt und Rotweine chambriert.
The warmer a wine is stored, the faster it matures. The unair-conditioned living room, for example, has the effect of a time-lapse.
The more aromas from the vine and the soil are found in the wine, the more concentrated and dense it is. And the better its potential for further aging and storage. If the wine ages in the right way, even more interesting aromas develop.
If it is too warm (>13°C), wine unintentionally ripens quickly and cannot develop its aroma ideally or even loses value. Even worse are strong temperature fluctuations, as they often occur in living rooms - here 5°C fluctuation over the day is not uncommon. The wine is practically "overcooked" in the process.
The storage temperature is something like the gas pedal in wine maturation; the higher the temperature, the faster the wine matures. This also applies to the range between 8 and 12°C, which is often referred to as the target corridor. From a temperature of about 7°C and lower, hardly any ripening takes place. This temperature is therefore also ideal for slowing down the ripening of wines at their peak. Nevertheless, no wine lasts forever. It is made for drinking and that is exactly what we should do with a wine at its peak: enjoy it.
More and more wine producers are moving to shorten their wines earlier barrel aging in favor of bottle aging.
Too long storage in wooden barrels risks that wines lose their freshness. They become weakened and tired. Wineries that used to age their high-quality wines in wooden barrels for up to seven years, for example, now bottle them after four years at the latest and refine them further in them. The wines become more balanced and harmonious due to a better fusion of aromas and the integration of tannin and acidity.
In the case of long-lived wines, aging in the bottle is a process of development that often takes years, until they reach their peak - in extreme cases - only after many years before they degrade again. Decisive, therefore, is the time from when a wine goes on sale, where each producer has his own philosophy. What is certain, however, is that in addition to one's own standards, economic factors and limited storage possibilities also influence the decision.
The shelf life of wines is essentially dependent on four factors: Residual sugar, acidity, tannin and alcohol.
Red wines are traditionally more suited to aging due to the tannin present, although many white wines also have excellent storage characteristics.
When it comes to red wine, one reaches for tannin-rich varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Nebbiolo, or Sangiovese. A true tannin bomb is the Tannat. This grape variety is often grown in the French Madiran. Tannat wines are often only drinkable after 5 to 20 years of bottle aging.
In recent years, the aging of white wines has become increasingly popular. Here, the acidity takes over the guarantee of long storage.
Rieslings of high quality, such as Große Gewächse of the VDP, are therefore optimal. Spätlesen ripen more slowly, but are traditionally also well suited for storage.
The possibilities from a simple hygrometer to a completely smart system are manifold.
A simple hygrometer in the wine cellar shows the current situation in terms of humidity and temperature when you walk into the cellar. So far so good: However, it is and remains only a snapshot at the respective view of the display. But what temperature fluctuations is the wine exposed to over time? Does one notice a failure of the air conditioning only when it is too late? Simply leaving the wines to themselves is risky, especially with larger stocks.
Smart systems that digitally transmit the measured values at regular intervals and also display a historical development offer much safer monitoring. Whether as a single measuring instrument in the storeroom or as a completely digitally designed system such as the VinoViaVai. This actively monitors and reports to the smartphone all relevant values and movements: Outside temperature, humidity, UV radiation in individual zones and more. The convenience here even extends to the removal detection of individual bottles. The high-quality wine furniture also looks so good that it can even be placed in the home with active cooling or air conditioning.
In the royal class of measuring instruments for wine storage plays the novel Sensorbottle. This reports every minute to the smartphone or tablet how the overall storage situation affects the wine. The special feature here is that the Sensorbottle not only measures the situation in the storage room, but also uses a reference liquid inside to simulate how the values affect the wine itself inside the bottle. If all values match the stored corridor, the display of the bottle tells me "YOUR WINE FEELS PERFECT".
Those who do not buy their wine for immediate consumption should avoid the following at all costs:
> Storage temperature too high
> Temperature fluctuations
> Trockene Luft (<50% rLh.)
> Air too humid (>75% rLh.)
> Scratched labels
Often happens during storage in bricks
> Store wines with cork upright
> Red wines or full-bodied white wines
rotate during storage
(deposit is shaken up)
Thus, after opening the bottle, nothing stands in the way of the final moment of enjoyment.
