Did you know that the US buys more wine than any other country in the world? In 2013, customers in the United States purchased 29.1 million hectoliters of wine. France, the perennial leader in this category, dropped to second with 28.1 million hectoliters purchased. The reasons for this are two-fold: the French are reducing their intake of wine and Americans are developing a greater taste for it. Although Americans consume far less per head than the French, there are far more American drinkers than French drinkers. It is certainly possible for this gap to grow even further.
With that in mind, many operators still don’t know how to properly store their wine to prevent damage. Some common questions about wine storage are: What's the right temperature to store wine? Should I worry about humidity? Should wine be stored upright or on its side? What is the optimal wine environment?
According to Amazing Spaces here are three wine storage facts:
- Wine should be kept out of any room that might see an increase in heat in a short amount of time. At the same time, it shouldn't be too cool either. And if at all possible, light should be avoided as well.
- Temperature maintained between 50°F and 58°F, humidity maintained between 55% and 80%, and a fail-safe mechanical support including dual cooling system is ideal.
- Your investment in wine storage should go in line with your wine consumption and purchasing. If you are spending too little or too much on wine storage in comparison to your investment in wine purchased, you may want to reassess.