How long, in what and how should you store homemade wine?

foto52450-1Home winemaking is an interesting and exciting activity that requires certain knowledge and adherence to production technology.

One of the important issues is organizing wine storage at home.

We will tell you in this article how to store homemade wine correctly and for how long.

Shelf life

The contents of homemade wines depend on many factors. Among them:

  • quality of wine materials;
  • compliance with production technology;
  • selection of suitable containers;
  • compliance with transportation and storage conditions, etc.

If you follow all the rules, homemade wine can be stored for up to 3-5 years. It is recommended to periodically inspect bottles during storage.

Only high-quality corks should be used to seal bottles.

Conditions

Wine is considered a living drink that can retain its qualities for years, ripening and only becoming better.

At what temperature?

foto52450-2The almost ideal temperature for wines is considered to be +12°C. It is possible to expand the range for home drinks from +5°C to +15°C.

For open bottles the conditions are different. They must be stored in an even cooler place - in the refrigerator.

Red wines are served chilled to a temperature from +15°C to +17°C, white wines – from +9°C to +12°C.

Humidity

Air humidity in a home wine room should be about 70% subject to the use of cork plugs. It is possible to expand the range in both directions by 10%.

It is not advisable to allow more significant deviations, since if the air is too dry, the cork can dry out, and if the air is too humid, it can become moldy.

Lighting

Ultraviolet radiation has a detrimental effect on wine, so only dark places are suitable for storing a wine collection.

Storage in the dark provides normal conditions for ripening the product and preserving its properties.

Where to keep it?

Based on the requirements for temperature, humidity and lighting of the place for storing wine, it is best to keep your stocks in a specially equipped cellar or in a wine cabinet.

In the apartment

Keeping a collection of bottles in the house can be easy if you have a wine cabinet. It is a device that is focused on maintaining optimal conditions for wine in automatic mode.

If there is no special wine cabinet, you need to try to find the most suitable place for the wine. This could be a pantry, dressing room, hallway, etc. The main condition is coolness, protection from light and maintaining a humidity level around 70%.

In addition, the wine should not be subject to shaking or vibration in the storage area. It is not advisable to have noise sources nearby - a workshop, a loud music center, etc.

In the cellar

foto52450-3The cellar is a traditional place for a wine library. Not any basement or cellar is suitable for these purposes, but only one that maintains the conditions required for wine.

Inside, the room should have racks or shelves that make it possible to hold bottles in a horizontal position or at an angle so that the cork is wetted from the inside with liquid.

If the natural conditions in the cellar do not meet wine storage standards, split systems, humidifiers or dehumidifiers, etc. can be used. Devices will help you monitor temperature and humidity.

Is it possible in the refrigerator?

Putting a drink in the refrigerator is not the best solution. The temperature in it is not quite suitable for wine - it is lower than necessary. There is also vibration in the refrigerator and there may be foods with a strong smell nearby, which also does not have the best effect on the wine.

It is possible to use a refrigerator for wine if you need to save an unfinished bottle.

Which container is better?

When making wine at home, after the drink is ready, it is poured into containers for compact storage and easy transportation. Most often, darkened glass containers are chosen for these purposes, but there may be other options.

Glass bottles

Glass bottles are the most convenient and practical way to organize storage guilt. This material does not react with the contents and can be reused.

Cork plugs are usually chosen for sealing. This type of container has many advantages, including the possibility of fairly long storage.

The disadvantage of choosing glass is the fragility of the material. Because of this, difficulties may arise, for example, with transportation.

Plastic

Plastic for wine is used much less frequently, and mainly for short-term storage. You should choose polymer bottles very carefully. They must not only be of high quality and clean, but also suitable for alcohol-containing drinks.

The possibility of using a specific bottle is indicated by the marking:

  • PET, PETE or HDPE;
  • the triangle formed by the arrows must contain the numbers “2” or “1” (others are not suitable).

In addition, you should pay attention to the percentage of alcohol. If the strength of the drink is 18-20%, then plastic should not be used; if the value is lower, about 10-14%, then it is possible, but with restrictions on the duration of maintenance.

The quality of the drink that will be bottled largely depends on the correct preparation of the plastic. Preparation of containers includes several stages:

  1. foto52450-4Wash with warm water.
  2. Preparing a disinfectant solution based on iodine (8 ml for every 20 liters of water) or preparing another product.
  3. The prepared liquid needs to be filled into the bottles either up to the neck or not completely, but then they will have to be shaken periodically.
  4. Lids should also be immersed in a disinfectant solution.
  5. Leave it like this for an hour.
  6. Drain the solution.

Bottles that have undergone treatment should have no odor. If it remains or the container cannot be washed thoroughly, such bottles should not be used. Wine has not been stored in plastic for years. Maximum – up to 2-3 months.

Barrels

Storage in barrels is one of the acceptable options for storing wine in a private wine library. Before use, the barrel must be pre-treated.

1.5 weeks before the planned bottling of wine, it is filled with water. Every day the water needs to be drained and refilled.

The final rinse will be different from the previous ones. The barrel is filled with boiling water in which soda ash is diluted in a proportion of 5 tablespoons per 50 liters of water.

After this, the barrel is subjected to mandatory fumigation with sulfur. As a rule, special equipment is used for these purposes.

Video on the topic of the article

This video will tell you about storing homemade wine:

Conclusion

Storing homemade wine has its own characteristics.A non-industrial drink produced requires quality control and adherence to technology at all stages of production, from grape harvest to storage of the finished product.

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