Best Way to Store Malbec Wine at Home
Do you think it is important to store wine properly? Imagine that you had bought that wine for a special occasion, and when you’re going to serve it, you realize that it has gone bad. Although you buy the best and most expensive Malbec, you should learn how to store Malbec carefully if you want to keep its qualities.
If you want to store Malbec at home, some rules apply to all types of wines. For example, you should protect your wine from light, variations in the temperature and even vibrations or movements.
Table of Contents
Should I store Malbec horizontally?
Traditionally, enophiles have always said that wines should be stored horizontally, so this position of the bottle could keep the cork moist. But this seems to be partially true. If the wine is sealed with a screwcap, you can store it standing up. All in all, you only should store your wines on their side if they are sealed with a cork. However, if you are a wine collector and you have lots of wine bottles, keeping them horizontally is for sure the most efficient way to save space
And what about the temperature?
This is definitely the main factor to store your Malbec properly. The ideal temperature range is between 14°C -16°C (57°F – 61°F). But if you can’t keep this temperature, cold is definitely preferable to heat. Temperature above 21°C will age the wine quickly and destroy its flavours and aromas. On the other hand, it’s crucial to keep the temperature as constant as possible. If the temperature is unstable, the cork could expand and contract, allowing the wine to leak out and air to leak into the bottle, and starting a process of oxidation of the wine.
To sum up, for long-term storage, your Malbec bottles should be kept at a cool and constant temperature. Extremes of cold and heat as well as big changes in temperature can damage your wine.
Avoid vibrations, strong smells and noise.
This is why the kitchen isn’t the ideal place to store our Malbec wine. Also, it would be best if you avoided the influence of electromagnetic fields (TV, computer, mobile phones…).
Pay attention to humidity and light.
It’s highly recommendable to keep humidity in a range between 60% and 80%. If the place is not humid enough, the cork will dry out. On the other hand, you should keep your bottles away from strong sunshine and even bright artificial light. Both the heat and the light can cause your wine to taste no longer fresh. So, protecting your Malbec wine from the light will avoid chemical reactions that trigger and affect the quality of your wine. If this happens, the smell and taste of the wine become rancid and bitter. The clearer the glass of the bottle, the worse the damage caused.
You can find more information about the effects of light on wine here.
How long does Malbec last unopened?
It’s not so easy to answer this question because there aren’t strict rules. The ageability of Malbec depends on varietal, vintage and quality. But it’s said that Malbec wine could last 10-20 years, with the range depending on the balance of acid and tannins.
