What Temperature Should White Wine Be Stored At?

When storing your wine, you need to consider whether you’ll be storing it for a long period of time, or for a short period of time. Short term wine storage typically classes as under six months, whereas long-term wine storage is anything over six months. Read on to find out the optimal storage temperature for short term wine storage and for long term wine storage.

 

SHORT TERM WINE STORAGE

If you plan on storing your wine for under six months, chances are this is because you’re going to be serving your wine at some point in the near future. Although it’s completely fine to store your whites at one single temperature, each type of white wine will have its optimal serving temperature. If you want to bring out the right flavours and aromas, and if you want the wine to taste as delicious as it should, then you should store each type of wine at its optimal serving temperature.

Sparkling wines such as Prosecco and Champagne are usually best served at cooler temperatures - between 3-7°C should do the trick. They should be more chilled than other types of wine in order to bring out the fruity flavours and aromas. Lighter wines such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are best served chilled too, but at a slightly warmer temperature than sparkling wines. Typically, light whites are best served within the temperature range of 7-10 ̊C.

However, if you have bottles of white wine with more oak or body, then be sure to store it at a slightly warmer temperature - within the range of 10-13 ̊C. Fuller bodied white wines such as Chardonnay need a relatively cool temperature to bring out their buttery and rich textures and aromas, so make sure that you don’t store it in a space that’s too warm. If your white wine has high acidity levels (for example, Riesling) then you should store it at around 7-10 ̊C.

 

LONG TERM WINE STORAGE

The ideal storage temperature is slightly different when storing your wine in the long term as it is when you’re storing your wine in the short term. Whether you’re storing your wine in the long term for ageing, you’re investing, or you just want your wine to remain fresh for longer, you should ensure that you store your wine at the right temperature. Arguably, long-term wine storage is more important than short-term wine storage as if you store your wine at the wrong temperature in the long term, your wine could age poorly and taste sour, bitter, and generally unpleasant. Your wine could also be at risk of freezing, which can leave your wine tasting bland - and can also lead to bottle breaking.

According to many wine manufacturers and experts, the optimal temperature for storing white wine in the long term is in the range of 11°C and 14°C - and this applies to red wine too. Unlike short-term wine storage, you can store your reds, whites, and sparkling wine at the same temperature in the long term.

There are many reasons why you may want to store your wine in the long term. You might want to store your wine for years at a time to ensure that it remains fresh for longer, or you may want to age it so it tastes better after some time. Some people invest in wine - they buy it while it’s cheap and age it in the best possible way, so it increases in value over time and they earn a profit from it.

 

HOW CAN I ACHIEVE THE RIGHT STORAGE TEMPERATURE FOR WHITE WINE?

Now you have an understanding of the recommended storage temperature for white wine in both the short term for serving and in the long term, it’s time to find out how you can achieve the perfect storage temperature for your white wine collection.

 

CHOOSE A WINE COOLER

A wine cooler is one of the best ways that you can store your collection, considering temperature, humidity, sunlight, and sometimes even aromas and vibrations. If you plan on storing your white wines with your reds for serving, then we recommend that you choose a dual-zone wine cooler. This means that you can store your different wines together in the same unit but at separate temperatures.

If you opt for a wine cooler that has dual or multiple temperature zones, you could also have some of your wine bottles stored at one temperature in the long term, and other bottles stored at a slightly lower temperature for serving - all in the same unit.

You can find wine coolers in three designs - freestanding, built-in and fully integrated. Freestanding wine coolers require a few inches of space around the rear and sides of the unit when it comes to placement, to allow space for ventilation. There should also be around 12 inches of space above the unit for optimal airflow. Built-in and fully integrated wine coolers are designed to be installed into kitchen spaces, whether it be under counters, inside kitchen cabinets, or even built into the wall. However, integrated wine coolers are designed to be completely enclosed.

 

BUILD A WINE CELLAR

Wine cellars are also great spaces to store your wine - however, they can be pretty costly to build and maintain, costing over £10,000 to build alone. Wine cellars not only maintain a steady temperature, but also regulate humidity levels, minimise vibrations, and sometimes even eliminate aromas. Wine cellars are the best choice if you plan on storing a variety of different wines and/ or a large wine collection, as you can store hundreds and hundreds of bottles in wine cellars - and you can make wine cellars as big as you need.