Why do people long-term store wine?

Wine is for drinking. Just not always immediately. Unless there’s a good reason. And often there is.

About 97 percent of all wines on the market are meant to be consumed within three to five years after their year of production. Some believe that the number has risen to 99 percent today. No matter what, it’s a very small part of the enormous wine production that would benefit from being left to mature for years on end.

Wine is one of the only food products that may alter into something better at further storage after production and sale. Although wine is a food product which may be spoiled, complex chemical reactions between sugars, acids, tannins and oxygen in the wine may over time alter its aromatic mix and appearance.

Wine may eventually taste in a way which only long-term storage will accentuate. Many of us enjoy this, and that’s why we store some of our wines.

You never know

Another major reason for storing your wine is that you fortunately never know when you’ll for example be needing a good bottle of fizz. And fizz in particular is something that you should never ever fall short on, just like equipment. The point is that it’s convenient to have a small selection with a bit of everything.

It’s nice having an assortment of everyday wines ready for uncorking. A broad selection is recommendable if you don’t know what the menu will be or if you’re curious about tasting very different wines to broaden your horizons.

Even though most wine is made for consumption within five years, it doesn’t mean that it should be drunk immediately. Many wines of this segment will still develop within this time frame. In fact, it’s rather fun and educational to follow a crate of 6 or 12 bottles of the same wine over a period of three to five years. Taste a bottle every third or fourth month to stay tuned on its maturation. An experiment like that may easily be carried out with wines of 80 to 100 kr. a bottle. Ask your wine merchant about wines that he’d recommend for this kind of game.

Long-term storage – a long-running project

When it comes to long-term storage where your bottles are left for more than five years, we’re dealing with wines at a higher price level and of a better quality than the table wines which will go bad or just dull and lose all flavour after such a long period of time.

Once again, it’s great fun following the development of a specific wine. The only difference is the time span. And once again, it’s wise to consult your wine merchant to discover wines which are sure to reward your patience.

There’s something very special about tasting an old bottle of wine. Apart from the almost mythical, romantic and devout aspects of tasting something that aged, an old wine is simply vastly different from a young one. Besides, you’ll feel like that bottle was almost free if it’s been ten years since you bought it. That sum is long forgotten.

The best would be to combine the two ways of storing wine. You never know when there’s going to be an occasion to open a good old bottle with a good old friend.

If you wish to long-term store the wines you particularly enjoy, we recommend you keep your wine in a wine fridge for that purpose. If you’ve got a cellar without too much light – and preferably a bit of humidity – you might just as well employ one of our wine racks.

Cheers and have fun.