Wine consumption outside of Europe has exploded within the last decade. It used to be that France, Italy, and other European nations consumed the most wine. However, the United States has recently moved in as the number one consumer, drinking 3.2 billion liters of the liquid gold a year. That’s nearly an eighth of global consumption levels, as estimated by the Wine Institute.
While wine consumption may have moved away from its ancestral homes in Paris and Champagne France, Rome, Italy, and other locations historically known for their wine culture, the most popular types, French wines in particular, remain the same as ever. Consider, according to Wine-Searcher.com, French wines still generate more than $7.7 billion for the French economy every year.
The best French wines, while not necessarily expensive, do represent a definite investment, regardless of whether you buy wine for dinner parties or to stock in the cellar. If you’re a lover of the best wines in the world, and you want to protect your wallet and collection, you have to learn how to keep your stock from going bad.
Wine Can Go Bad?
There is a common misconception that wine cannot go bad because of it’s alcohol content. However, the beverage is not nearly alcoholic enough to preserve itself for long. YumSugar.com writes that there are definite ways to tell if your wine has gone bad, beyond a flavor you find unpleasant. A bad smell, whether it’s the smell of mold or vinegar, is a definite sign of spoiled wine. Further, if a red wine has turned brown or a white wine has changed to yellow, chances are your bottle is spoiled, or “corked.”
How to Keep Wine Fresh for Longer
- If the Bottle is Open
- If It’s a Fresh Bottle
If you’ve already opened a bottle of wine, keeping it fresh is a little tricky. As The Chicago Tribune writes, however, if you can manage to extract the air from the opened bottle and seal it well, then you can keep an open bottle for longer. The source recommends either using a specially made device for extracting oxygen from your opened bottles, an expensive choice, or transferring the remaining liquid to plastic bottles, leaving no room for air to be trapped and spoil your drink.
WineSpectator.com suggests that the key to keeping unopened bottles of your favorite French wines fresh is all about maintaining a cool, constant temperature. Generally, you’ll want to keep your wine between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Even if you keep it in a basement with a consistent ambient temperature within that range, you have to make sure that no light, from lamps or the sun, shines directly onto your bottles. Keeping these things in mind, you can keep your favorite vintages safe for years.
If wine is your passion, keep these tips for keeping it fresh in mind. Granted, if your appetite is voracious enough, these tricks will mean little to you. However, if you like to save your wine and enjoy it over time, these ways of preserving the nectar of the gods will shield your wallet and your wine cellar. Get more here.
