How to Store Wine in a Storage Unit

Preparation & Packing for Wine Storage

Start by writing a list or spreadsheet of the bottles to be put in storage, including the name and any additional notes that may help organize them. For example, write down the vintage and/or year it’s expected to be ready to sell or drink and the bottle’s intended position on a numbered rack.

As the stocktaking process goes on, make sure the bottles are clean. Dust is easily removed with a dry, soft cloth and a little care, but mold or grime will need extra work and a gentle touch to remove. Start with a weak concentration of one part white vinegar and four parts warm water, and use this cleaning solution on a slightly damp cloth to remove dirt and debris. Avoid water damage to the label as much as possible; vinegar is a disinfectant, but mold can’t be fully removed from paper. The bottles must now be left to dry completely.

Consider which packing, moving and storage materials may need to be purchased before the day arrives. Self-storage facilities often sell materials specific to wine storage, such as dividers and other padding to place in cardboard boxes, and many can provide racks for free or low cost to renters. Packing materials and wine racks can also be purchased online and at some high-end liquor stores.

Transportation & Racking of Wine

Bottled wine is relatively heavy when compared to most other items of a similar size, and it’s also more fragile. It’s important to take care of this precious cargo while in transit to the facility and even more so if it’s going in a moving truck with everything else. Pack the bottles tightly and securely inside cardboard boxes using the materials outlined above, or an improvised solution, and then make the trip to the storage facility.

Make sure the storage unit is clean and in working order — lights, ventilation, security and climate conditions — and then, it’s time to get racking. However, keep in mind how heavy and fragile the bottles are and ensure the wine racks are sturdy enough to hold the goods without collapsing or falling over. Racks can be fixed to a wall fairly easily, but this extra precaution isn’t necessary in most situations. If the area is so unstable that it can’t support a good quality wine rack on its own base or the area experiences a lot of vibration from nearby machinery or vehicles, it’s probably best not to tempt fate.

Important Factors in Long-term Wine Storage

Temperature is the most important factor when storing wine, whether for a month or decades. The storage unit should be kept at a consistent 55 degrees F, with a margin of error of 10 degrees above or below. If the temperature is too high, wine will spoil and have undesirable flavors and characteristics. If the temperature is too low, ice will form inside the bottle, and it may freeze, which often breaks the seal of the cork or causes the glass to crack.

Humidity is almost as important as temperature when creating the ideal storage conditions. Most experts recommend storing wine at 65% humidity. Humidity levels below 50% may cause corks to become dry and useless, and levels above 70% may damage labels and encourage the growth of mold.

Fluctuations in temperature and humidity can also cause problems, such as the typical difference in temperature from day to night and among seasons. Climate-controlled storage is needed in many parts of the United States to prevent these temperature shocks.

Corked wine bottles should never be stored upright for longer than a few months. While standing upright on its own natural base, the liquid inside the bottle doesn’t make contact with the cork, which causes it to become dry and brittle, and the wine will become oxidized much faster than normal now that the seal is broken. Most wine racks are designed for bottles to be laid flat on their sides or angled with the cork facing down slightly. Both of these styles help stop the cork from drying out. The main exceptions to this rule are sparkling wine, which should be stored upright, and any type of wine in a screw cap bottle because there’s no cork to worry about.

Frequently Asked Questions