Section 1 – Storing Wine
The temperature at which you store wine – what does it matter?
You have heard stories about wine kept in cool basement cellars. Why do they do that?
When wine in bottles is stored in temperatures warmer than about 75 °F, it can undergo a chemical process called “madeirization”
This makes the wine taste “nutty” and slightly caramelized.
Many people do not like their wine to taste like that.
The warmer the environment around the wine, the faster this chemical reaction takes place.
If you put a bottle of wine in the direct sun for about 3 days you can reproduce that taste. If you keep bottles of wine indoors at 80 °F for about 6 months, the same changes take place.