White Wine Storage Temperature 101: All You Need To Know

Be it a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc or a buttery Chardonnay, you need to store your favorite white wine at the right temperature to preserve all its authentic flavors and aromas.  

The ideal temperature for storing white wine is around 45-55°F. The exact white wine storage temperature fluctuates slightly depending on the wine style and the storage period.

In this article, we’ll explore the ideal white wine storage temperature and reveal why it’s important to store your bottles at the right temperature. We’ll also give some tips on how to create optimal storage conditions for your white wines.

What’s the Ideal White Wine Storage Temperature For The Long-Term & Short Term?

White wine generally needs a cooler storage temperature than red wine (the ideal storage temperature for reds is around 55-65°F.) 

The exact white wine storage temperature varies slightly based on whether you’re storing your wines for a long-term or a short-term period.

• Long-term white wine storage temperature: If you plan to store your whites for several years, aim for an optimal temperature range of around 53°F and 57°F and avoid any rapid temperature fluctuation. 

• Short-term white wine storage temperature: If you intend to open your white wine within the next six months, you should store it at its proper serving temperature. This way, you can just take it out of your wine fridge or wine cooler and pour yourself a glass right away. 

White Wine Storage and Serving Temperature For Light-Bodied, Full-Bodied, and Sparkling Wines

Here are the different temperatures for storing and serving the three main white wine styles. 

1. Light-Bodied White Wine Styles

These wine styles are usually crisp with pronounced acidity, and remarkable freshness. Here are some of the most popular wines and their ideal storage and proper serving temperature: 

2. Full-Bodied White Wine Styles

Full-bodied white wines usually have richer texture with subtle oak, vanilla, and butter notes. They are usually served at slightly below room temperature.

3. Sparkling Wine Styles

Sparkling wine styles like Champagne and Prosecco need a cooler storage temperature. The cooler temperature keeps the carbon dioxide levels inside the wine bottle intact and maintains their fizz.

Now, let’s see why it’s important to maintain an optimal storage temperature for your whites. 

Why is it Important To Store White Wines at the Right Temperature?

If you’re a dedicated wine lover, you know that maintaining  the perfect wine temperature is crucial for preserving your wine's aroma, flavor profile, and acidity levels. 

So here are  two essential tips to keep in mind when getting a bottle or two of your favorite white wine: 

• Keep it cool: You should always maintain a cool storage temperature. If the wine storage temperature is too high, it’ll affect your wine’s acidity levels and compromise its flavors. 

• Keep it consistent: While a cooler temperature setting is important, you also need to ensure that there are no rapid temperature fluctuations since this might damage the wine’s aging potential. 

Apart from storing the white wine at an ideal temperature, you need to ensure you have the proper wine storage space (be it a wine cellar, a wine fridge, or a wine cooler) which maintains optimal storage conditions at all times.

How To Store Your White Wines Properly?

Here is how you can store your white wines in the best possible way:

What storage space to use for your white wines?

Wine collectors can opt for either of these suitable options for proper wine storage:

• Wine cellar: If you’re a wine lover with a remarkable wine collection, you should store it in a wine cellar with a durable wine rack installation. A wine cellar ensures the perfect wine storage conditions, including proper humidity, light, and optimal cellar temperature levels at all times. 

However, a wine cellar requires high maintenance and can be pretty expensive.  Fortunately, wine collectors can use a professional wine storage facility like Vinovest. This way, you won't have to worry about building and maintaining a wine cellar yourself. 

• Wine refrigerator: You can use a wine refrigerator (or wine fridge) to store every wine bottle at the perfect temperature. A small wine refrigerator can hold up to 25 bottles, whereas the bigger wine fridges can accommodate over 150 standard-sized white and red wine bottles. 

What are the optimal conditions for storing your white wines?

Your wine storage area should have:

• A stable wine storage temperature
• Relative humidity level of around 50-70% 
• Protection against excessive light exposure
• No vibration 
• No strong odors 
• A proper wine rack to hold all your wine bottles in a horizontal position (to keep the cork moist and ensure no air gets inside the wine bottle). 

Win Them Over With The Perfect Glass of White Wine!

To ensure you get the most out of your wine drinking experience, you need to make sure the bottles are stored in optimal conditions and are served at the right wine temperature. That way, you can truly impress your guests from the first sniff to the last sip. 

And if you want to avoid the hassle of setting up a proper wine storage space in your home, you can use Vinovest’s state-of-the-art facilities instead. 

Besides storing your fine wine at a proper temperature, Vinovest can also help you explore how to easily buy and sell any authentic winebottle.