7招教你贮藏葡萄酒

译者 ediver

So you bought some wine that you’re not planning on drinking right away. Now what do you do with it?

假设你买了一些葡萄酒，但并不打算立刻喝，怎么办？

First off, it’s useful to remember that only a small percentage of fine wines on the market benefit from long-term aging. Most wines are best enjoyed within a few years of release. If you’re looking to buy wines to mature, you should really consider investing in professional-grade storage—a totally different ballgame

首先你应该知道，市场上只有很小一部分优质葡萄酒适于长期保存。多数葡萄酒最好在上市后几年内喝掉。如果你买葡萄酒的目的是想让它慢慢成熟，那么你应该考虑投资购买一套专业级的贮藏设备——那可是完全不同级别的游戏了。

For everyone else, however, following a few simple guidelines should keep your wines safe until you’re ready to drink them.

对于大多数人来说，只要遵守几条简单的规则，就能保证你的葡萄酒可以安全存放到你想喝的时候。

1. Keep It Cool

1、保持低温

Heat is enemy number one for wine. Temperatures higher than 70° F will age a wine more quickly than is usually desirable. And if it gets too much hotter, your wine may get “cooked,” resulting in flat aromas and flavors. The ideal temperature range is between 45° F and 65° F (and 55° F is often cited as close to perfect), though this isn’t an exact science. Don’t fret too much if your storage runs a couple degrees warmer, as long as you’re opening the bottles within a few years from their release.

高温是葡萄酒的大敌。如果温度超过70° F（21.1° C），葡萄酒就会过快地熟化。如果温度再高些，你的葡萄酒可能就彻底“熟了”，香气和口味都会变得平淡无奇。最理想的温度介于45° F（7.2° C）和 65° F（18.3° C）之间（很多人说，55° F，即12.7° C，是最接近理想的温度）。当然，这并不是精密科学，如果你的贮藏温度高个一度半度的也没太大关系，只要你是在上市后几年内开瓶就没问题。

2. But Not Too Cool

2、但是温度也不能太低

Keeping wines in your household refrigerator is fine for up to a couple months, but it’s not a good bet for the longer term. The average fridge temp falls well below 45° F to safely store perishable foods, and the lack of moisture could eventually dry out corks, which might allow air to seep into the bottles and damage the wine. Also, don’t keep your wine somewhere it could freeze (an unheated garage in winter, forgotten for hours in the freezer). If the liquid starts turning to ice, it could expand enough to push the cork out.

把葡萄酒存在家用冰箱里一两个月没关系，但是要长期贮藏就不行了。为了安全储存易腐食品，冰箱冷藏室的平均温度一般都低于45° F（7.2° C），里面湿气缺乏的结果，会使葡萄酒软木塞变干，从而导致空气渗入瓶中，破坏酒质。另外，不要把葡萄酒放在会结冰的地方（比如冬天放在没有暖气的车库里，或者遗忘在冰箱冷冻室里几个小时）。如果葡萄酒开始结冰，体积就会膨胀，最终把软木塞挤开。

3. Steady as She Goes

3、恒温更重要

More important than worrying about achieving a perfect 55°F is avoiding the landmines of rapid, extreme or frequent temperature swings. On top of cooked flavors, the expansion and contraction of the liquid inside the bottle might push the cork out or cause seepage. Aim for consistency, but don’t get paranoid about minor temperature fluctuations; wines may see worse in transit from the winery to the store. (Even if heat has caused wine to seep out past the cork, that doesn’t always mean the wine is ruined. There’s no way to know until you open it—it could still be delicious.)

比达到完美的55° F（12.7° C）更重要的是，要避免贮藏温度出现急剧、极端或频繁的变化。葡萄酒体积在瓶内的膨胀或收缩，除了会使葡萄酒的口味过熟外，还可能把软木塞挤出，造成空气渗入。尽量保持贮藏温度恒定，不过如果有微小的波动也不必太过紧张。由于上面所说的原因，葡萄酒在从酿酒厂运到商店的过程中，酒质有可能变差。（即使葡萄酒因为过热而从软木塞中渗漏出来，也不一定意味着这瓶葡萄酒就已经毁了。不开瓶是无法确定的——这瓶葡萄酒可能依旧可口。）

4. Turn the Lights Off

4、避光

Light, especially sunlight, can pose a potential problem for long-term storage. The sun’s UV rays can degrade and prematurely age wine. One of the reasons why vintners use colored glass bottles? They’re like sunglasses for wine. Light from household bulbs probably won’t damage the wine itself, but can fade your labels in the long run. Incandescent bulbs may be a bit safer than fluorescent bulbs, which do emit very small amounts of ultraviolet light.

光线，尤其是阳光，对于葡萄酒的长期贮藏是个潜在的威胁。阳光中的紫外线可以分解葡萄酒，让葡萄酒提前熟化。知道酿酒商为什么用有色玻璃瓶装酒吗？这就好象为葡萄酒戴上墨镜。家居用的照明灯光大约不会对葡萄酒本身造成任何危害，但是时间久了会让酒瓶上的标签褪色。白炽灯泡可能比荧光灯泡安全些，因为后者会发出少量的紫外线。

5. Don’t Sweat the Humidity

5、不要过于担心湿度

Conventional wisdom says that wines should be stored at an ideal humidity level of 70 percent. The theory goes that dry air will dry out the corks, which would let air into the bottle and spoil the wine. Yes, this does happen, but unless you live in a desert or in arctic conditions, it probably won’t happen to you. (Or if you’re laying down bottles for 10 or more years, but then we’re back to the matter of professional storage.) Anywhere between 50 percent and 80 percent humidity is considered safe, and placing a pan of water in your storage area can improve conditions. Conversely, extremely damp conditions can promote mold. This won’t affect a properly sealed wine, but can damage the labels. A dehumidifier can fix that.

传统的贮藏方法宣称，葡萄酒应该存放在70%的理想湿度环境里，理由是如果空气干燥，葡萄酒软木塞会变干，空气就会渗进瓶里，破坏葡萄酒的品质。的确，这样的情况是会发生，不过除非你住在沙漠或者极地，不然多半你不会遇到这种情形。（或者你要把葡萄酒存放10年甚至更久，但那又回到专业贮藏的话题了。）湿度只要在50%到80%之间就没问题，在贮藏间放盘水可以改善湿度条件。反过来说，过度潮湿的环境容易发霉。当然，如果葡萄酒密封良好并不会受影响，不过瓶上的标签会受损。这时加个除湿器就可以解决问题。

6. See Things Sideways

6、平放酒瓶

Traditionally, bottles have been stored on their sides in order to keep the liquid up against the cork, which theoretically should keep the cork from drying out. If you’re planning on drinking these bottles in the near- to mid-term, or if the bottles have alternative closures (screw caps, glass or plastic corks), this is not necessary. We will say this, however: Horizontal racking is a space-efficient way to store your bottles, and it definitely can’t harm your wines.

传统的贮藏方法总是将葡萄酒瓶平放，这样酒液可以接触到软木塞，理论上就可以防止软木塞变干。如果你计划近期或中期就喝这些酒，或者这些酒瓶用的不是软木塞（螺旋塞、玻璃塞或塑料塞等），你就不需要把酒瓶平放。不过我们要说的是：用水平架子储存葡萄酒在空间利用上非常节省，而且对葡萄酒来说肯定无害。

7. Not a Whole Lot of Shaking

7、切忌过多震动

There are theories that vibration could damage wine in the long term by speeding up the chemical reactions in the liquid. Some serious collectors fret about even the subtle vibrations caused by electronic appliances, though there’s little evidence documenting the impacts of this. Significant vibrations could possibly disturb the sediment in older wines and keep them from settling, potentially making them unpleasantly gritty. Unless you live above a train station or are hosting rock concerts, is this likely to be a problem for your short-term storage? No. (But don’t go shaking your wines like a Super Bowl MVP about to spray a bottle of Champagne around the locker room.)

有一种理论说，震动会加速葡萄酒液中的化学反应，因此不利于葡萄酒的长期贮藏。有些收藏迷对于电子产品所造成的极其轻微的震动也会紧张不已，尽管并没有任何关于此类影响的证明资料。剧烈的震动可以搅起陈年葡萄酒底下的沉淀，使其无法沉降，造成口感粗糙。不过，除非你住在火车站顶上，或者正在举办摇滚音乐会，不然对于你短期贮藏的葡萄酒来说，震动真的会成为问题吗？不会的。（当然，千万不要象超级杯最有价值球员在更衣室里开香槟那样，大摇特摇你的葡萄酒哟。）

So Where Should I Keep My Bottles?

那么，我应该把葡萄酒放在哪儿呢？

If you haven’t been blessed with a cool, not-too-damp basement that can double as a cellar, you can improvise with some simple racks in a safe place. Rule out your kitchen, laundry room or boiler room, where hot temperatures could affect your wines, and look for a location not directly in line with light pouring in from a window. You could also buy a small wine cooler and follow the same guidelines: If you keep your wine fridge in a cool place, it won’t have to work so hard, keeping your energy bill down.

如果你没有一个又凉爽又不太潮湿的地下室可以兼作酒窖的话，你可以找个安全的地方，做几个简单的架子。不要把葡萄酒放在厨房、洗衣间或锅炉房，那里的高温会影响葡萄酒的品质。存酒的地方也不能直接暴露于窗前的阳光下。你也可以买个小型葡萄酒冷酒器，放置地点同样应该遵循上面所说的原则：如果你把葡萄酒冷酒器放在一个凉爽的地方，它就不需要大马力地拼命工作，你的电费也就不会太高。

Perhaps there is a little-used closet or other vacant storage area that could be repurposed for storing wine? If you have a suitable dark, stable space that’s not too damp or dry, but it is too warm, you might consider investing in a standalone cooling unit specifically designed for wine. There are some inexpensive systems for small spaces, but in most cases, this is getting into professional wine storage.

也许你家有个没什么用的壁橱或其它闲置的贮藏间，可以改造用来贮藏葡萄酒？如果你找到一个避光又平稳的合适地方，不太潮也不太干，但是有点儿热，你可以考虑投资购买一台专门为葡萄酒设计的独立冷却器。虽然有一些不太贵的系统可以用于小空间，不过多数情况下，这类装置都属于专业葡萄酒贮藏设备的范畴。

When is it time to upgrade your storage conditions? Ask yourself this: How much did you spend last year on your wine habit? If a $1,000 cooling unit represents less than 25 percent of your annual wine-buying budget, it’s time to think about it more carefully. Might as well protect your investment.

什么时候应该考虑升级你的贮藏条件？问问你自己：去年在葡萄酒这个嗜好上花了多少钱？如果一台一千美元的冷却器跟你一年的葡萄酒采购预算相比不足25%，你就应该好好想想了——也许应该更好地保护你的投资。

One other piece of advice from collectors: Whatever number you’re thinking of when it comes to bottle capacity, double it. Once you’ve started accumulating wines to drink later, it’s hard to stop.

还有一条来自收藏迷的建议：在规划葡萄酒瓶容量时，一定要把你计划的数字乘二。一旦踏上葡萄酒的收藏之路，你就停不下来了。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I Want to Buy a Wine Cooler, What Should I Look For?

如果我想买台葡萄酒冷酒器，该如何选择呢？

Wine coolers are, at their most basic, standalone units designed to maintain a consistent temperature—sometimes one suitable for serving rather than long-term storage—whereas a wine cellar is a cabinet or an entire room that stores wine in optimal conditions for long-term aging: a consistent temperature (about 55° F), with humidity control and some way to keep the wine away from light and vibration.

葡萄酒冷酒器，简单说就是一种能够保持恒温的独立装置，与其说是为了长期贮藏葡萄酒，不如说是为了喝酒时更方便。酒窖则是用于贮藏葡萄酒的橱柜乃至整个房间，里面为葡萄酒的长期熟化提供各种最佳条件：恒温（55° F 或12.7° C 左右），湿度控制，避光以及防震设计。

Units vary in how much access you’ll have to your bottles, so consider both how well you’ll be able to see what’s inside, and how easy it will be to grab a bottle when you want it. Are the bottles stacked? Are there shelves that slide out? Consider the size and shape of the bottles you collect, and the way the bottles fit into the racks—are they very wide, tall or unusually shaped, if they’ll even fit at all?

不同的装置在取酒的方便程度方面会有所不同，所以你需要考虑你是否想要很清楚地看到里面存的是什么酒，以及你希望多容易就能拿到酒。酒瓶是堆放在一起吗？有没有可以滑出来的架子？你还要考虑所收藏的酒瓶的大小和形状，如何把它们装到架子里——这些瓶子会很粗、很长或者造型很特别吗，它们能装进架子里吗？

The door itself is something to ponder. Is it more important for you to see the bottles or protect them from light? Is the glass clear, tempered, tinted, double-paned or UV-resistant? Make sure the door opens on the correct side for where you’re placing it—not every unit has reversible doors. Some models have locks or even alarms.

门也需要特别考量。对你来说，是看清楚里面的酒瓶更重要，还是避光更重要？玻璃要透明的、钢化的、有色的、双层的还是防紫外线的？决定门的位置时，一定要确保它的开关方向不会有问题——不是每种装置的门都可以调整左右的。有些装置还配有门锁甚至警报器。

More expensive units may have multiple temperature zones, which is a nice feature if you want to keep your reds at one temperature and your whites at a cooler, more ready-to-drink temperature. Humidity controls are also helpful. Do your best to find a unit that is quiet—you’d be surprised just how loud the things can get. The more you spend, the better the materials should be, such as aluminum shelves that will conduct cool temperatures better than plastic ones, or a rough interior that will be better for humidity than a smooth one.

昂贵的装置可能分有多个不同的温度区，如果你想把红葡萄酒保存在一个温度，把白葡萄酒保存在另一个稍低些、随时可以饮用的温度，这是个不错的选择。湿度控制也很有用。尽可能买一台安静的装置——你不知道这些设备有多吵。你花的钱越多，装置的材质也越好，比如铝制的架子比塑料架子导低温的能力更强，粗糙的内壁比光滑的内壁更有利于湿度控制。