Wines require necessary steps to maintain their freshness and ensure their longevity. The hard work of harvesting grape vines and turning the annual yield into wine calls for storing this valuable product in optimal conditions during maturation and bottling.

Michigan Wine Industry

The Michigan wine industry generates over $6 Billion in economic activity, including 196 wine producers and 1,448 acres of vineyards that ultimately support 46,000 jobs state-wide.

Proper Wine Storage

Proper wine storage temperatures for maturation should be 60°F or below, with 55°F and 70% humidity as the ideal climate while maintaining full vessels with little or no head space.

• Malolactic Fermentation: 68-75 °F.
• Barrel Storage: 55-60 °F.
• Fining, Centrifuging, Filtering, and Clarifying: 32-77 °F.
• Sparkling Wine: 54 °F.
• Bottling Temperature: 60 °F.

Climate Control

Cold-to-moderate temperatures are best for storing alcoho. While you can experiment with temperatures, the most critical climate control element is consistency, as alcohol does not respond well to large temperature fluctuations.

Maturation Time

The maturation of wine in bulk storage is vital. Without proper maintenance, resh wine can become oxidized and spoiled. Once fermented, simply transferring the product into a barrel or tank storage will cause the wine to improve over time, but this is a common misconception. Maturation time will help the wine’s flavors to develop, but without proper control of the maturation environment, the product will degrade and spoil rapidly.

Most wines need maturation time, and certain robust flavors benefit from extended barrel maturation of more than two years but must be constantly monitored and maintained.

Partnering with RMS

RMS understands the importance of installing high-quality commercial refrigeration systems that meet your needs. Our team of experts provides customized solutions that optimize your storage capacity and implement cost-reducing energy efficiencies.