Will shaking ruin a bottle of wine?

Intentional or unintentional shaking may end up affecting the taste and appearance of a bottle of wine. Wine is made up of a complex combination of organic elements and is constantly evolving. Shaking separates these elements and sometimes causes wine shock. Rest assured, if your bottle is shaken by bumps on the way home from the wine store, the wine inside won't be ruined, but you may need to wait a while before you can drink it.

Shake the sediment

Shaking spreads sediment in a bottle of fine wine, a problem that is more common in red wines than in white wines. If the overall color of the wine remains unaffected despite the floating sediment, simply let the bottle sit for a few hours so that the sediment falls back to the bottom. In some cases, a large amount of sediment indicates that there is a problem with the wine and that a longer break is required to resolve.

Complete shock

Bottle shock, also known as bottle disease, is associated with shaking wine. Although this condition affects new wines, older, more fragile wines, 10 years or more, tend to be the most affected because they contain a lot of sediment. Shaking the wine, whether during bottling or while traveling, stirs the sediment that remains at the bottom of the bottle, resulting in a thick, translucent wine. The taste also separates after shaking, affecting the taste.

Heal it

Bottle shock is a temporary problem that can easily be solved by making your wine sit still before drinking. How long a wine must stay depends on a variety of factors, including grape type, bottle size and storage conditions. While in some cases the sedimentation process can take up to three months, the wine is clear in as little as eight weeks. During the stand, choose a cool, dry place to store your sick wine.

Ancient and fragile

Old wine is fragile wine. Even the slightest vibration can disturb the sediment and separate the taste from the bottle. Therefore, leave the old wine to drink at home and the young wine to drink during the trip. When removing the fragile wine from the side, slowly raise the bottle to an upright position. Keep the bottle upright for 24 h and allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle without shaking or disturbing the bottle.

Decanter options

Even a small amount of movement can stir up the sediment in aged wines, but the decanter makes it possible to separate the sediment from the wine. After opening the cork, wipe the neck clean. Put a flashlight at the bottle and pay attention to the location of the sediment — which may look like cloudy wine — as you keep slowly pouring the wine into a clean, clear container. As soon as the sediment reaches the bottleneck, it stops pouring and discards the remaining contents of the bottle. Pour the wine poured out of the container into the waiting glass.