Wine in Country Clubs: 4 Best Practices for Storing Wine

Country club inventory management is one of the biggest challenges presented to you as a business owner. Even if the country club members are mostly coming for golf and relaxing around the pool, they would appreciate a well-curated beverage program. 

One of the most important parts of the beverage program of country clubs is the wine lists. No matter what type of cuisine you serve in the restaurant, there are different varieties of wine that will go perfectly with different dishes. Storing wine the right way is crucial, and for that you need proper temperature-control storage.

Having a variety of red and white wines, roses, champagnes, and other sparkling wines can make a difference for your business. You also may want to consider private label wine. Country club drinks are a crucial part of the whole experience. Since food and drinks bring people together, if done right, they can earn new members to your country club. This, of course, will boost your business and increase profitability. 

But in order to serve quality wine, you should not only think about creating the wine list. You need to learn how storing wine can affect the quality of the beverage and do it right. In this article, we want to discuss just that. Keep on reading to find out all about wine temperature control, storage options, and more!

Storing Wine: Best Ways to Do It

Beverage storage can be hard to figure out. Especially when talking about storing wine. But because restaurant wine markup is typically about 400%, it’s even more important to ensure that people will get value for their money. 

If you are storing wine badly, the people who want to enjoy a glass with their dinner will be disappointed. Fortunately, it’s not hard at all to store wine in an appropriate way and do damage control and loss prevention at the same time.

‍Key Takeaway: Keeping wine away from sunlight, stored on its side, at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and preserving anything that’s left well, will guarantee success.

1. Storing Corked Wine Bottles on Their Side

There’s a very good reason why wine racks are built in a specific way to hold bottles laying on their side. 

Traditionally, all wine bottles were closed with a cork. These bottles, need to be stored laying on one side because otherwise, the cork will dry out completely. When this happens, air can get past the cork into the bottle and spoil the wine. 

Now, not all bottles of wine a sealed with a cork. The ones that are not can be stored in an upward position. However, any bottle with a cork needs to be stored on its side, so the wine can stay good for way longer. 

2. Temperature Is Key When Storing Wine

One of the most important factors in keeping your wine in great condition is the temperature. As a country club manager or owner, you have to make sure there’s enough space to store all the bottles and achieve optimal temperature for them. 

Both red and white wines should be stored at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Regardless of the differences between these two groups of wines, long-term storage needs to be at this temperature.

If you are preparing the wine for serving, you can chill it a bit more in the refrigerator of your bar or restaurant. However, storing wine for a longer period of time should be at this temperature in order to keep all the drink’s good qualities and taste. 

3. Wine Should Be Stored Away from Sunlight

Wine cellars are the optimal place to store bottles of wine. This is not only because of the great temperature, perfect for your inventory of quality wine. It’s also because, in a wine cellar, no direct sunlight or other lights can affect the wine.  

If the bottles of wine are stored in a place with more lights, the aroma and taste of the wine can be affected. Light can lead to light-struck taste of the wine, which is a result of photochemical reactions. 

4. Invest In Quality Wine Preservers

Once you make sure that all your bottles of wine are stored at the appropriate temperature, away from light, and laying on the side, you need to figure out how to store opened bottles. 

Sealed bottles can stay in perfect condition for a very long time. However, wine in opened bottles can sour up for as fast as two days. That’s why you should reseal the wine you have opened by using a quality wine preserver. Storing wine this way will guarantee it won't spoil as quickly.

Country Clubs and Inventory Management

Organizing inventory is never an easy task. If you want to offer variety, which let’s face it - you should, wine bottles will take up a lot of space. You need to invest proper time, planning, organizing, and tracking everything.

It's not only about offering and storing wine varieties in a correct manner. You should make sure your menu is rich of adult beverage trends people want to try, as well as non-alcoholic drinks, signature cocktails, and season-specific offers like summer drinks.

This is where BinWise Pro can help you tremendously! BinWise is a platform that will help you build the perfect wine list for your country club, and will aid with ordering, wine tracking, and stats. All of that will help you save time from manual inventory management, but will also show you which wines are the most preferred by your guests. This will aid you in refining your wine list and menu.  

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Frequently Asked Questions about Storing Wine in Country Clubs

Figuring out how storing wine needs to be done in your country club can be challenging. Especially in the beginning when you have to make major decisions. But once this initial state of putting bottles and other important bar and restaurant items in order, you may start getting some questions. 

To help you provide a great wine experience to your guests, we’ve gathered some more questions and decided to answer them for you. Let’s jump right in!

What to Do if the Wine Is Bad?

If the wine smells funky upon opening it, don’t serve it to customers. Take the bottle away from the table and bring another bottle of what they ordered. 

If the type of wine they requested is no longer available, recommend another variety that will match well their dishes. In case it’s hard to recommend something similar, discuss with them what else they like. Just make sure that the wine you are serving was stored well, and it’s okay to drink it. 

Can I Store Wine Upright?

Yes, if the wine bottle is not sealed with a cork. However, storing wine with a cork needs to happen in a different way. Bottles with cork have to lay on their side. This way, the wine will keep the cork moist and this will prevent air from getting inside the bottle, oxidizing the wine. 

If the bottle is closed in a different way, you may be able to keep it stored for longer in an upright position without this affecting the quality of the wine. 

Is It OK to Refrigerate Wine?

Wine can be refrigerated for short periods of time, but it’s not recommended using a fridge for long-term storage. Keeping wine in a standard fridge can make it lose its color, aroma, and unique taste.

Wine is better stored in wine cellars or wine refrigerators that will maintain a stable, recommended temperature, which will not affect the quality.