Things You'll Need:
- wine
- dark, tranquil spot with even temperature, ideally under 60 degrees F
- optional: seldom-used refrigerator for white wine
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Step 1
Wine bottles that have a cork should be stored on their sides. The cork needs to stay in contact with the wine for moisture and also to keep oxygen out. Of course, a cork does not always prevent wine from oxidizing, but the cork has a better chance of working if the bottle is stored horizontally.
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Step 2
Wine bottles with a screw-top (Don't laugh, more and more wines are switching away from corks) can be stored upright if need be. Oxygen is not a problem with screw-tops, so horizontal storage is not a factor in preventing the wine from turning to vinegar.
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Step 3
Keep light away from red wine. If you are storing white wine for a longer period of time (more than a few weeks), you may want to keep the white wine away from light sources as well.
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Step 4
Keep all heat sources away from your wine. If you are having wine shipped to you, try to avoid the summer months for this. A wine can "cook" in the bottle if the temperature gets too high. Ideally, wine likes cooler temperatures, but also even temperatures. Shoot for 55 degrees Fahrenheit for reds, and also for whites. Of course, you will want to chill the whites to 45 degrees (or lower depending on how you like your whites) before serving.
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Step 5
Obviously, if you have a wine cellar or those wine chiller/refrigerators, you are already giving your wine the best possible place for proper storage. If you don't have a wine cellar, just try to follow the rules above and you should be just fine. Enjoy!
