5 tips for storing wine at home

Some wines are best saved for special occasions — even if that special occasion is just the arrival 5 o’clock on a Tuesday. If you’ve just brought a nice bottle home and you don’t plan to drink it right away, storing it properly can make all the difference in how it tastes when you get around to pulling the cork.

That’s because wine is always evolving. From the moment a bud breaks on a grapevine to the moment the wine hits your palate, it’s constantly in flux.

Here are five tips for storing your wine at home.

1. Lay it down

Wine bottles with corks should always be stored horizontally. You want to make sure wine is touching the cork so the cork doesn’t dry out.

2. Keep it cool

The ideal temperature for storing wine is 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That applies for reds, whites and sparkling wines. High temperatures can make a wine age too quickly, while extremely cold temperatures can cause a wine to freeze.

3. Avoid the fridge

The temperature of a standard household refrigerator usually hovers around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 15 degrees cooler than the optimal temperature for wine storage. Keeping a separate refrigerator for wines is your best bet, but if that’s not possible, choose a location that is consistently cool. Storing wine in a household refrigerator can also result in odor contamination from food.

4. Keep the light out

UV rays from sunlight can wreak havoc on a wine, so be sure to store them away from direct sources of light.

5. Store at proper humidity

Dry air can cause corks to dry out and shrivel, allowing oxygen to enter your wine bottles. High humidity can cause labels to peel, damaging the value of wine. The optimal humidity level for wine storage is between 60-70%.