Proper wine storage: Get the most out of your wine collection

Why you should care about wine storage

Proper wine storage is crucial if you're into collecting delicious wine. In fact, storing your wine incorrectly can spoil the flavour of the wines in your collection. It's therefore worth getting to grips with the best way to store your wine. And that's where we, at Wine-store, come into the picture. In fact, we've put together a guide that will answer questions such as:

How should you store wine?
What temperature should wine be stored at?
Should wine be stored lying down or standing up?

If you know the answer to questions like these, we promise you're already well on your way to a world-class wine collection where improper wine storage doesn't stand in the way of proper aging. So, let's dive into the question of how to store your wine correctly.

It should be pointed out that the advice given in this guide doesn't apply when it comes to a just for the night wine. If you're unsure what we mean by a just for the night wine, it simply describes a wine that you intend to drink in the near future. For example, you might be having a dinner party in the upcoming weekend or craving a nice glass of red wine tonight. In cases like these, there's no need to put too much thought into wine storage. If, on the other hand, you're the type of person who likes to collect wine, and therefore also have a lot of bottles lying around for years before opening them, then it's worth reading up on proper wine storage.

Proper temperature for wine storage and light conditions

The best temperature for wine storage is serious business. In fact, it is in a temperate environment that the wine has the best conditions to age in the best way.

So, the best temperature for wine storage is therefore somwhere between 12-18 Degrees Celsius.

In addition to keeping your wines at a good temperature, you also need to ensure that there are no unintended fluctuations in temperature. If you for example have a wine cooler such fluctuation could be caused by a power failure or the failure of a technological component. Fluctuations like these stands in the way of the ultimate conditions for aging. A good way to achieve a stable temperature is therefore through a wine cellar. Our wine cellars from Vinorage are underfloor wine cellars that do not take up space in the home.

Vinorage wine cellars

The good thing about an underfloor wine cellar for wine storage is furthermore the darkness. Because if there's one thing wine prefers it's being in the dark.

So, store your wine in dark places.

Should you store wine lying down or standing up?

When it comes to whether you should store your wine lying down or standing up, there is one important question to ask: Do you have wine bottles with corks? If the answer is yes, then it's safest to stick with a classic - wine stored lying down. This is recommended to ensure that the cork is in constant contact with the wine and therefore remains moist. In fact, if a cork gets dry, you run the risk of letting oxygen into the bottle. However, the wine should not be left bottom up either, as this will cause the cork to become too moist. The best solution is therefore a compromise between a wine that stands upright and a wine with the bottom up - a wine that lies down.

So, store your wine lying down - it won't damage it.

If you've made it this far, you've learned the key rules to proper wine storage. If you follow these tips, you’re on to the right path of storing your wine.

What not to do

What better way to end this guide than to list some of the things within wine storage that we've all done at some point in our lives, but that you should steer clear of if you respect those precious bottles:

Leaving the wine, you've been gifted, out on the kitchen table for months. Don't.

Placing your bottles on top of a vibrating, overheated refrigerator. Don't.

Forgets to store your wine in darkness and leaves it out in the sunlight. Don't.

Now you’re aware of best practice within wine storage as well as bad practice within wine storage. You´ve been provided a list of the golden rules of wine storage when it comes to the proper temperature, whether your bottles should be kept in the dark or not and last but not least, whether your bottles should be placed lying down or standing up. So, your wine collection is officially on the right track. Now, all you must do is enjoy it.