How should you store wine?

Stored well, a wine keeps all its qualities and, if it is made for it, improves with time. Five rules are enough.

The five rules

1. A cool, steady temperature

Ideally between 10 and 14 °C. More than the exact temperature, it is the variations that damage wine: avoid the kitchen, a poorly insulated garage or the top of the fridge.

2. Darkness

Light, from the sun or from strip lighting, spoils wine. Keep your bottles in their box or in a dark place.

3. Enough humidity

Around 70%: air that is too dry dries out cork stoppers and lets air in.

4. Bottles lying down

Lying down, cork-stoppered bottles keep their cork moist and airtight. Screw-cap bottles can stand upright.

5. Peace and quiet

No vibrations and no strong smells near your bottles.

No cellar?

A closed cupboard at the back of a cool room is fine for a few months. To keep bottles for several years, an electric wine cabinet is the best choice.

An opened bottle

Re-corked and kept in the fridge, it will keep for two to three days for a white or rosé, a little less for a red. Take the red out half an hour before serving.