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Storing wine
For most wine, this is much simpler than it is made to sound.
The short answer
For anything you will drink within a year, keep it out of sunlight and away from heat. That is the whole answer. Long-term storage wants a steady, cool temperature far more than a specific one.
Overview
If you are going to drink it within a year, almost any cool, dark, stable place is fine. A cupboard away from the oven and the radiator will do.
Stability matters more than hitting an exact temperature. A steady 17°C is better than a cellar swinging between 8°C and 22°C.
Keep it dark. Light strike is a real, documented fault and clear bottles are especially vulnerable.
Store cork-sealed bottles on their side so the cork stays wet. Screwcap bottles can stand upright.
A domestic fridge is fine for days but too cold, too dry and too vibrating for months.
Most wine does not improve with age. It is made to be drunk young, and keeping it will make it worse, not better.
Where you can see it
- The worst common place
- On top of the fridge or near an oven. Heat cycling ages wine faster and less pleasantly than heat alone.
- Good enough for most people
- A cupboard on an internal wall, bottles lying down if they are under cork.
Sources
Sources consulted