How do you store your wine? On your kitchen counter? Hanging from a rack in your dining room window? This detail matters more than most realize. Let’s ensure your wine tastes its best when you pull every cork by providing some wine storage tips.

Wine desires consistent, cool temperatures and darkness. Any temperature over 70° F, with time, will degrade your wine. The higher you go above 70°F, the faster the wine will wear out. Ideal storage temperatures range between 50°-65°F. Fluctuations in temperature also negatively impact wine. If you can most easily keep your wine around 65°F, select that location and stick with it. Ideally, you should also have a moderately humid environment, though this is least important.

Where can you find the best conditions in your home? A dark basement corner is ideal, though many don’t have this option. An interior closet can work well, especially if you have air conditioning in your home. If none of these options work for you, it may be worth investing in a wine fridge. Do some research before making this purchase.

Consider how long you want to store your wine. Wine can hold up well under respectable (though imperfect) conditions for 1-2 years. However, if you plan to age wine for 5+ years, you will want to ensure the conditions align with this desire.

Finally, when you receive a shipment from Fullerton Wines (or anyone else), lay your wine down for one week at a minimum—one month is even better. Shipping can abuse wine, sending it back into a form of bottle shock. No worries, however, as your wine will once again return to its pristine, original form (as long as temperature was controlled during transport).