The Romans knew that some wines improved with age, but until the 1700s, glass bottles were rare and expensive, and the use of natural cork (made from the bark of the Cork Oak tree) was not widespread.

Once corked wine bottles were more widely available, the attention of winemakers turned to discovering the conditions of wine storage that produced the finest wines. This is what they learned over the past 300 years:

Temperature
The two worst enemies of wine are extreme temperatures and fluctuating temperatures. A constant temperature of 10-14°C (50-57°F) is considered ideal for aging wine. Temperatures a few degrees cooler or warmer are acceptable, but rapid fluctuations in temperature are to be avoided at all costs. Wine cellars – essentially, natural or manmade caves in the earth – are the best place for wine conservation, as they naturally maintain stable temperatures and other ideal conditions. Today’s wine refrigerators simply recreate using scientific methods the climate found in natural cellars.

Darkness
Light rapidly degrades wine through irreversible oxidation of the tannins. Ultraviolet light (UV) is especially dangerous, as UV penetrates even the dark green glass used to make many wine bottles. White wines and sparkling wines are more frequently bottled in clear glass, making them even more susceptible to light damage. This storage rule is simple: wine should be stored in total darkness.

Humidity
When wine is stored in conditions of insufficient humidity, the cork may dry out and shrink, increasing the chance of air entering the bottle and causing the wine within to oxidize (bottled wine is also normally stored on its side – to keep the cork moist). Wine should be stored at around 70% humidity – certainly no lower than 50%. Humidity higher than 80% will not cause damage to bottled wine, but may cause labels to rot, affecting the appearance of the wine bottle and potentially making identification of a wine difficult.

Ventilation
To prevent the potential for unpleasant smells affecting wines in storage, the wine cellar should be kept well ventilated. Wine is a “living” product that breathes through its cork, so mold and rotting odors in the cellar should be combated with the circulation of fresh air. In large-scale commercial wine storage facilities, it is not uncommon for circulated air to be filtered as well, to prevent the introduction of undesirable microbes and smells.

Vibration
Vibration disrupts the slow process of biochemical development in wine. Avoid moving your wine more than absolutely necessary.

Storage after Opening a Bottle of Wine

Wine begins to deteriorate within a few hours of opening – so it’s best drink up! Here are a few techniques you can use to slow down the deterioration of wine that will be stored after it has been opened:

Refrigerate
A well-sealed, fairly full bottle will remain fresh for up to a week if it is placed in a refrigerator and stored upright (with the cork in the bottle the same way it came out – you don’t want the wine exposed to the dirt and maybe even mold that may have built up under the foil cap. Don’t forget to let refrigerated wine warm up to room temperature before enjoying it. On the whole, reds last far better than whites.

Vacuum Pumps
Using a vacuum pump device to re-seal an opened bottle of wine can help extend the life of a wine by slowing the oxidation process. Vacuum wine preservation products that use a special rubber bung to create a partial vacuum in the bottle, such as the Verre de Vin system, are effective and simple to use.

Champagne
Those delicious bubbles are what make Champagne special, so when there’s some left in the bottle and no one wants another glass (a very rare instance, indeed!), a Champagne saver is a vital accessory. The best designs have arms which clip down over the collar of the bottle neck, a good precaution given the effervescent nature of Champagne. The press-down variety has a tendency to fly off rather dramatically; avoid if possible.