There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a beautiful glass of white on a summer day. Conversely, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a glass of red after a heavy meal, or to warm our soul in a cooler climate. Wine is one of the most respected forms of alcoholic beverage, spawning countless brands worldwide, all honoring the beauty of the fermented grape.

Wine is not only something to consume, but to taste and appreciate. It can also be part of a collection, with wines decades-old offering a range of mature and gorgeous flavors we can only imagine until we try them. It may be that you yourself are quite humbled by the wine collection you have managed to build, or that you have inherited. 

While the temptation to invite our friends around and drink our collection down with a few hearty meals in step is a strong one, saving that perfect bottle for that perfect day and perfect celebration requires a little patience. Good things come in time, as they say. Until that point, it can pay to know how to store our wines – to do so confidently, comfortably, and with peace of mind.

Please consider some of our following advice which should help you to this end:

Cool, But Not Too Cold

While short term consumption of white wines can be best aided by refrigerated storage, for long term storage, it’s often best to keep the wine just a little cooler than room temperature. You can often find this kind of air conditioning and secure space in secure storage units UK. Keeping the wine too cold for too long a time can actually harm and dilute the flavour, and may even dry out the cork which could prove damaging when trying to open the bottle. In winter conditions the wine could even freeze, and you may not have to refrigerate it to see this end result. A nice, cool, dry environment is all you need.

Lay Me Down

Storing bottles sideways allows for the liquid within the bottle to come into contact with the cork, which can prevent it from drying out. It can also be a great way to ensure that you have enough space for all of your bottles, as side-on they will have further surface area and well-secured will have less chance of falling over and being damaged. We would humbly recommend investing in a wine bottle cage to keep your bottles respectfully apart from one another.

In The Dark

It’s also a good idea to turn the lights off and keep your bottles in the dark. This is because UV rays can actually mature or age your wine to a degree you may not be comfortable with, diluting the taste. There’s a reason most wine bottles are a greenish or reddish tint, and that’s to lessen the UV exposure when being transported. This is also why cellars, storage units and cupboards are the most prominent places to store wine should you hope to preserve the wine for longer.

These efforts, coupled with the willingness to index and categorise your stored wine, should help you store with confidence.