How To Store Wine

When asked the best way to store wine, we also reply either upside down on its side makes the most sense rather than neck up. This is done for a couple of reasons.

Wine's worst enemy is oxygen. When Jim is in winemaking mode, he takes extra care to make sure oxygen doesn’t enter the wine at any point in the process. A wine that is oxidized will not only lose its color, but will turn bad very quickly. Once a wine is bottled, cork is used to keep oxygen out. However, if stored upright, a cork could dry out, causing it to shrink. This will allow oxygen to enter. The best way to keep the cork from drying out is to store the bottle "on its side", or upside down, so the wine comes into contact with the cork. This prevents the cork from drying and shrinking.

Unfortunately, if the cork is tainted, (something that happens in the manufacturing of the cork, a rare but nasty occurrence), contact with the wine will only speed up the tainting process, ruining the wine. However, a cork is much more likely to dry up and shrink than it is to experience tainting.

Another reason for storing a bottle on its side is simply a matter of space. When wines are stored standing up, it creates have less space for storage. Also, it’s much easier to read a wine's label if the bottle is lying on its back, showing up rather than showing out.

If you want to enjoy your wine for years to come, store your wine on its side. Remember, “a wet cork is a happy cork.”