How must a wine be stored to age properly?
• Once you take your bottles home, you should let the bottles remain upright for the first week. This allows any carbon dioxide remaining in the bottle to escape prior to the cork sealing and your long-term storage. After the week, lay the bottles on their sides so the corks remain moist. Wine is best kept in a cool, dark place: 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Keeping a constant temperature is very important. The temperature should not fluctuate more than 10 degrees per week. The wine can be stored at a higher temperature, but it may not age as well or keep for as long. If possible, the humidity should be 65% to 75%. This will keep the corks from drying out and leaking. Minimize movement as that disturbs the ageing process.
