If you love wine, you should be well-versed in proper storage techniques. In order to select the right storage for your wine collection, you'll need to know how long you intend to store it. There is also the never ending question of what to do with a bottle of wine once you have opened it, but have yet to finish drinking it.

For wine that you intend to drink as soon as you get it home or within six months, consider short term storage. It needs to be kept on its side so that the cork stays moist and the seal remains tight; oxygen is the enemy to an unopened bottle of wine. You also need to keep it at a stable, cool temperature, usually around 55°F. Your location should be dark and be free of vibrations, like those that occur on top of a refrigerator, and should not be close to other foods with strong odors--such as inside a refrigerator. In fact, there are special wine coolers made specifically to keep wine in ideal conditions so you don't use your food refrigerator.

Long Term Wine Storage

Wine that you will keep for longer than six months before drinking needs a long-term storage solution. This again would be a dark area with no vibrations, about 70 percent humidity and a stable, cool temperature. Today's wine bottles usually have UV filters built in to keep light from damaging the wine's flavor, but it never hurts to keep it out of the light anyway. High humidity keeps corks moist and minimizes evaporation, although humidity that is too high can encourage mold.

If you have opened a bottle of wine but not finished consuming it, there are many ways to slow its degradation. One method consists of a rubber stopper which holds a slight vacuum in place, keeping the wine airtight. There are also half carafes of wine that limit the amount of time it is exposed to the air. In any event, refrigerate the unused wine quickly.