Wine 101... and then some! Introduction to Wine | Grapes of SoNapa | Wine and Food Pairing | How to Taste Wine | How to Store Wine | How to Read a Wine How to store wine Proper wine storage is simple, keep the wine "cool and dark". Sunlight and heat can cause damage to wine if over exposed to these conditions. Do not leave wine in the back of your car during the hot summer months! Also, repeated changes in temperature can have a negative effect on the taste of wine. 50 degrees farenheight is an ideal temperature to store wine however, any temperature from 45-64 is sufficient. There are various ways to achieve safe storage conditions for wine. • First you can purchase a wine storage unit with temperature and humidity controls. • Second, if you have the space you can build or convert a space into a “wine cellar”    and add the necessary air conditioning unit. • If you have a basement or closet, these can be an ideal storage environment. In the wine community, people use the term “lay down” when referring to wine storage. The reason to "lay wine down" is so the wine stays in contact with the cork to prevent it from drying out. A dry cork may cause a wine to become “corked”. This will cause the wine to taste bad and smell moldy. However, most wines made today are intended to be consumed within 3 to 5 years after they have been bottled and don’t need to be stored for long. There are some bold red wines that are made with the intent to be stored for many years before being opened. Napa Valley & Sonoma County Cabernets Sauvignons and Meritage wines can be stored for 15-20 years before they reach their peak of complexity and flavor. White wines typically need far less time before peaking in flavor 2-6 years. After opening wines, red or white, it is suggested to store the opened wine in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage. Each day the wine is opened, the flavor profile begins to change. Typically after three days the wine begins to turn.