How to Store Wine at Home
You don't need a cellar to store wine well. You need a cool, dark, stable place — and a few rules that prevent the most common mistakes.
· 6 min read
Key takeaways
- The enemy of wine is heat, light, vibration, and temperature swings — not age. A wine stored at a stable 12–15°C will outlast the same wine in a warm flat by years.
- Cork-sealed bottles should be stored on their side so the cork stays moist. Screw-cap bottles can stand upright.
- Most wine bought in Switzerland is meant to be drunk within 1–3 years. Only a small fraction benefits from long ageing.
- The fridge is not a storage solution — it's too cold and too dry. Use it for short-term (under a week) white and sparkling wine only.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I store wine in the fridge long-term?
- No. A kitchen fridge is too cold, too dry, and vibrates too much. It's fine for a white you're drinking this week, but cork-sealed bottles left in the fridge for weeks lose their seal and pick up odours. Use a wine cooler for proper cold storage.
- Does standing a bottle upright ruin the wine?
- For cork-sealed bottles, yes — eventually. A dry cork can shrink and allow air in, oxidising the wine. A few weeks upright is fine; months upright risks premature oxidation. Screw caps are unaffected.
- How do I know if a wine is too old to drink?
- Pour a small amount and smell it. A wine past its best smells flat, vinegary, or musty. It may taste sour and hollow. A faded wine isn't harmful to drink, but it won't give you much pleasure.
- What's the ideal humidity for storing wine?
- Between 50 and 80%. Below 50%, corks dry out; above 80%, labels mould. A wine fridge handles this automatically. In a dry centrally heated flat, a small bowl of water in the storage space can help.
Not sure which wine to pick? Tell our sommelier what you are eating or the occasion and we will find the right bottle — or browse the full sommelia.ch collection.