Do Champagne and other sparkling wines need to be stored on their sides?

My wife and I wish to save leftover bottles of Champagne from our wedding to enjoy on our anniversary. What’s the best way to store them?

Most sparkling wines are released when they’re ready to drink, which means there’s little need to wait. However, bottles of Champagne and other quality sparkling wines can safely be stored for a few months or years to develop more complex and rich aromas and flavours. Typically, the better quality the sparkling wine, the longer you can store it at home.

When it comes to storing any type of sparkling wine, be it Champagne, cava or a well-made bubbly from other parts of the world, experts are clear you’ll need a cool place, with a consistent temperature and away from light and vibration. Conventional wisdom also suggests humidity is a good thing, although too much humidity could potentially damage the label, the cork or the taste of the wine.

There’s less consensus on whether bottles should be stored standing upright or lying on their sides. Horizontal storage is recommended by many, while members of Team Upright insist it doesn’t matter because the pressure inside the bottle keeps the seal intact. Proponents for storing sparkling wine bottles vertically claim an added benefit that keeping the wine away from the cork helps to reduce the risk of cork taint – a contamination that imparts musty or dank aromas into wine.

I choose to lay my sparkling wine bottles down for sensible reasons. My wine cellar has horizontal racking, so that’s how everything is arranged, including bottles with screwcaps, which don’t require moisture to maintain their seal. The other practical consideration is that sparkling wines with dry corks are harder to open. Why risk losing precious wine while you unceremoniously pry open a reluctant cork?

Dry corks are the reason you shouldn’t store sparkling wines in the fridge for weeks or months on end. The air is too dry. Also, it’s best to avoid keeping them in the fridge door, where they would be continually agitated by its opening and shutting. While I admire the ingenuity of always having a bottle of bubby at the ready, don’t leave it to languish.

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