With wine's increasing popularity, many people have become amateur collectors. The more one collects, the more one needs to be concerned about how to properly store wine. For most, the cost of building a wine cellar is out of the question, although this is the ideal way to store wine. However, as one builds a collection, there are a few tips, which can help one store wine and maintain its excellent flavor.

It is important to consider what types of wine one wishes to store. Sparkling wine, for example, is most vulnerable to change when exposed to light and heat. It is fine to keep a bottle of sparkling wine out for a few days, when still corked. However if one is planning to wait a week or two before serving the wine, it is better to store wine of the sparkling variety in the refrigerator.

White wine is also more vulnerable to changes from light or heat, so white wine should be stored either in a closed cool cabinet, or in the refrigerator. With good wines it is important not to serve them at too cold of a temperature as this can dull the flavor. The recommended temperature for serving white or sparkling wine is no less than 45° F. (7.22°C). One may also choose to serve dessert wines at a cold temperature, though many also prefer them at room temperature.

If one wants to store wine like Merlots or Zinfandels in the refrigerator, it should be given a day to warm up to room temperature before serving. It is a general rule that red wine should never be served chilled. It robs the wine of too much flavor.

If one intends to store wine in a small wine rack, one should store sparkling wines on the lowest shelf, whites above the sparkling and reds above the white. This recommendation for storing wines takes into account the fact that heat rises. Thus the wines requiring the lowest temperature will sit at the lowest temperature.

Though a wine rack or wine case can be a nice display, one shouldn’t sacrifice taste to aesthetics. The rack should not be in direct light, as this will over time cause the wine to age more quickly and lose its flavor. An alternative to the wine rack is a small glass door wine refrigerator, which can better store wine than a rack exposed to the elements. It also tends to prevent molding if one plans to store wine for a long period of time. Most important in considering temperature, is that wine should not be stored at a temperature above 55°F. (12.77 C.), or under 40°F. (4.44 C.).

If one chooses to store wine in a closet, there should be a decent amount of air circulation, since this can also prevent mold from forming, especially on red wines. Beware of old woods that can cause the cork to rot. Any potential closet should be well cleaned, and not smell musty or show dry rot. Most wine enthusiasts also recommend that one store wine on its side, rather than upright. This keeps the wine in contact with the cork, which prevents air from getting into the wine.

Lastly, one should never store wine with other foods that are capable of fermenting. Fruit, vegetables and cheese that rot near a wine can actually cause the wine to begin to mold as well, and these moldy flavors may enter the wine through the cork.