When you visit a vineyard or high-end wine shop, you’ll probably see lots of bottles of wine being stored in large cellar areas or areas where the temperature and humidity can be perfectly controlled and the bottles won’t be exposed to too much light. Although these environments are excellent for storing wine, the average person probably isn’t going to be able to perfectly recreate the ideal environment of a wine cellar in their own home. But don’t worry, there are still lots of simple things you can do to store your wine at home so it will stay in good condition, even without a fancy wine cellar. Store Bottles on Their Sides Wine racks aren’t just designed to prevent bottles from rolling around or to make them easy to access, they’re also designed to help keep your wine at its best. The reason wine racks hold bottles on their sides is so the wine will come into contact with the cork and prevent it from drying out. If the cork dries out, it will shrink and let oxygen in, which will cause your wine to oxidize and it won’t taste nearly as good as it ought to. If you need to store your bottles of wine upright, it should only be a short-term solution. Stores display wine bottles upright because they’re counting on them being sold very quickly. Keep it at a Consistent Temperature It’s best to avoid storing wines in areas that are too warm, too cold, or prone to fluctuations in temperatures, like in the kitchen close to the stove. Ideally, wine should be stored in an area that’s consistently between 45℉ and 65℉, but 55℉ is considered by many wine connoisseurs to be the ideal temperature for wine storage. Temperatures of 70℉ or higher can be damaging to wine. Regular refrigerators are perfectly fine for chilling wine short term, but they don’t typically work well for long-term storage. Refrigerators remove moisture from the air, causing the cork in the wine bottle to get dried out. Specialized wine refrigerators have controls for temperature and humidity. Keep it in the Dark Exposure to light can be damaging to many things, including bottles of wine. Although many wine bottles are made of colored glass with built-in UV protection, it’s best to play it safe and keep your wine away from light as much as possible. Ultraviolet rays from light can speed up the aging process of wine and alter the wine’s flavor and aromas. If you have a hard time finding a place to store your wine bottles that’s both dark and the right temperature, you can always wrap bottles in cloth to protect them from light.