Why You Should Always Store Wine Horizontally

If you are a wine aficionado or someone who is trying to get into that wine game, there is a crucial piece of advice that you will need to hear: It turns out there are some pretty good reasons why you should store wine horizontally instead of upright on your countertop (or, y'know, upright on your bedside table). Armed with this information, you are now free to become the wine expert you always knew you could be. Get ready to be the life of the party.

Turns out that there is a very special way to store wine — a way that will not only make your wine taste better, but assure that it keeps longer. Storing your wine horizontally will allow you to purchase more expensive wines than before, and is a telltale sign that your local winery knows what they are doing. By keeping it stored this way you accomplish three things: collect wine sediment at the bottom of the bottle, keep the wine cork wet, and push the air bubbles into the side of the bottle. All three of these points will keep oxygen contact with your wine to a minimum.

But why is that important? Oxygen contact with wine is what causes the different flavor compositions. Too much of an interaction and the wine can turn into vinegar. Nobody wants to drink straight vinegar (I hope). By keeping the wine bottle stored horizontally, you make sure that the cork is wet and does not shrink and contract too much. You limit the oxygen, and you prolong your wine's drinkability.

The above video is a great breakdown of how to store and age your wines. No one knows the true struggle of keeping alcohol quite like a recently graduated student. After all, who can afford the fancy coolers and wine racks on a minimum wage salary? Storing your wine in your fridge is totally kosher and a corner of your closet can work too. Just keep it out of the sun! Now for those of you who are more savvy with wood, this DIY Wine Rack video might just be a savior in disguise.

You can create that wine rack cube for less than $50 bucks and it can store up to 24 bottles of wine. That's 24 bottle of wine, stored horizontally, in your home. You can thank the internet gods later.

Just remember — wine tastes better with company! That's my very own tip. Invite some friends over and share your brand new knowledge with as many people as you can. If this photo project is of any indication, three glasses is all it takes for everyone to be all smiles.

Images: Giphy (1)