It’s not uncommon to buy a bottle of sparkling wine and save it for a special occasion.
But how should you store your sparkling wine?
What can you do to make sure your bubbles are still intact when the special occasion comes around?
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How To Store Sparkling Wine?
Here are some of the main factors to take into consideration when storing your sparkling wine.
It may seem like there’s a lot to it, but we’ve broken down each element for you, so you’ll be storing wine like a professional in no time!
1. Bottle Orientation
It’s best to store your sparkling wine on its side if possible. Bonus points if you can put your bottle at a slight angle, too.
This is to help keep the cork moist, so it doesn’t dry out, and ensure that the flavours of the wine can still deliciously develop over time.
2. Stillness
Treat your sparkling wine like a sleeping baby, and try to disturb it as little as possible.
Stillness and lack of vibrations are key here, as they can alter the taste of the wine, which is why standard refrigerators are not the best idea for long term storage.
3. Light Levels
Prioritise low light levels for your wine’s storage.
Sparkling wine needs to be kept out of direct sunlight and away from any potential UV rays too as this will help to reduce any chance of spoilage over time.
4. Humidity
Cool and calm is the golden rule here.
Long-term storage of sparkling wine requires a humidity level between 50-85%, in order to keep the cork moist.
Just be aware that any more humidity will encourage mould damage so try and keep your bottles within this range.
5. Temperature
The best temperature for storing sparkling wine is between 10 and 13 °C (50-55 °F).
Most wine cellars and specialised wine fridges should be set at this temperature range.
So taking all of that into account, what places are good for storing sparkling wine?
Where Should You Store Sparkling Wine?
When you’re looking for places to store your sparkling wine it’s important to find somewhere that covers all the criteria we’ve just mentioned.
A wine cellar or a specialised wine fridge will be perfect for this, having been designed with your wine in mind.
A garage, or food pantry will also work well, just make sure to routinely check in with your wines to make sure they’re still looking in good condition.
But how do you store your sparkling wines once they’ve been opened?
How To Store Opened Sparkling Wine
Once those corks have been popped, it’s best to store your sparkling wine bottles in the fridge with a stopper.
Keeping the bottle chilled and reducing the oxygen exposure will help to preserve both the freshness of the flavour and the vitality of the sparkle.
Whether its Prosecco or Champagne, once opened it’s best to store your sparkling wine in the fridge with a stopper at drinking temperature of 5-7 degrees C.
But what about unopened bottles of sparkling wine?
How To Store Unopened Sparkling Wine
The cork is key to keeping you unopened bottles of sparkling wine at their best, so if you can, try and lay your bottles on their side to help keep the cork from drying out.
Make sure you’re taking:
- Stillness
- Humidity
- Light
- Temperature
Into consideration when it comes to storing your sparkling wine and your bottles should last you for years to come!
How Long Can You Store An Opened Bottle of Sparkling Wine?
Good quality sparkling wine should keep and drink well for about 3-4 days after opening.
Remember to use a sparkling wine stopper to help keep the fizz fresh.
Ideally, if you want to drink your fizz at its best, a bottle of sparkling wine should be consumed on the day of opening.
But what about unopened bottles?
How Long Can You Store Unopened Sparkling Wine?
Your unopened sparkling wine should last unopened for between 1-3 years, as long as the bottles are stored with care.
Good quality sparkling wines can last even longer, with some varieties capable of being aged for at least a decade.
So how should you store your bottles of sparkling wine?
Should Sparkling Wine Be Stored Upright or Horizontally?
Try and store your sparkling wine horizontally when you can.
This will help to stop your cork from drying out and ultimately spoiling your wine, so for long term storage, putting your sparkling wines on their side is really important.
So does this mean that sparkling wines are capable of going bad?
Does Sparkling Wine Go Bad?
They may be magic to drink but unfortunately sparkling wine can go bad, which is why it’s always best to drink your bottles sooner rather than later.
So try not to leave that prized bottle of fizz in the cellar for too long!
So how can you tell if your sparkling wine is no longer good to drink?
How Can You Tell Sparkling Wine Has Gone Bad?
Smell.
Taste.
Appearance.
The 3 best methods you can use to tell if sparkling wine has gone bad.
- First and foremost, a tell-tale sign that a sparkling wine has gone bad is if there is no sparkle to be found! A fizzy wine can’t be good if it pours flat as a pancake, can it?
- After that, if the wine looks hazy in appearance, smells a bit weird and tastes downright bad then it’s not suitable for consumption and sadly you’d be best pouring the wine away.
But can a fridge help to avoid this?
Should you keep opened sparkling wine in the fridge?
Do You Keep Opened Sparkling Wine In The Fridge?
Yes, once opened it’s a great idea to keep your - tightly sealed! - opened sparkling wine in the fridge.
This will help to maintain its fresh, fizzy flavours for you to enjoy over the next couple of days.
So should unopened sparkling wine go in the fridge, too?
Do You Keep Unopened Sparkling Wine In The Fridge?
Sparkling wine doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge if it's unopened, which can help save on valuable refrigeration space.
As long as you keep your wine in a cool, calm and dark place it can happily stay there for months if not years.
Just place the wine in the fridge on the day you wish to drink it to get your sparkling wine to the right serving temperature.
But does that mean that unopened sparkling wine has an expiration date?
Does Sparkling Wine Expire?
Sparkling wine is magical, but unfortunately good things don't last forever and sparkling wines carbonation and quality of flavour will deteriorate over time.
So try and drink any unopened bottles within a 2-3 years of purchasing and remember you don’t always need a special occasion to pour yourself a glass of delicious sparkling wine!
Summary of Sparkling Storage
Here's everything you need to know about sparkling wine storage:
| Topic | Duration |
|---|---|
| Opened Sparkling Wine | 3-4 days |
| Unopened Sparkling Wine | 1-3 years (can age longer for quality wines) |
| Storage for Opened Sparkling Wine | Store in fridge with a stopper |
| Storage for Unopened Sparkling Wine | Store in cool, dark, and quiet conditions (lay on side if possible) |
| Shelf Life of Sparkling Wine | Drink within 2-3 years of purchase |
| Signs of Bad Sparkling Wine | No fizz, hazy appearance, strange smell, unpleasant taste |
| Can You Keep Opened Sparkling Wine in Fridge | Yes |
| Keeping Unopened Wine in Fridge | Doesn't need to be but ideally kept in a wine fridge at 12-13 Degrees C |
| Expiration of Sparkling Wine | Carbonation and flavor deteriorate over time |
Before You Go...
We hope this provides you all the information you may need on how to store sparkling wine?
Interested to know more about how long wine lasts?
Check out our full guide here:
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, or email us at info@expertwinestorage.co.uk
You can browse more posts on Wine Types here
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