As our publication on the price of wine makes clear – https://vida.bg/tsenata-na-vino-kakvo-pravi-edno-vino-skypo/, buying it is no longer just about satisfying the connoisseur's taste, but quite often an investment activity. Wine is one of the few goods that, in many cases, improve with time, so even if you don't intend to build a wine collection for investment purposes, after spending time and money finding wines you like, it's logical to make sure they are well cared for.

There's nothing particularly complicated or mysterious about storing wine: it just wants to be left undisturbed in a dark, cool, humid, and relatively well-insulated place against vibrations and odors.

Wine loves darkness: short-wave sunlight can adversely affect the sensory characteristics, color, and overall stability of the wine. That is why the majority of wines are bottled in dark brown or green bottles.

70 to 80% air humidity is optimal: it is within this range of humidity in the room that the drying out of cork stoppers is prevented. If the cork dries out, it begins to shrink and allows oxygen to enter the bottle. This sooner or later leads to oxidation of the wine. On the other hand, excessively high humidity in the room can damage the labels, which hinders proper identification of the wines and lowers their value upon future sale.

The temperature should be constant and between 10 and 15 ºC: if the wine ages slowly in a relatively cool environment, there is a greater chance it will develop a more complex aromatic and flavor profile. The lower the temperature, the slower the wine develops, and with wine, time and slow changes are essential. Excessively high temperatures can spoil the wine, giving it aromas of cooked, stewed, and rubber, while excessively low temperatures will cause freezing and expansion of the wine's volume, which will lead to the cork pushing out or, more often, the bottle breaking (this happens with a bottle forgotten in the freezer, yes). Excessive temperature variations are also harmful to wine.

Wine needs tranquility: there are quite a few studies that prove the negative effect of vibrations on the quality of wine, i.e., it is good to provide tranquility for the wine.

The bottle should be lying down: whether entirely horizontally or at a slight angle is a matter of choice and space, and there are theories for and against both positions.

Strong external odors change the wine: they have no place in the cellar (paints, cleaning agents, sauerkraut, car tires, etc.), especially if you are storing wines there that you plan to consume after ten or more years.

Storing wine in urban conditions requires certain ingenuity, as apartments usually do not have suitable premises for this purpose. If you live in the UK or the US, you can rent cellar space from some wine merchants to store your wine under ideal conditions. A possible solution to the problem is provided by special wine conditioning cabinets, which take care of the correct temperature and air humidity and which protect to some extent from direct sunlight.