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How to Store Champagne the Right Way

You’ve chosen the perfect bottle of bubbly for your special occasion. Now you need to store it. But how? There is actually quite lot of conflicting advice about the proper way to store champagne, so we’ve done the research to find the absolute best advice from people who know.

Champagne Storage: The Best Temperature

To keep your champagne fresh and bubbly, you need to keep it cool. How cool? Wine experts recommend a storage temperature of about 45 - 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The champagne’s ambient temperature should be kept stable, with only mild seasonal fluctuations.

Never store your champagne in a refrigerator for more than a few hours before serving; long exposure to cold temperatures will sap the champagne of its best flavor.

Champagne Storage: Lighting and Movement

It is also important to protect your champagne from too much light and motion. Sunlight and fluorescent UV rays can affect the quality of your champagne. Exposure to these light sources can give the champagne a foul smell which can ruin your drinking experience.

Even dark glass bottles should be kept away from direct sunlight or UV rays. If you do not have a dark place to store your champagne, place the bottle inside a box or wrap it securely in a piece of cloth to keep out the light. Use only incandescent lighting in your storage area.

Movement, even the simple vibration that comes from opening and closing a refrigerator door, can interfere with your champagne’s aging process. This is not as important for lower-end champagnes, which do not tend to improve with age. For higher-end champagnes, try to keep the bottles as still as possible until serving time. Movement can also whip up sediment in the bottle.

Champagne Storage: Upright or Horizontal?

Should you store your champagne bottle upright or on its side? This is perhaps one of the most debated questions about champagne storage. In the end, it all comes down to the cork.

Wine and champagne are typically stored horizontally to keep the cork moist. When a wine or champagne bottle is laid on its side, the liquid inside the bottle flows over the bottom of the cork. The cork remains plump and supple as long as it stays moist, keeping outside air from spoiling the bottle’s contents.

When the same bottle is stored upright, the liquid does not reach the cork. This causes the cork to dehydrate and shrink in size, leaving tiny opening for air to flow through. Over time, the presence of this air can remove champagne’s distinctive taste, leaving it flat and flavorless. That’s an unpleasant surprise nobody wants on their special day!

Note that bottle position does not matter for very short-term storage of just an hour or two. Likewise, if the bottle has a screw-on top instead of a cork, the bottle will be just fine upright or on its side.

Champagne Storage: How Long is Too Long?

Now that we’ve settled the question of bottle position, let’s move on to the question of how long you should store your champagne.

Most champagne can be stored for years as long as you provide the proper conditions for storage. Champagnes at the lower end of the price scale are typically sold at their optimal age, so long-term storage won’t benefit them very much. Drink them within one to two years after purchase to enjoy their best flavor.

Higher-priced vintage champagnes do tend to improve with age. These champagnes can be placed in storage for three to five years, or even longer under carefully controlled conditions.

To summarize: Drink regular champagne within 1-2 years. Drink vintage champagne within 3-5 years. Never store a bottle of champagne for more than 10 years, as the quality will start to deteriorate by then.

Champagne Storage: The Perfect Spot

Champagne stores best with an ambient humidity of about 70%. A cellar is the perfect place to store champagne, since the environment is generally quiet, dark, and cool.

But many people don’t have cellars these days. For them, a dedicated wine cupboard in a dark, cool space is a good alternative.

A dedicated wine refrigerator is another good choice. While higher-end models can get pretty costly, you can find a wine refrigerator to suit any budget. These storage devices allow you to monitor the temperature, and some even come with pre-programmed settings specifically for champagne storage!

If you’re really short on space, you can store your champagne bottles in the back of your closet where they can remain protected from light, heat, and movement. Just be sure to use an incandescent light bulb in your closet to limit exposure to fluorescent UV rays.

Champagne is a somewhat delicate beverage, but proper care and storage can keep it tasting great for years. Now that you know how to store it, why not purchase a bottle to enjoy? Cheers!