For accomplishments or celebrations big or small, champagne is the perfect drink of choice.
Whether you are toasting for a birthday, a graduation, a promotion, a wedding, or 25 year anniversary, you’ll want to always make sure that you’ve got a bottle of bubbly ready to pop.
This means you’ll need to learn how to store your champagne correctly, otherwise, you’ll be celebrating the occasion with a badly-tasting bubbly. And the only thing worse than no champagne is having a glass of champagne in front of you that you cant drink.
But don’t worry, throughout this article we’ll discuss all the best ways to store your champagne so that come time to pull the cork, it’s still tasting as delicious as the day you bought it – if not better!
Where To Store Champagne?
If you plan on sipping at your champagne fairly soon after purchasing the bottle, then you’ll be fine to store it in a wine cooler or a storage case, and it should keep its taste fine.
However, if you have the resilience to keep that cork in the bottle for a while, and don’t plan on drinking your champagne any time soon then it’ll be best to store it in a wine cellar or a proper storage room.
This is because if you let the bottle become exposed to sunlight, it can impact the temperature of the drink. This in turn can change the chemical makeup of the beverage and completely compromise the taste.
A bottle of champagne that’s been left to get nice and warm is not going to taste nice by the time you come to take a sip.
So when you store your champagne, you should always make sure that it is hidden from direct sunlight.
If possible also keep it in a space that isn’t likely to vibrate often as the disruption can change both the flavor and aroma of the champagne. It may also stop ir from aging nicely.
What Temperature Should Champagne Be Stored At?
If it’s only going to be a couple of days before you start drinking your champagne then it will be perfectly fine being stored in a fridge at temperatures of 47-50 degrees Fahrenheit.
And if you want to go all out for your celebrations you may even opt to chill your bottle of bubbly in an ice bucket for an hour or two before you open the bottle.
If you’re planning on storing your bottle long-term, then you want the temperature that it’s stored at to be a consistent 55.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whatever you do, don’t pop your bottle of bubbly in the freezer. The colder temperature will dry out the cork and so oxygen will get into the bottle and if that happens your champagne won’t taste nice when it comes time to drink it.
Do You Store Champagne Upright Or Horizontally?
While for some wines how you store the bottle can deeply impact its longevity, it’s not necessarily the case for champagne.
Standard practice though is to keep the bottle upright if you plan on drinking within the month, and horizontal if it’s planned to be stored until the next big occasion.
As a rule, you’ll generally be told to store a bottle of wine on its side and the reason for this is that having some of the wine touch the cork keeps it from drying out.
But because there is pressure in the bottle of champagne that already keeps the cork moist it’s not imperative that the champagne bottle be stored horizontally.
In fact, some experts believe that storing champagne on its side can actually cause the cork to taint and this can really badly affect the taste.
How Long Can You Store Champagne Unopened?
Unless you have a very high-end champagne bottle such as Dom Perignon, it’s likely that your champagne bottle will have a fairly limited shelf-life, even if it’s left unopened.
However, there are a few different variations of champagne, such as standard bottles or large bottles and vintage and non-vintage bottles. We’ll look into them a little more now.
Standard vs Magnum
Because magnum champagne bottles have a much larger wine-to-surface area ratio, the wine actually matures a lot slower and the bottle is more likely to retain its bubbles for longer than a standard bottle of champagne would.
With proper storage, you have around a 20-30 year aging potential.
Vintage Vs Non-Vintage
A decent vintage wine can be stored anywhere between 5-10 years but if you have a non-vintage wine then the shelf life dresses dramatically to just 3-4 years.
How Long Can You Store An Open Bottle Of Champagne?
If you’ve cracked open a bottle of bubbly and haven’t finished it yet, you’re not going to wait to pour the rest down the drain – especially if it was an expensive bottle. But don’t worry an open bottle can remain fresh for anywhere between 3-5 days.
When you store it just be sure to seal it with an airtight cork, a hinged champagne stopper, or plastic wrap, and make sure you keep it cool in the fridge. This will help ensure that you don’t lose those bubbles. After all, what is bubbly with no bubbles?
Final Thoughts
Champagne is a lovely drink, and a great choice for any toast, and you can ensure that the glass will be delicious as long as you store the bottle correctly. Hopefully, throughout this bottle, you now know how to do so!
Keeping your champagne in a dark wine cellar, free from vibrations, at an optimal temperature of 55.4 degrees Fahrenheit should ensure the perfect pop when it comes to the time to celebrate with a glass of bubbly.
Remember that it doesn’t really matter if you store it horizontally or vertically and always check the variety of wine that you have and keep a record of its shelf life.
My parents own a vineyard in Napa Valley and were constantly making new wines for the locals to try. Their brand was one of the most popular across the US at one point. My sister and I loved running up and down the vines, picking the grapes for our parents, and even helping with the ideas.
Since moving out of the family home, my love for wine has not waivered - in fact, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. I’m always the one to bring the wine to our girly gatherings, family meals, and picnics - let me know what we’re doing, and I’ll supply the goods.
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