Temperature: Wine should generally be kept at room temperature, or 55 degrees. Here’s where it gets tricky — sparkling wine should be kept in a wine refrigerator, while white wines are best kept in temperatures of 45 degrees. Temperature controlled wine refrigerators allow you to set the temperature based on the wines you most frequently store, but a simple wine rack placed in a cooler spot of your home will do just fine. Just make sure that the spot you decide to store your wine isn’t next to a heater or vent, as fluctuations in temperature can impact the taste of the wines.
Height where wine will be stored: When using a wine rack, remember to keep sparkling wines on the bottom shelf, white wines in the middle, and red wines on the top. Since heat rises, the wines that are best served cooler will do best towards the bottom of the wine racks.
Storage surroundings: Keeping a wine next to fruit or vegetables can cause the wine to mold. Foods that can rot might send moldy flavors into a cork of the wine, causing the wine to have unfavorable smells and tastes.
Dark spaces: When exposed to light, wine can age faster and lose it’s flavor. Keep your wine racks away from any sources of natural light, and in a darker section of your home.
Store wine horizontal: If you Keep wine on it’s side, the wine will stay in contact with the cork, preventing air from escaping into the wine bottle. Different types of wine racks will allow you to also tilt the wine to an optimal level, allowing the wine cork to stay wet and prevent oxygen from coming in.
Storage air circulation: Wine can mold. If you keep wine stored in a closet or dark room, make sure that there is a steady amount of circulation. Just as you wouldn’t keep clothes in a moldy closet, make sure your that the place you store your wine is clean and free of mold.