It is worth bearing in mind that most wines are produced for immediate consumption and that the responsibility for maturation and ageing so that a wine is at its peak for consumption is increasingly being managed by the winery, the negociant or the wine merchant. Over 80% of wines purchased from Supermarkets are consumed within 48 hours.

However if you have bought a case of wine then there are a few basic conditions that you should consider for storage in order to safeguard the wines quality.

• Keep away from direct sunlight
• Keep at a constant temperature. Ideally at about 12-13'C
• Keep the wine still
• Ideally store the bottle on its side in order to keep the cork moist (not such a problem with screw caps of course!)

For wines that have been bought when very young (often termed ‘buying en primeur') such as Fine Bordeaux or Port and need several years of bottle maturation before they reach their optimum time for consumption we would recommend you make contact with a storage specialist who can guarantee their security and safekeeping as outlined above.