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If you are planning on investing in fine wines, you should keep your bottles in optimal storage conditions. Here are a few things to consider when collecting wines and starting your own cellar.

If possible, store your wine in a clean, dark, slightly moist location where the temperature never varies (any kind of radical fluctuation in temperature can damage or prematurely age a fine wine). White wine wines are more prone to spoilage when exposed to temperature changes than reds.

The optimal temperature for storing wines is 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but any temperature within 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit will work. Controlling humidity is also important. If your wine cellar isn’t humid enough, the corks in the bottles may dry out. If it’s too humid, it won’t affect the wine, but the label may mold.

Light can prematurely age a bottle of wine, and ultraviolet rays are able to penetrate dark glass, which could lead to a sour, acidy fragrance and taste. Sparkling wines and champagnes are even more sensitive to light than regular wines, so be extra sure these, too, are kept in optimally unlit conditions.

Store your wines horizontally so that the liquid itself always stays in contact with the cork. This keeps the cork moist and prevents air from entering the bottle. Once a wine is in place in a wine rack, or anywhere else where it can lie on its side, it shouldn’t be disturbed until you’re ready to drink it.

If you’re offering more than one type of wine with a meal, for white wines, it’s typically best to begin with the sweetest wine and gradually work toward the driest one. With red wines, begin with the lightest wine and proceed toward the most full-bodied.

It’s less wasteful and certainly more elegant to fill a glass no more than two-thirds full. Stemmed glasses have typically been used for both reds and whites. Holding reds by the bowl warms the wine slightly, allowing it to breathe, whereas you should hold white wines by the stem so your body heat doesn’t affect the temperature. However, one of today’s chicest trends is to drink wine in tumblers, as they do in Italy, rather than in traditional, long-stemmed wine glasses.