How To Store Champagne Properly at Home: 5 Important Tips

by Anthony Zhang

Wondering how to store Champagne perfectly?

While you can easily preserve your sparkling wine in a wine cooler for the short term, keeping it intact for longer can be tricky.

In this article, we’ll answer all your questions about Champagne storage, including the ideal place to store Champagne in your home, the optimum temperature, the best position, and how long you can store it.

Where Should You Store Champagne?

For short-term storage, you can keep your sparkling wine bottles in a wine cooler or choose an enclosed storage case.

But to preserve it for longer, you should keep the unopened bottle in a proper storage room or a wine cellar.

Why?

Direct sunlight can affect the drink’s temperature, alter its chemical make-up, and compromise its taste. If stored in a room with indirect sunlight, the increased room temperature can also adversely impact Champagne’s composition.

So you should always store Champagne away from direct light and sunlight.

Also, store Champagne in a space free from vibrations. Frequent agitation can lead to changes in the aroma and flavor of your bubbly and even impact its aging potential.

So, opt for good quality shelving like a wine rack or cabinet in your wine cellar when storing Champagne bottles for a longer duration.

What Temperature Should Champagne Be Stored At?

For short-term Champagne storage (3-4 days), you can tuck your bottles in a wine fridge at 8-10°C (47-50°F.) If you’re an avid collector or wine connoisseur, you should consider investing in a wine fridge.

An unopened Champagne bottle can also be chilled in an ice bucket for a few hours before opening.

In the long term, you should place your bubbly in a wine storage below room temperature (with a constant temperature of about 13 °C.

Never store your Champagne bottle in the freezer. The frigid temperature often dries out the cork and lets oxygen into the unopened bottle, which results in bad Champagne.

Also, avoid extreme temperature fluctuations when storing Champagne, as this could lead to seepage (wine leaking through the Champagne cork.)

Should Champagne be Stored Upright or Horizontally?

Unlike most wines, the angle of storage does not affect Champagne’s longevity. The rule of thumb is to store Champagne upright in the short term (one month) and on its side for long-term storage.

Most wines are stored on their side to prevent cork dry-out by keeping the wine in contact with the cork. But since the pressure inside a Champagne bottle keeps its cork moist and intact, you don’t need to store it horizontally.

Some experts believe that storing Champagne on its side can lead to cork taint (a musty aroma and flavor that develops when the wine is in contact with cork) and affect the taste.

How Long Can You Store Champagne Unopened?

Most Champagnes (except the high-end ones like Dom Perignon or Cristal) have a limited shelf-life even when unopened. You can store unopened Champagne wine bottles for about 10 years.

But what about storing a standard versus a large-format bottle or a vintage versus non vintage Champagne?

Storing a Standard Bottle Vs. a Magnum

A magnum Champagne bottle has greater potential for aging (20 to 30 years.) The magnum bottle’s wine to surface area ratio results in slower wine maturation and bubble retention.

Storing Vintage Vs. Non vintage Champagne

You can store vintage Champagne for 5 to 10 years, but non vintage Champagne has a shorter shelf-life of about 3 to 4 years.

(Vintage Champagne comes from grapes harvested in a single year, while a non vintage bottle is produced from grapes harvested in multiple years.)

That said, the best place to store your investment-grade Champagne bottles safely for years, is in a professional storage facility.

How Long Can You Store An Opened Champagne Bottle?

An opened bottle can retain its freshness for only 3 to 5 days.

The fizz in an opened Champagne bottle dissipates quickly and leaves the wine flat. So it is best to consume it as soon as it is opened.

But you can store it for up to 5 days by resealing the leftover Champagne with an airtight cork, plastic wrap, or a hinged Champagne stopper and keeping it cool. Resealing prevents it from losing bubbles and turning into flat Champagne.