Why you should never store wine in the fridge – and more tips from Aldi's wine expert

We can always rely on the discount supermarket to help us live a Champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget! The latest share from Aldi is how best to store wine at home, and how to create a wine cellar look – worthy of celebrity status.

See it’s not just the expansive cinema rooms and spas of celebs that we're lusting after anymore – wine cellars are up there too! With recent reports speculating that Coleen and Wayne Rooney have splashed out £150,000 on an extravagant new wine cellar and walk in bar.

Get the look: Homeowner turns old cupboard into a brilliant DIY home bar – cheers to that!

So we’ve called on Aldi’s resident wine expert, Sam Caporn MW to help us live our best wine lives from the comfort of our own homes. He answers the most commonly asked questions when it comes to best home bar etiquette.

Before you raise a glass, have a read and perhaps take a moment to rearrange your home supplies...

Where is the best place to keep my wine bottles at home?

'The most important thing for wine is to think of them as sleeping until you want to open them,' explains Sam rather poetically.  'They like to be somewhere that is a stable, kept in a cool temperature, away from the light, vibrations, movement and temperature fluctuations.'

'Storage is often in short supply in most people's houses so it is important to be practical. Garages are a great place to store wines, if not, under the stairs as long as you don’t thunder up and down them. However, if the wine doesn’t tend to hang around for too long, then a small wine rack placed in the coolest part of your home is all that is really required!'

Should I store wine in the fridge?

'Wine shouldn’t be stored in the fridge per se, the fridge should be utilised for chilling prior to drinking,' says Sam. That's a game-changer for most we're sure.

'Where people commonly go wrong is the serving temperature of white and red wines. White wines shouldn’t be served straight out of the fridge,' he points out.  'If they are too cold it can close down the aroma or nose of the wine.'

'Whereas, reds are often served a bit too warm. They can benefit from being popped into the fridge just before serving – an easy way to enhance their vibrancy and drinkability!' Sam expertly advises.
He adds this top tip, 'Remember the 20/20 rule – take white wines out 20 minutes before serving and pop red wines in the fridge 20 minutes before serving.'

Which wines should I store upright?

'The general rule is that anything under a natural cork needs to be stored on its side to stop the cork drying out,' Sam explains. 'The contact of the wine with the cork keeps it moist. Screwcaps and sparkling wines can be stored standing up.'

Once I’ve opened a bottle what can I do to keep it fresh?

Sam responds by saying, 'Once a wine has been opened and you have some left over the best thing to do for both red and white wines is to pop them in the fridge.' Perhaps not we'd likely do, especially with red.

'This will keep them fresher for longer. Some wines you will find improve with having been opened whilst others tend to lose fruit freshness.'

'Wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling for example, can easily last a good few days after opening and in my experience can even make a week,' he explains.

'Reds are trickier as drinkability after opening tends to be extremely varied,' says Sam. ' The acidity in the wine will play a key role so I’d pop in the fridge and try to enjoy the rest of it within 2-3 days.'

Related: Here’s to the home bar – celebrating cocktail hour in style

Here's a celebrity wine collection to inspire – if anyone knows how to style it out it's Kylie Jenner...

Now you know how to store your wine at home, best get stocking up to create that celeb-look wine cellar.

And of course at Aldi prices, this is more than achievable on any budget – cheers!