How to store your champagne

For months and even years, champagne has known a totally preserved environment, installed in cellars sheltered from light at a constant temperature and filled with a high level of humidity. The ideal conditions for it to stay at its best. But not everyone has a cool, welcoming cellar at their disposal. So how can you store your champagne without altering its qualities? Explanations on the art of storing your cuvées for as long as possible.

Ideally in a cellar,
otherwise it should be consumed quickly.

You don’t have anywhere to store your champagne? The solution is to consume it in the coming months. In fact, if the storage conditions are not accommodated, the champagne qualities will gradually deteriorate under the effect of various external factors such as light, or too great a variation in temperature. The only solution is to place your bottle of champagne lying flat at the bottom of your refrigerator where the temperature is not too cold (ideally 10°). In these conditions, a bottle of champagne can be kept for several months. Be aware that if you leave your bottle of champagne in natural or artificial light, you risk having a wine with a light taste, a defect that leads to unpleasant aromas. A very nasty surprise when you are about to serve a fine selection of old champagnes. Note that green or “dead leaf” glass bottles protect the champagne from light better than clear glass bottles.

The ageing potential
is not the same for all champagnes!

As we have seen, champagne is a wine that should ideally be kept in a cellar at a constant temperature of 10°C, high hydrometry (between 60 and 80%) lying on its side to prevent the cork from popping, and away from light. Vibration and noise are also important, champagne likes the quiet. But it should be noted that not all champagnes are to be stored in the same way. Some champagne wines keep longer than others. On the other hand, the unaged Bruts are to be consumed rather quickly and do not like ageing. Their fizzing and freshness do not last indefinitely in the bottle and their aromas tend to become more complex and turn towards more vinous notes.

Their style continues to evolve and their talent grows even more as time goes by. As for the great cuvées from the great Maisons, they reveal a tremendous ageing potential when kept in good conditions. These vintages and great old cuvées are particularly appreciated by lovers of older champagnes who are looking for this particular style, which is similar to the tasting of a great white wine.

Exceptions to be taken
into account

The grape variety also plays an important role in preservation. Thus, champagne containing chardonnay, such as Blanc de blancs, will keep longer than champagne without it. You should also know that the larger sizes of champagne such as Magnum offer better storage conditions. To conclude, it should be noted that once a bottle of champagne has been opened, it should be consumed within 24 hours and the champagne should never be placed in the freezer to avoid “breaking down” its flavours. If you do not have cellar but you still want to preserve your bottles over time, leave them in their original carton and place them in the coolest, most temperate place in the house.