Storage of Chmapagne

[Steebu56]

Good Morning - I have a case of Vervie Clicquot that I recently received and Im wondering how I should store it - in the cellar horizontally or vertically?

Thank you !!

SW

[Innkeeper]

Hi SW, and welcome to the Wine Board. If you have a choice it is better, but not essential to store it horizontally. Happy drinking.

[Kcwhippet]

The pressure of the trapped CO2 and the presence of the wire cage prevent any chance of the cork shrinking or of any air infiltration. So, Champagne bottles aren't really subject to the same problems that still wine bottles can have. All that said, you can store them either way, but vertical storage should present no problems.

[wdonovan]

Here we go again with this one! KC, which factor, the CO2 or the musillé (SP?) keeps the cork damp and/or prevents it from shrinking? Neither of these arguments make sense to me. Yes the wire keeps a dry cork from flying and yes again, positive pressure inside the bottle will prevent air from infiltrating. But..... (and this is a couple of big buts), what does the pressurized CO2 have that non-pressurized vapors in a still wine don't have? Why would one keep a cork damp and one not? Also, since everyone seems to be in agreement that wine corks are somewhat permeable, why wouldn't you want the best seal against pressure being lost through the cork? After all, where do the quantity of bubbles go in an older bottle?
Bottom line....I strongly disagree with keeping a sparkling wine vertical. It has a better chance of surviving than a still wine stored vertically but less chance than if it was stored on its side.

[Kcwhippet]

I didn't see where I said the cork was kept damp. At any rate, I got my information from two different sources. Tom Stevenson (supposedly the world authority on sparkling wine) says there is no reason to store sparklers horizontally. He says that storing them upright is perfectly acceptable and that some Champagnes have kept quite well for a century under such storage. The other source was a study I read about awhile ago. The Comite Interprofesionel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), which is the ruling body of Champagne, did a study over about two years testing storage methods. They found that Champagne stored horizontally apparently ages faster, so they recommended vertical storage. In no way do I claim to understand any of the physics or the chemistry behind these assertions. I'm only reporting what I've heard from folks who are supposed to be the authorities on this subject.

[wdonovan]

Interesting validations. I've never heard of any official studies supporting your claims so now I must admit that there is weight to this viewpoint. Would you guess why the horizontally stored wine would age faster?

[Kcwhippet]

I have no idea why the sparklers would age faster horizontally. I have to think it has something to do with the chemistry involved. While I have some familiarity with the processes, I haven't researched the subject enough to make even an educated guess.