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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Looking for a particular answer? Check my archive and my FAQs.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

I'm just starting to buy wines to age. Does it matter if I age them bottle up versus tipped on their sides?

—Douglas T., San Diego

Dear Douglas,

If you’re going to age your wines, you should follow all the guidelines for safe storage: keep the wines at a constant temperature, away from light and vibration, and yes, keep the wines stored on their side. When a bottle is kept sideways, the wine stays in contact with the cork, keeping it wet so the cork won’t dry out, shrink, and let air get into the wine, causing premature oxidation. You could also try storing your bottles upside down, though you might be more prone to leakage and end up with a lot of sediment collected in the bottlenecks. If you can arrange it, the next step would be to look into a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment.

—Dr. Vinny

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