How to Open, Pour, Drink, and Store Your Sparkling Wine

Stand it up
It’s best to keep most wines in a cool, dark place on their sides to prevent corks from drying out. But sparkling wine should be left upright, because carbonation produces enough humidity to keep corks damp. A study commissioned by the French government found spoilage can occur in fizzy bottles kept on their sides, as their flared corks shrink from too much moisture and allow in oxygen.