Wines are best stored at a temperature between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is also a minor factor, and shouldn't be lower than 50% to reduce the risk of the cork drying and cracking.
Kind of wines good for collecting for a newbie:
Cabernet or Bordeaux may be good in 50 years or more, provided they are cellared(stored) correctly.
You can start off with some California Cabernets, Bordeaux, Italian wines -- Barolos, Barbarescos, and the likes.
White wines don't generally have the longevity of the red wines. Store your wines in a cool and dark place. Keep them in a rack that tilts the bottle forward so the wine is against the cork. By keeping the wine in contact with the cork, the cork will stay moist and well sealed. As you might expect, as a cork dries it shrinks slightly, potentially allowing air to get into the bottle,
There are lots of good and expensive wines and there are also cheap ones that taste good from Chile, Australia, France, Italy, Spain and California.
Last edited by mikaztro; May 24th, 2005 at 07:56 PM.