Why is wine stored laying on its side instead od standing it up right
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
The reason for storing wines horizontally is above all the closure, for those sealed with natural corks. Keeping the liquid in contact with the cork will greatly reduce the natural tendency of the cork to dry out in time. If the cork remains moist where it meets the wine, it will as well form a seal and be secure within the neck of the bottle. For wines with corks which are kept in a cellar for many years, it is the right strategy to lay them on their side. As any collector knows, however, nearly all corks tend to deteriorate after many decades in the same bottle, even if the bottles have been on their side, and dry, crumbly corks are quite common with very old vintages. There is another, practical reason: It can be helpful to keep random bottles in racks in a horizontal position so that they can be easily located and pulled from the cellar.
