Q: What's the best way to store wine?
S. Morris
Yazoo City, Mississippi

A: The correct answer is in a proper wine cellar. However, if you're like me, that's simply out of the question. Not only because I just don't have enough room, but also because, in my house, a bottle of wine has the life expectancy of a housefly. But in all honesty, there are times when I find a great deal on a case of wine and I just can't pass it up. In those instances, I look for a spot in the house with as little light as possible and a fairly consistent temperature (read closet). The ultraviolet rays in sunlight speed up a wine's spoilage--an important tip to remember the next time you head out to the wine store and see all those bottles in the window. Heat is another big problem for wine. You don't need it to be 55° all the time, but you don't want large fluctuations either (listen up, all you folks who store wine on top of the refrigerator or next to the stove). If you're lucky enough to have a basement, that's even better.