The simplest way of reducing the effects of oxidation is to simply put the cork back in and store the wine in the fridge. If you have two leftover bottles of the same wine, pour the contents of both into one. The fuller the bottle, the longer the wine will last.

Only those red wines with sufficient tannins and acidity will last more than two or three years, which rules out lighter wines such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône and most of the cheaper red wines, such as those from Central Europe. Generally, wines costing less than around £7.00 are unlikely to stand up to longer storage.

Not all wines are suitable for longer term storage, and most red wines, and almost all whites, will not benefit from more than four years of ageing. It is difficult for a winemaker to make a bottle of wine that tastes good after only one or two years, that can also evolve into something even better a decade later.

Any wine you choose to store should ideally be kept in the range of 9-15°C (48-58°F). If a wine is stored in a warm environment, it matures too quickly; in too cool an environment it will mature too slowly. However, maintaining a constant temperature is far more important than absolute coolness.