CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
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Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
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Serving and storing wine at home

You do not need a cellar or special glasses. A few simple habits get the best out of any bottle.

4 min read · For beginners

Serving and storing wine at home

Temperature is the easy win

Warm red wine tastes flat and boozy. Wine that is too cold tastes of very little.

  • Sparkling. Very cold. Three hours in the fridge.
  • White and rosé. Cold. Take the bottle out of the fridge ten minutes before pouring.
  • Light reds. Lightly chilled. Thirty minutes in the fridge.
  • Fuller reds. Slightly cool. Fifteen to twenty minutes in the fridge if the room is warm.
A bottle of white wine in a bucket of ice on a kitchen table

Glasses

One set of medium-sized glasses with a stem is plenty. Fill them about a third full so there is room to swirl.

Four stemmed glasses on a kitchen table, two of red wine and two of white, each about a third full

Letting wine breathe

Young, strong reds often taste softer after some air. Pouring the bottle into a jug or decanter half an hour before dinner is enough. Most whites and light reds do not need it.

Red wine in a glass decanter beside the empty bottle and two glasses

After opening

Put the cork or cap back and keep the bottle in the fridge, even if it is red. Most wine stays good for two to four days. Sparkling keeps a day or two with a proper stopper.

A hand putting a re-corked bottle of red wine in the fridge door

Keeping bottles

Store wine somewhere cool, dark and steady, away from the oven and the window. Bottles with corks should lie on their side so the cork stays moist. For a few weeks or months, a cupboard is fine.

A small wooden wine rack under the stairs with bottles lying on their sides

If a wine smells of damp cardboard or a wet cellar, it is probably corked. It is a fault in the cork, not your fault. A shop or restaurant will normally replace it.

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