Your wine bottle it is only as good as the conditions in which it is stored. While we always follow general rules like avoiding direct sunlight and finding cool, dry places, you may be committing some wine crimes without realizing it — otherwise known as spill decisions.

Fortunately, I chatted with Liz Martinez, general manager and sommelier at Centrolina in Washington, DC, as well as Beki Miller, advanced sommelier and beverage manager at Las Vegas’s Caramá by Wolfgang Puckto remind us what the reds, whites and bubbles demand to ensure their quality and integrity is maintained with every cork pop.

Here are their top tips and warnings about proper wine storage.

1. On top of the fridge

Even if you have enough space to line up or stack bottles on top of your fridge, it’s not ideal.

“Refrigerators give off heat and vibrate constantly, both of which accelerate aging and degrade quality,” Miller explains. “You don’t need special equipment to store good wine. You just need the least bad option.”

“My solution was simple: wine boxes on the floor of an interior closet, with the bottles stored on their sides,” he says. “It prevents the cork from drying out and protects the wine from light and vibration. I also store wine in a box under the bed, which offers a dark, quiet and relatively stable environment without taking up valuable space.”

2. In fact, most of the kitchen is off limits

Sure, it might make sense to move your bottles above the fridge in the cabinets, but the kitchen is a room that experiences constant changes in temperature, light and activity.

“Try not to keep wine in the kitchen,” advises Martinez. “There are many elements and appliances that can dissipate heat outside of the stove. In fact, putting wine near any appliance (except a wine refrigerator) is not a good idea.”

Miller echoed these sentiments, adding that “kitchen cabinets seem like a good solution because they are dark, but kitchens experience constant temperature changes.”

“Ovens and dishwashers create heat spikes, and those fluctuations can be especially damaging over time,” he says. “Garages are another common misstep. Daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations make them one of the least stable environments for wine. These fluctuations are often worse for wine than too hot or too cold.

Read more: Sip or Skip? Everything You Need to Know About the Shelf Life of Opened Wine

4. In the car

One of the biggest threats to wine quality is the journey from store to home.

“Care must begin the moment the wine leaves the store,” Miller emphasizes. “Wine is especially vulnerable during transport, especially in warm weather. Leaving bottles in a car trunk while driving, even for an hour or two, can expose them to temperatures beyond what the wine can withstand.”

On hot days, for example, a parked car can easily exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, effectively “cooking” the wine before it’s even opened.

“If possible, wine should be the last stop on your to-do list, and bottles should be brought inside immediately. In warmer climates, an insulated bag can help limit exposure on the drive home,” he suggests.

5. Somewhere for it to “age”

It is a myth that most wines taste better with age. However, most wines should be opened and enjoyed immediately.

“Some wines are meant to be drunk young and fresh. Not all wines are meant for aging,” Martinez said. “It’s important to understand the difference. If you’re sitting with a wine that’s meant to be drunk quickly, your wine will lose all of its goodness.”

“Wines like the more impressive Burgundies or Bordeaux, or even a Napa Cabernet, need some age, compared to an everyday wine you get at the grocery store,” he added. “Understanding that difference and doing a little homework can save you the pain of missing out on a wine that could have been enjoyed at the right time.”

This is important to keep in mind for any new purchase, as you have less flexibility with bottles intended for long-term storage.

“A bottle you picked up on Tuesday to open on Friday doesn’t need the same care as a case brought home from a winery or a meaningful bottle you’re saving for an upcoming celebration,” Miller says. “Short storage is forgiving; longer storage requires less intent.”

As a general guide, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and fortified wines like port or Madeira handle better in imperfect conditions. More delicate wines such as Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling are sensitive to heat and fluctuations and will show damage sooner.

You don’t need a wine fridge, but it helps

If collecting bottles has piqued your interest, especially while traveling to wine countries around the world, a wine refrigerator is not necessary. As such, dedicated wine fridges can be had for a several hundred dollars and take the guesswork out of properly storing wine.

“There are many places around the house to store wine that help protect it,” Martinez said. “Cool, dark places like a closet or maybe under the (work) stairs. The basement is also a good option, as long as it’s not a humid place.”

Aim for these temperatures

While constant temperature and climate can be difficult to control in a typical household, most bottles have a “sweet spot” for temperature.

According to Miller, wine should be stored in the dark at between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, with as little vibration and as little temperature change as possible.

“That doesn’t mean perfection is necessary,” he explained. However, “if a wine tastes flat, dull, or strangely ‘old,’ the storage or transportation is usually the cause, not the producer or the price tag.”

“More specifically, you can go cooler for white and sparkling,” adds Martinez, who recommends staying around 45 degrees Fahrenheit for whites and “a touch cooler for sparkling.”

When it comes to serving wine, he recommends about 40 degrees for sparkling whites and about 60 degrees Fahrenheit for reds.

“Below room temperature is good for red wine,” he says. “It really helps the character of the wine to develop nicely in the glass when you take it out of a wine fridge and let it naturally warm to a touch.”