While we may find the season’s extended warm days healing and rejuvenating, they can be deadly for wine. Light and heat artificially age wine more quickly and can result in a cooked taste of overripe fruit, so it’s especially important that wine is stored properly in the summer.

A cooler made for wine storage is ideal because it maintains a constant proper temperature, but it’s not practical for many people. You could store wine in the refrigerator, but it’s a bit too cold and can lead to tartrate crystals forming in the wine. (These are small particles that look like sediment or tiny shards of glass. They’re harmless but not very appealing visually.)

For a low-tech solution, opt for a dark part of a basement. If you don’t have a basement, store your wine in a seldom-used closet. It’s dark and has a fairly constant temperature. Keep the wine on the floor, where the temperature is coolest.