(Bustle) - If you are a wine aficionado or someone who is trying to get into that wine game, there is a crucial piece of advice that you will need to hear: It turns out there are some pretty good reasons why you should store wine horizontallyinstead of upright on your countertop (or, y'know, upright on your bedside table). Armed with this information, you are now free to become the wine expert you always knew you could be. Get ready to be the life of the party.

Turns out that there is a very special way to store wine — a way that will not only make your wine taste better, but assure that it keeps longer. Storing your wine horizontally will allow you to purchase more expensive wines than before, and is a telltale sign that your local winery knows what they are doing. By keeping it stored this way you accomplish three things: collect wine sediment at the bottom of the bottle, keep the wine cork wet, and push the air bubbles into the side of the bottle. All three of these points will keep oxygen contact with your wine to a minimum.

But why is that important? Oxygen contact with wine is what causes the different flavor compositions. Too much of an interaction and the wine can turn into vinegar. Nobody wants to drink straight vinegar (I hope). By keeping the wine bottle stored horizontally, you make sure that the cork is wet and does not shrink and contract too much. You limit the oxygen, and you prolong your wine's drinkability.