(Vinepair) - From intricate storage racks to humidified wine cellars, conventional wisdom tells us the key to storing wine is keeping the cork moist. We do this by storing bottles on their sides, preventing the corks from drying out at all cost. But according to scientist Dr. Miguel Cabral, none of this is true.

As reported in the Drinks Business, Cabral, who is the director of R&D for Portuguese cork company Amorim, says the belief that wine should be in contact with cork at all times — and hence, stored on its side — is apparently “bullshit.”

“The cork will never dry out with almost 100 percent humidity in the headspace, so it is a myth that you need to store a bottle on its side,” Cabral said during a discussion in Portugal last week. He went on to dispel the “myth” that wine needs to be stored in a damp cellar.