The air we breathe may be essential to life, but if you want to save the remainder of your favorite bottle of wine to enjoy another day, you must keep that “deadly” air away. The easiest thing to do is replace the cork and put it in the fridge, which for white wine, should maintain the character up to four days. You could also re-cork and refrigerate red wine, but it will start to degrade after 48 hours and you will need to warm it to slightly cooler than room temperature again before drinking.   To save wine a little longer, you can spray some canned gas directly into the bottle, which blankets the wine’s surface and protects it from oxygen. The harmless canned gases are a combination of nitrogen and carbon dioxide and the container feels empty since gas is weightless.   You can purge the oxygen from the bottle to extend the life of your wine. There are some new devices available, such as a vacuum wine saver, whereby you pump the air out of the bottle and then insert a specially designed reusable rubber stopper.   Another option is to transfer the wine to a smaller bottle, such as a decanter or half bottle, which will then reduce its exposure to air by minimizing the air space. Then, make sure to seal it tightly.   Storing and Cellaring   Whether you want to keep a few bottles on hand or start a bit of a wine cellar, some of the same measures need to be taken in order to enjoy your wine at its best. Temperature and light are the factors that have the most influence. Ideally, it should be stored between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and exposed to as little light as possible. If you plan to drink the wine within a couple days, the counter is fine, as long as it is out of direct sunlight. If you plan to store wine for a bit longer, you can store it in a closet, under a stairway, or in the basement. Make sure it’s protected from sunlight and that the temperature will not vary from the preferred range. If you don’t have room in these spaces, or your home temperature fluctuates greatly, you can store your bottles in Styrofoam packing material to provide insulation. In hot weather, don’t leave a bottle of wine in the car for even a few hours, as extreme heat can ruin the wine.   When you store a wine, it’s waiting until you’re ready to drink it. When you cellar a wine, you’re waiting until the wine is ready for you to drink it. Most wines don’t need to be cellared and are meant to be drunk young, especially white wines. Red wines are more likely to benefit from aging, which gives them depth and complexity. But, the cause of wines changing from something delicious to less-than-pleasant is over-aging. Winemakers provide aging recommendations, which should be a good guideline, but of course personal taste is your best guide.