The high temperatures and ultraviolet light found in numerous display cases can have disastrous effects on champagne left there for any length of time. Whenever possible it is best not to drink champagne on the same day you bought it but to let it rest for a few days. The lower the storage temperature, the slower the ripening of the wine. A champagne that has never left the coolness of its native cellars will seem much longer than one stored at higher temperatures. As with all wines, extreme changes in temperature are the most lethal.
Champagne ripens better in magnums than in standard bottles, and less well in half bottles.
It should never be stored in the refrigerator, which tires the wine. Once a bottle has been uncorked, it can be resealed and kept in the refrigerator for two to three days at most, although even that would be a shame in the case of a great champagne that has aged for some years. It's better to use a special stopper that will give you a few more hours' grace. Shortly before drinking champagne, bring the bottle up from the cellar where it was lying in the darkness. Chilling, Choice of Glass, Uncorking, and Serving Serving champagne is somewhat of a ceremony in itself and worthy of a few preparations.