A general rule of thumb is to sanitize right before using. Not to sanitize and then store. The theory is there might be a risk that bacteria can acclimate to the sanitized surface over time. Sounds plausible but probably very hard to prove.
Emphasis mine. Very true -- folks go through extensive efforts to sanitize, but there is no proof that it's necessary.
In a winemaking context, "sanitizing" is the effort of reducing microbial life to a threshold below which it is not a danger to the wine. This is far different from sterilization, which is the elimination of
all microbial life.
I clean bottles and drain upside down on a tree until bone dry. The bottles are stored, mouth down, in clean cases. Without moisture or particulates, there's nothing for anything to grow on. I visually inspect bottles before storage, and again before filling, rejecting any imperfections.
Note that commercial wineries take new bottles from case and plunk 'em in the bottling line. They also cut the bag of corks and dump them into the hopper with no sanitizing.
I was taught to sanitize bottles and corks prior to bottling, but conversations with commercial winemakers convinced me that I was wasting my time. I've been following my current practice for 30 years with no problems. YMMV
