Is it better to store a bottle of wine in a hot place or in the refrigerator?
I understand that neither is the ideal place to keep wine, but I live in a house without air-conditioning and with no basement. It is summer and very warm everywhere in my house. Would it be better to keep the bottles of wine I have in the heat or put them in the refrigerator?
Tagged with: air conditioning • refrigerator • wine
Filed under: All Things Wine
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hot is good for madeira. Madeira wines are aged at 105-110 degrees, because the island they come from (spain) is the only place in the world that can make a grape that works like that. if it’s anything else, i’d put it in the fridge. if it’s a red wine, you can pull it out a half hour before you serve it.
The refrigerator.
Your best bet is to keep in the fridge because keeping too hot will ruin it.
Between those two choices, definitely the fridge. Heat would ruin it. If the wine is a red, take it out of the fridge a few hours before serving.
If you plan on drinking the wine within the next month, the refrigerator would be okay. If you are wanting to age the wine, keep the wine down low in a closet. Since heat rises, the bottom of a closet is cooler than higher. Avoid the kitchen as it heats up when cooking and is often the hottest room in the house.
the fridge would be the best place for the wine. heat will cook the wine and destroy it.