Is it okay to keep red wine in the refrigerator?
I just visited a winery and bought a few bottles of white that I know I can chill in my regular refrigerator. The vintner gave me a couple bottles of dry red wine that aren't available to the public, but I won't be able to drink them soon. There are no cool places in my house in the summer. Can I keep these special bottles in the refrigerator, then let them warm up when I'm ready to drink them? Will this affect their taste?
Tagged with: cool places • couple bottles • red wine • refrigerator • vintner
Filed under: All Things Wine
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No trouble keeping red wine in the fridge. The only thing is that at the lower temperature, the wine will age more slowly; so you may have to keep it in the fridge for a longer period (about twice as long as you would, if it were in a cellar).
can you put them in your pantry? that would be the best place to put them, or in a wine rack, or a cupboard, not above the refrigerator.
Yes, of course. They should be at 12 C in a cellar but in the fridge it is about 6C. It is OK. Enjoy!
Assuming that your house temp in the summer is fluctuating and on the relatively warm side, yes the fridge is ok. You want to maintain consistent temp - the fluctuations are bad as well as the high temps. The fridge being cooler than ideal isn't as bad as too warm and fluctuating. Yes, be sure to warm a little before drinking or you won't really get all of the flavors (don't forget to let them breathe or aerate).
If your house doesn't get too bad, you can try putting them in the closet or pantry on the floor.
There is a misconcept of "room" temp for wine. In Europe, wine cellars are usally between 55 and 60 degrees F. What effects wine is light and temp. If your refrigerator is not to cold, it should be fine. Red wines once opened should be consumed within fourty eight hours for maximum flavours.