The Fridge Setting An Expert Says Could Be Ruining Your Wine

Drinking wine in front of a fridgeIf (like me) you feel pretty intimidated by the world of wine, Lauren Denyer, a WSET School London wine educator, has some words of reassurance. “There is a certain amount of pretension that can come with wine, which can be very off-putting and often incorrect,” the expert, who regularly breaks “the rules,” previously told HuffPost UK. She’s not above popping ice in white wine, drinking red as a mixer, putting good wine in your spag bol, and using the same glass for Christmas champagne as you do for your midweek supermarket Chablis. But if you want to keep your wine tasting its best for as long as you can, wine expert Colin Simpson of Into the Vineyard said you keeping an eye on your fridge setting actually is a rule worth sticking to. What’s the best fridge setting for wine?It depends on the type of wine and how long you’re keeping it refrigerated. But in all cases, Simpson advised, we should avoid “Keeping wine at temperatures well below ~7°C for long periods.” This, he says, is because “Fridges can store wine temporarily, but prolonged cold may dry out the cork, allowing air in and risking spoilage”. When corks dry out, they shrink. This allows oxygen to enter the bottle, “accelerating chemical reactions that can spoil flavour and aroma,” he stated. By the way, if you have a bottle of wine standing up in your fridge door shelf, you might be placing it in double jeopardy. That’s not just because this part of your cooler sees the most temperature fluctuations, Simpson said. Lying your wine on the side also, “Keep[s] the cork in contact with the wine. This prevents drying and unwanted oxygen exposure”.How should I store wine, then? Again, it really does change per bottle. But Simpson says that in general, “Chemical reactions in wine happen faster at higher temperatures, which is why cool, consistent storage is ideal.“It slows reactions to a steady, desirable pace. The pH of wine shifts slightly with temperature, but its actual acidity remains stable unless extreme conditions trigger chemical changes.” Store your wine on its side, away from direct sunlight, in a cool, still area. A wine fridge is ideal for really special bottles, but whether you have one or not, try not to go below ~7°C. Related...4 Wine 'Rules' An Expert Always IgnoresI Asked Wine Experts If Gold Labels Really Matter, And I Feel HoodwinkedI'm A Wine Expert ― Always Check These 2 Signs On Champagne Bottles

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