That bottle of bubbly in your fridge isn’t going to last forever. Sure, it’s cold in the fridge, but it isn’t some cryogenic chamber for Champagne and other sparkling wine. In fact, if you’ve got some sparkling wine that’s been in the fridge for more than a month, go ahead and take it out now. We’ll wait.
To explain why in the most basic terms, food refrigerators are too dry and too cold. They’re great for holding leftovers, meats and cheeses, but less great as infinite storage facilities (for anything, not just sparkling wine). Refrigerators are more likely to dry out corks and flatten flavors than save that special bottle of bubbly you’ve been staring longingly at every time you open the refrigerator door.
Here’s why:
- The average refrigerator sits at a dry 35 degrees. The best conditions for a bottle of Champagne, Cava or Prosecco (and any and all wine in general) is what you would find in a cellar or cave: 55 to 60 degrees and high humidity.
- You probably don’t have a cave handy, though. Instead, find a cool and dark location in your house or apartment or buy a dedicated wine fridge. A bottle hidden from light and kept at a steady temperature will stay more true to the complex flavor profile the winemaker intended than a bottle shoved in the fridge for months on end. Whatever you do, don’t continuously move it in and out of the fridge because fluctuating temperature is just about the worst thing you can do for a wine.
- If you’ve got a bottle or two of sparkling wine in your fridge that you still haven’t taken out, don’t fret. There’s always a reason to pop a bottle. After all, good Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and the like go with just about anything and everything. Time to break out that bottle and some popcorn, no special occasion needed.
By: Nick Hines
***Grabbed from: http://vinepair.com/articles/champagne-refrigerator-time/