WineLovers Discussion Group

I read recently about someone who had a bottle of Champagne whose cork had shrunk and spoiled the wine after long term storage in a refrigerator. Seeing as I keep about a half-dozen bottles chilled at any given time in a refrigerator that is used for virtually nothing else, I was wondering if this was such a wise thing to do...

In your experience, can keeping a wine in a refrigerator for several months have a negative effect?

Furthermore, is the basic principle of a wine storage unit any different than a common refrigerator? Presumably, a standard fridge dries things out, but a cave à vin maintains high humidity...

Best regards,
Alex R.

On the other hand, I was once given a bottle of Riesling that had been in a refrigerator for 8-10 years, and it was fine. So I don't think that the problem is inherent in refrigerators.

Recently, my brother opened a magnum of 1978 German riesling that had been in his refrigerator since release. It was fabulous.
Best, Jim

Piling on: I once managed to pull a bottle of 90 Trimbach CFE out of the reefer case of a delicatessen--the price was proof that it had been there since release, just buried behind rows of newer stuff stocked in front of it. No cork problems at all and the wine itself was ungodly good.