Brought a bottle of wine back from Israel in May. Its still in fridge; unopened, is it still ok.?!
Brought a bottle of wine back from Israel in May. Its still in fridge; unopened, is it still ok.?
can I store it on its side outside the fridge at such a late date.
Answers:
For most part, Agree with Robert C.
Storing in refrigerator is fine for a couple of months. The problem comes from the cork. Refrigerator is too dry and will shrink the cork over time, causing the air to leak in and thereby destroy wine by oxidation. For a few weeks and or a couple of months, wine will be OK, provided that you don't plan to cellar the wine for years.
Wine should be kept preferably in 50-60 F. However, most people don't have wine refrigerator. The next best thing is to find the coolest and dark area in the house - perhaps a cool closet somewhere with air conditions on. The worst thing is to do what a lot of people do - keep the wine on top of the refrigerator or in the pantry, where things get hot and so will your wine.
My advice is to plan on drinking the wine in 3-12 months. If you plan to drink soon, keep in refrigerator is fine. If you want to keep it for possibly up to 1 year, take it out of the fridge and keep it somewhere cool.