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I have a couple of bottles of wine in my fridge that have never been opened (original packaging) and have been there for ~3 years.
Would that mean that the wine have become worse and hence should dispose of the bottles?
Or does it mean the wine has "matured" and is even better?
Was keeping them in the fridge a good choice?

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  • Are they cork, plastic or screw-top? Laid down or upright?
    – Tetsujin
    Dec 10, 2022 at 17:37
  • @Tetsujin: Cork and laid down
    – Jim
    Dec 10, 2022 at 21:53
  • We need to know more about the wine. Red or white? Sweet or dry? What grape?
    – Popup
    Dec 14, 2022 at 12:26

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It depends on the wine. A bit cold for standard "cellaring" of wine, and some wine matures well, while other wines are short-lived.

It should not be dangerous, anyway.

You can taste it and decide for yourself which way it went, if any. At which point you'll need to drink or dispose in a relatively short timeframe, as it will no longer be sealed (though things like a vacuum stopper can help maintain quality for a while.)

Sometimes "not so good for drinking" is "fine to cook a stew or marinate with." so don't jump to dumping it unless it's truly awful.

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  • 1) I should not have kept it in the fridge? 2) If it is short lived would it have some expiration date?
    – Jim
    Dec 10, 2022 at 21:55
  • Most wines should be "cellared" between 45-55 °F so a typical fridge is colder than is ideal. Expiration dates would be highly unusual. But something like "Beaujolais Nouveau" is intended to be drunk young, for instance.
    – Ecnerwal
    Dec 10, 2022 at 22:46
  • So if stored at around 55 F (~12 C) can they be preserved for a long time? What about those wines we see on TV where people say X years ago wine?
    – Jim
    Dec 11, 2022 at 12:23
  • They are presumed to have been stored in a cellar, often a literal one, or a cave, where the ground temperature at sufficient depth is consistent and in the proper range.
    – Ecnerwal
    Dec 11, 2022 at 13:46
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    The other issue with storing them in the fridge happens if they have corks and they're stored upright. The corks can dry out, letting air into the bottle.
    – FuzzyChef
    Dec 13, 2022 at 22:04

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