Is It Okay To Store Wine On Top Of The Fridge?

Storing alcohol is something that can really make or break your enjoyment of the beverage. Do it right, and the drink will taste wonderful years after you bought it. Do it wrong, and it might be undrinkable. Many people are quick to place alcoholic drinks atop the fridge because here, they are simultaneously out of the way and easy to access. This is fine for liquors like whiskey which only need consistent temperatures to keep from deteriorating. However, the same cannot be said for other alcoholic drinks like wine or beer, which must be kept at specific temperatures to maintain their quality. 

For wine, that ideal storage temperature lies below room temperature. When it comes to short-term storage, wine should be stored between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. For long-term storage, it should be stored between 53 and 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, the space on top of your fridge will not keep your wine within these parameters. And, seeing as keeping wine at anything above 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit may be actively detrimental to its quality, we'd advise against storing wine in anywhere but a controlled environment. This is doubly true if you plan on storing the wine for an extended period of time.

So, if you can't put wine on top of your fridge, where should you put it? Well, it ultimately depends on how long you plan on keeping the wine. If you're planning on opening and drinking it a day or two after you buy it, putting wine in the fridge works well enough. However, given that most standard refrigerators sit at a temperature far below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, it's not the ideal place to store your wine for much longer than a few days. While it is true you can simply store wine on your countertop or in a cupboard, again, these settings are not ideal if you plan on storing the wine for months or even years.

Aside from temperature, there are two other factors you should take into account when storing your wine: light exposure and humidity. These variables are why wine cellars are so useful; along with being slightly colder than room temperature, cellars keep wine in the dark and at a consistent humidity level, preserving its quality. Of course, very few of us have access to a wine cellar. However, a great compromise is to buy a wine fridge. There are many fantastic wine fridges that can be bought for under $500. These appliances do a wonderful job of preserving wine and can do so for many years. So, if you are serious about storing or even aging your wine, it might be time to invest in a wine fridge.