I just bought 2 bottles of wine. A Chardonnay and a Zinfandel. How long will they...

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ambergail1

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...keep in the fridge? I do not want to drink them right away, but I do not want them to loose any of their flavor. I am saving them for a special occasion and I want them to be yummy when the time comes.
 
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krys k

Guest
Hi. Well, take the Zin out of the fridge. It's a red, so it's not supposed to be chilled. Super chilling each of your wines won't help them "keep." Actually, what works for both white and red is just to keep them "cool." Do you have a basement that is chilly all year round? That would be best. Whites are decent stored a chilly temp for a couple of years. Reds even longer.... Cheers from the Sonoma Wine Country! Oh, and last thing, Trader Joes has a nice little Chard for 5 bucks called Napa Ridge. Not bad for the price.
 
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Princess Buttercup

Guest
Actually, you should not store wine in the fridge. If the wines have corks, the lack of humidity will dry them out, making the undrinkable rather rapidly, and as corks are porous, flavours and odours may permeate and ruin the flavour.

If they aren't with cork, you run into additional problems stemming from the vibrations of the fridge, the off & on lights 10+ times a day, and several other issues.

Put the Chard in the fridge a few hours before you want to drink it. If we are talking red zin (which I will assume since you didn't specify "white"), then maybe 30 minutes before serving.

Until then, store horizontally (on their sides) in a cool, dark closet.

As far as saving them - this will depend on how far away the event is and the quality of the wine. If the wines were under around $30, chances are good that they should be consumed within a year. If they were above, chances are they should be held at least a year. Something like 80% of the wine produced (not sure of the actual number) is ready to drink, so make sure that you don't hold it too long.

I hope this helps.
 
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