Wine chemistry defies easy answer on refrigeration

Friends do not refrigerate red wines after opening. They just keep it on the shelf with a stopper. Isn't it necessary to refrigerate red wine after opening the bottle in order to preserve the contents? We've had many discussions regarding refrigeration of opened bottles of red wine and would love to resolve it once and for all.

Also, is the all-purpose wine glass with a large bowl a stem glass?

-- Louise Frank, Edison

Once a bottle of wine is uncorked, it begins to oxidize. And chilling wine, or any beverage for that matter, slows oxidation. So it would follow that yes, you should refrigerate red wine after opening.

But -- there's almost always a "but" for rules about wine -- the chemistry of wine is astoundingly complex.


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