London - Wine snobs who tell you that champagne must never be stored for long in the fridge are wrong, scientists have discovered.
Far from killing its fizz and bouquet, keeping bubbly at 4C prolongs its life.
The same applies to prosecco and cava which should not be kept in a cellar at or just below room temperature.
It has long been thought that the air in our fridges is too dry to store effervescent wines. Internal light and vibrations from the motor were also thought to spoil it.
But a Barcelona University research team conducted tests that proved keeping champers in the fridge prevented it developing a browning compound called 5-HMF that turns wine bad.
They tested bottles stored over two years and searched for the compound at different temperatures: room, cellar and refrigerator.
The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed refrigerating sparkling wines almost completely prevented browning.
Currently, wineries detect the so-called browning of bubbly by measuring its absorption of light.
But experts agree on one thing.
Champagne should not be stored upright because that can cause the cork to shrink and allow oxygen inside. - Daily Mail