Is it okay to store chilled champagne at room temperature?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Your question is very close to many others I have answered on the forum, so you may want to scroll through earlier posts as they might be helpful. There seems to be quite a bit of concern about moving wine - still or sparkling - from room temperature to the refrigerator, and then back. I'm not sure why, because it will not damage the wine in any detectable way! True, the finest Champagnes and comparable sparklers - vintages and luxury cuvees, fewer than 5% of all sparkling wines - should be treated with particular care if you intend on keeping them for a number of years. And, yes, above all it is best to avoid storing any fine wine in other than cool, dark, stable conditions. Heat, not cold, is the enemy. The only real concern about significant changes of temperature would be for very old, fragile vintages; but that advice is relevant for collectors of such wines, who are as a rule already aware of this issue. Last, when it comes to nearly all sparkling wine regardless of origin, I would recommend buying just what you plan to drink within a few months unless you have a very good cellar.
