Asked by: Everett Lowenstein, Portland, USA
A horizontal bottle keeps the cork moist, so it doesn’t dry out and shrink. At least that’s the theory, but the science says otherwise. The air gap in a wine bottle has almost 100 per cent humidity, so the cork will never dry out as long as there is wine in the bottle.
In 2005, the Australian Wine Research Institute tested this and found that the orientation of the bottle makes little difference to the wine’s keeping qualities.
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Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.
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