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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Looking for a particular answer? Check my archive and my FAQs.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

In the articles I've seen regarding synthetic corks, I've not seen any comment that it would be unnecessary to store such wines on their sides. Seems to me a polymer would retain its original resiliency without contact with liquid. It won't dry out. One would think this would have been an obvious study; are you aware of such?

—Robert F., White Bear Lake, Minn.

Dear Robert,

Nomacorc, a producer of synthetic corks, shared a study with me that concluded there were no notable differences in sensory performance between horizontal and vertical storage. I already have racks that store wines horizontally, so I'm just going to put these bottles on their sides and not think about it.

—Dr. Vinny

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