(MNN) - The general rule that most of us follow when it comes to drinking wine is that white and rose wines should be served chilled and red wines should be served at room temperature. To get those white and rose wines chilled, many of us put them in our regular refrigerators and let them chill for hours, days or even longer. But is that a good idea?

I asked Tina Morey, a certified sommelier who runs the #winestudio education program, a few questions to help get a handle on the best way to use the refrigerator for wine.

Kitchen refrigerator vs. wine refrigerator

The guidelines here are for a standard kitchen refrigerator, not a wine refrigerator. Wine refrigerators are specifically designed to create an optimal environment for wine, including having a beneficial temperature and the right humidity (about 57 percent) to keep a wine cork moist. A standard kitchen refrigerator is the antithesis of that. It is colder than a wine refrigerator and is designed to have zero humidity. As a cork dries out, it begins to shrink and more air will seep into the wine.