Comments on: Wine Storage Misconceptions: The Truth About Your Reds & Whites

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 06:52:21 +0000

Hi experts,
We have a vacation home in AZ., we leave the thermostate just below 90 degrees when we are not there. We have been taking wine back and forth with us every time we go. My question is can we leave our red wines in the fridge at 42 degrees for two ish weeks, surely to be consumed the next visit or are we better off to transport back and forth?
Thank you for any feed back.
Lisa

By: Greg Nordstrom

Greg Nordstrom — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:09:12 +0000

our SE Minnesota home has a wood foundation with a 6ft by 20 ft basement closet underneath the cement slab (8″ thick) that is our front porch. Being below grade and under the cement slab, winter temperatures range around mid to upper 50s F, and summer upwards of 65-70F. This is below ideal fermentation temperatures year round, and seems to serve well. I have had $100 Cabs stored for upwards of 5 years in this closet (total age 8 years) that have been absolutely delicious. Humidity is stable (so don’t think the cords are affected by variability) and it is incomplete darkness except when we are in the closet for things — like storing or retrieving wine!

So overall, I think a temperature below 70F — below 65 F for 9 months of 12? — seems to not accelerate aging, with the caveat that a dark and humidity stable location may be an important factor overall.

By: John Murtaugh

John Murtaugh — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:41:04 +0000

I can understand how overly warm storage temperatures can harm wine.

Why would overly cool temperatures cause problems other than slowing up maturiry?

My cellar room used for storing wine gets down to about 6 degrees celsius in the cold part of winter here in Toronto and perhaps as high as 24 in August, although the average maybe around 18.

I am grateful for any advive regarding my “wine cellar”

By: mike

mike — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:12:41 +0000

Hi I just purchased a vinotemp 160 bottle dual zone wine fridge for my RED wine storage. If i keep it a the 55 degree mark my bottom shelf has very cold wines and my top shelf has wines in the 60-63 degree range.

Also I have had it now for three weeks and have noticed about 20% of my wine labels are starting to bubble at the edges.

Can somebody please help me and tell me what to do

thank you

wine novice

By: Erika S.

Erika S. — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:36:55 +0000

Hi Danielle– The transfer will not ruin the wine but it’s best to keep your wine in the wine fridge for as long as possible. Room temperature is too hot for long-term storage.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:17:41 +0000

Can transferring a bottle of wine (average, non vintage) from a wine fridge and storing in room temperature ruin the wine?

By: Erika S.

Erika S. — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:16:54 +0000

@Kenny, thanks for the question. Actually pressure sealing it with a VacuVin or the like and putting it in the refrigerator is the perfect solution. The cool temperature will slow down the oxidation process.

By: Kenny

Kenny — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:12:30 +0000

IF a bottle of red is pressure sealed and stored in the refrigerator after drinking some, does it damage the wine? Would it be better to leave it at room temperature and chill it before serving?

By: Arnaud H

Arnaud H — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:02:54 +0000

I unfortunately don’t have a basement or garage with a constant temperature that would make it easy for me to store a lot of wine at home. I have a Eurotemp wine cellar that holds about 40-50 bottles between 53 and 57°F. The other bottles at home are “stored” at room temperature – mostly whites and rosés which will be drunk within a month or two. The rest of my wine is stored in a cellar space at a constant 55°F at a wine distrbutor’s facility that also rents storage space. I make frequent trips to that location for work, so the hassle is minimal.

By: Miguel Lecuona

Miguel Lecuona — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:46:59 +0000

Regarding the goal of maintaining a constant 55 degrees… It is reassuring to know that no less than Chateau Margaux stores wines in buildings with ambient temperatures that vary with the seasons, changing gradually from low 50s to mid 60s degrees from winter to Summer. Their website discusses this in detail. They have vintages well over 100+ years with no apparent degradation. And Robert Parker himself has written about his controlled cellars using strict temperature parameters, and his own passive cellars with seasonal variation. He has posted on his on site that he was unable to discern any differences in wines (other than label deterioration from hi-humidity passive cellar) from the same vintage when stored for 10+ years in either cellar.

Abrupt temperature spikes and swings from low to levels above 72 degrees for hours/ days/ weeks can cook wine in time. Living in Texas or anywhere in the South, a wine fridge or controlled cellar is required for extended storage or aging. You might consider adding a battery-backed UPS on fridges containing treasures to so that an extended power outage will not pose a threat — it does take a while for a fridge full of 55 degree wine to exceed a danger-level of temps. In the Northeast, passive cellars can work to great effect, too, but you have to be certain about your storage conditions. Always good to have options. And YES the bottom line is this sort of care and concern will pay dividends down the road when you open your treasures. Cheers.