Ambient Temperature During Clearing and Aging

[Mike Parisi]

I have just gone to the clearing/stabilizing/aging stage on my WE Nebbiolo Kit. The instructions say the temperature should be between 68 and 77 throughout the entire process.

I had though that, once fermentation was done, that lower temperatures were preferrable. Am I mistaken in that? I understand that higher temperatures speed up the aging process, but should the temperatures be up in the mid-70's? My garage right now has been running from about 64 to 68, sometimes up to 70. I had the fermenter in the laundry room (75 degrees) during fermentation, but moved it to the garage once that was finished.

 

[Johnd]

I have just gone to the clearing/stabilizing/aging stage on my WE Nebbiolo Kit. The instructions say the temperature should be between 68 and 77 throughout the entire process.

I had though that, once fermentation was done, that lower temperatures were preferrable. Am I mistaken in that? I understand that higher temperatures speed up the aging process, but should the temperatures be up in the mid-70's? My garage right now has been running from about 64 to 68, sometimes up to 70. I had the fermenter in the laundry room (75 degrees) during fermentation, but moved it to the garage once that was finished.

My wines sat in carboys in my home at 72 - 75 for years (before the wine room) with no ill effects, they’ll degas more quickly than at lower temps. Since the wine room, they all sit at 55, I typically don’t bottle for 1 - 2 years, so CO2 isn’t an issue anyway. Unless you’re aging collectible wines for 20 years, shoot for stable temps in the 60’s or low 70’s, just do the best you can.

 

[JohnW]

My wines sat in carboys in my home at 72 - 75 for years (before the wine room) with no ill effects, they’ll degas more quickly than at lower temps. Since the wine room, they all sit at 55, I typically don’t bottle for 1 - 2 years, so CO2 isn’t an issue anyway. Unless you’re aging collectible wines for 20 years, shoot for stable temps in the 60’s or low 70’s, just do the best you can.

I came across this thread and wonder if you have noticed any difference in how soon the wine is ready for consumption. I assume wine stored in a warmer room (72-72) would mature faster than in a 55 degree room. Also i would expect the 55 degree wine would ultimately be better. Have you noticed any differences?

 

[Johnd]

I came across this thread and wonder if you have noticed any difference in how soon the wine is ready for consumption. I assume wine stored in a warmer room (72-72) would mature faster than in a 55 degree room. Also i would expect the 55 degree wine would ultimately be better. Have you noticed any differences?

I do believe that the wines which I used to store at "room" temps seemed to mellow a bit faster than the ones that were ultimately stored in the wine room at 55F. I didn't ever have the exact same wine in two different carboys stored in the two different environments to be able to compare, so it's really only just my observation. I believe that your expectation of the wines stored at 55F being better in the long run is probably true, and everything I've read would lead me to the same conclusion.

Around the time I was deciding whether or not to build a wine cellar, did a bunch of reading / research to convince myself, and still have a few links to things I read. If you are so inclined to read the following, there's a lot more than anecdotal evidence about the effects of temperatures on the storage of wine: https://www.researchgate.net/public...vated_storage_temperature_on_wine_composition

In the end, I was convinced enough to build a wine room in my home, here's a link to the build: New Wine Room

 

[JohnW]

I do believe that the wines which I used to store at "room" temps seemed to mellow a bit faster than the ones that were ultimately stored in the wine room at 55F. I didn't ever have the exact same wine in two different carboys stored in the two different environments to be able to compare, so it's really only just my observation. I believe that your expectation of the wines stored at 55F being better in the long run is probably true, and everything I've read would lead me to the same conclusion.

Around the time I was deciding whether or not to build a wine cellar, did a bunch of reading / research to convince myself, and still have a few links to things I read. If you are so inclined to read the following, there's a lot more than anecdotal evidence about the effects of temperatures on the storage of wine: https://www.researchgate.net/public...vated_storage_temperature_on_wine_composition

In the end, I was convinced enough to build a wine room in my home, here's a link to the build: New Wine Room

Thanks for your detailed response. I like reading technical stuff and will give the attachment a read tomorrow.