Did I cook my wines?

[Ericphotoart]

I increased the room temperature to 73F when I was fermenting Skeeter Pee a few days ago not realizing the temperature will effect the other carboys with aging wines. The temperature was in this range for 48-36 hours. Do you think I cooked the aging wines. I don’t know how this temperature may effect the wines but wines should be aged in 45-60 degrees not 73. It was only 2-3 days.

 

[vinny]

I increased the room temperature to 73F when I was fermenting Skeeter Pee a few days ago not realizing the temperature will effect the other carboys with aging wines. The temperature was in this range for 48-36 hours. Do you think I cooked the aging wines. I don’t know how this temperature may effect the wines but wines should be aged in 45-60 degrees not 73. It was only 2-3 days.

I store my aging wines on the front side of the house. I keep the blind closed and cover them in garbage bags, but during summer the sun beats down in the afternoon. Throughout the year the temperature has been a minimum of 65 and a max of 80.

Wine cellars, with the intention of long term storage aim for storage temps of 50-55. For you and me, and especially with quick brews like skeeter pee, you have nothing to worry about. To 'cook' a wine you would need to be well above 100 degrees, I suspect 140+. Not to mention you would only see a couple of degrees increase in 6 gallons over a day or 2.

 

[BigDaveK]

I agree with @vinny, a carboy is going to take time to reach ambient temp.

An option in the future might be a brew pad or belt and a controller. That way you're just warming a bucket and not an entire room.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I was considering a brew pad with a controller but after seeing a picture of a burned pad I'm afraid to buy and use it. I will just use a different room for fermenting and a different room for aging

 

[Ohio Bob]

You might try a brew belt, it wraps around the outside of the carboy. I put mine on a timer, 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off. This gets me 72-75F in a room at 68F.

 

[Jim Welch]

I increased the room temperature to 73F when I was fermenting Skeeter Pee a few days ago not realizing the temperature will effect the other carboys with aging wines. The temperature was in this range for 48-36 hours. Do you think I cooked the aging wines. I don’t know how this temperature may effect the wines but wines should be aged in 45-60 degrees not 73. It was only 2-3 days.

From what I’ve read one could age a wine above the “ideal” cellar temperature range it practically only makes it age faster. It would seem to me that a handful of days in the 70s won’t impair it even a tiny bit. My basement very slowly and seasonally fluctuates from a low of 55 in the winter and a high of 75 in the summer. It is a very slow process and there is little change day to day.
I’m sure it is having an affect on my wine but I’ve had 7 year old wine and 25 year old stout beer and while they definitely changed a bit both were still quite drinkable, good even.
I think very high temps, direct sunlight, and/or frequent fast temperature swings are the biggest things to worry about.

 

[bstnh1]

When we moved several years ago, all my wine (several hundred bottles) of various ages, had to be stored for about a month in the garage at the new place. As luck would have it, it was a very hot month with daily temps in the nineties and very warm nights. The wine didn't suffer at all.

 

[winemanden]

A few years back I ran out of storage space, so I had to put a batch of Elderberry wine up in the loft to age. It was up ther for almost three years before I fetched a couple of bottles down when we had friends round to dinner. It had three hot summers and two cold winters up there. Not one to blow my own trumpet but it was wonderful. I can honestly say it was one of the best wines I've made; and drunk.

 

[BigDaveK]

This is all really interesting!
I wonder if some wines actually benefit from temp swings and/or periods of higher temps. Or maybe it doesn't matter at all. There's so many variables, though - fruit, grape, pH, sugar, ABV. I may have to sacrifice a couple bottles next year to find out.

 

[winemaker81]

I wonder if some wines actually benefit from temp swings and/or periods of higher temps. Or maybe it doesn't matter at all. There's so many variables, though - fruit, grape, pH, sugar, ABV. I may have to sacrifice a couple bottles next year to find out.

Research how sherry is made -- it may surprise you.

 

[ratflinger]

When we packed up and moved the new house wasn't finished (heck it wasn't even started), so everything went into storage. One of those U-Store-It joints. That included a few cases of wine. Everything in storage in May and then back out in March, went though a South Texas summer. All the wine was fine, with no issues. I generally thought that the temp is not that important as long as it is reasonably steady and the changes are slow.

 

[BigDaveK]

Research how sherry is made -- it may surprise you.

Yeah, my bad. Had one of those moments where parts of the brain stop working.
Madeira is actually on my list if for no other reason than heating wine to 100+ degrees for a year sounds crazy.