Fluorescent lights bad in the wine lab?

[saddlebronze]

Anyone know if having my wine in carboys exposed to a fluorescent shop light is a bad thing?

 

[dangerdave]

I have flourescent lights in my lab, but I always turn them off while I'm not in there...and I stash my aging carboys on my cart under the table.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

florescent lights are efficient, give off even light, but I would not leave them on any longer than you need to.

 

[Poni]

I was against it too, but i put a small light above my lab table. It's nice and bright! I see a lot of people have flourescent lights in their wineries, i think you'll be ok

 

[saddlebronze]

I hope I am OK, I have a few batches up on the shelf and they tasted good around Christmas, but they are tasting less good now. Not bad, but less good. I was thinking it was the lights:
A study in 1988, by the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, found that exposure to fluorescent light on still and sparkling wines, after about 18 hours, showed in the aromas in the wine. “With increased time of exposure, a decrease in citrus aroma intensity occurred, while the intensity of cooked cabbage, corn nuts, wet dog/wet wool, and soy/marmite aromas increased.”
These are not bare bulbs, they have a plastic lens in front of them, so I don't know if it blocks the UV which is the bad actor. I put little tents of newspaper over them, but they kept falling off. Guess I will find a dark area for them or change the fixture.

 

[shoebiedoo]

I for a couple bucks, you could get some sweatshirts or sweaters at a thrift store, cut the sleeves off and use them to cover your carboys. It works great. I'm sure you can fabricate something for the smaller sizes as well.

 

[roadpupp]

I am a lighting designer and have done a number of fine art collections and sensitive material collections.

All I can seem to find about light affecting wine is related to ultraviolet (UV). This shouldn't be much of an issue for wine in dark bottles as almost no UV can get through them.

White wines are more sensitive perhaps because they are usually in clear?

The other issue other than UV in fine art collections is foot candle hours aggregated across the year. Regardless of UV, materials are affected by light radiation.

I would think darkness is best for any sort of wine. UV filtered light would be the next best thing. It is probably easier to get Carboy covers or boxes to put over them than UV sleeves for your fluorescent lamps.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&sku=839919&is=REG&A=details&Q=

Any big online photography store will have them.

I store my carboys under my work bench and don't cover them because they are in my basement and the lights are off unless I am working on wine.

I'd love to hear any other info about light and it's interaction with wine. My two favorite subjects!

 

[g8keeper]

I for a couple bucks, you could get some sweatshirts or sweaters at a thrift store, cut the sleeves off and use them to cover your carboys. It works great. I'm sure you can fabricate something for the smaller sizes as well.

shoe, u beat me to it....lol...was just gonna say that's what i do, unless i still have some of the boxes my carboys case in....in that case, i have my carboys sitting on milk crates, with the box flipped upside down over the carboy...

 

[Bailey]

rather than buy t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc... I just use the ones I have.

Purchasing a carboy cover seems pretentious to me.

Hoodies work well if you're worried about blocking every bit of light.

 

[shoebiedoo]

Yup hoodies work real good. You can also give your wine's personality



BEWARE OF THE MASKED AVENGER

 

[jswordy]

Yeah, I just use old towels to wrap around mine. They sit in light, but are wrapped.

 

[saddlebronze]

Thanks y'all. I will practice safe wine from now on!