I am getting obsessive!

[lednugenna]

I have moved my nine gallons of wine into my unheated front hall where it is getting pretty cold. I really have to have them somewhere where I can not see them all them time cause I aam just getting too obsessive. I see them, I want to do something with them and then I want to start more! So my question is how cold is too cold? All of these wines have fermented to BONE dry and I really just need them to be stored somwhere and I dont want them to be too cold. I may need to find another place for them. My front hall is not heated and not nearly as cold as outside either. I am in New Hampshire and it is getting cold here, though not as cold as years past.

 

[smurfe]

I doubt very much it will be too cold for you. My only concern would be the constant temperature swings that may occur. Wine likes a consistent, steady temperature. When I lived in Illinois I had an unheated porch on the side of my house. Even when it was bitter cold outside the sun would heat it up inside considerably. It would then drop considerably in the evening when the sun went down. It never got near the temp of the interior of the house but changed considerably during the day.


Smurfe

 

[lednugenna]

Hmm, maybe the room between the house and the barn would be better then. But it does get colder there. On the ohter hand it doesnt really warm up at all during the day. I think I will start checking the temps in various places to see which is more stable. Thanks

 

[grapeman]

How about the basement? It sounds like you live in a typical farmhouse, most of which have a basement. The temperature there should remain fairly stable, and 50 deg would be a good temperature for long term aging. Keep it towards the center of the basement, unles that is where the furnace is located. That will keep it away from the walls which at times could be close to freezing. I'm making a lot of assumptions here, but it could be a good possibility. Remember wine is normally aged in cold caves or refrigerated warehouses. The basement could work well for you- just don't try to start any batches down there this time of year.

 

[lednugenna]

The basement might work except that I am disabled and can not get down there, especially with a gallon of wine in my hands. The room between the barn and the house is connected to the basement and though it might get colder in there the temp might be more stable than the front hall. We live in a two family with an empty apartment upstairs(we have learned to hate tenents!) so we do not heat the apartment or the connecting front hall. It was pointed out that the temps there will probably vary too much and I can see that is true already today. I suppose I could put the wine in the appartment in a closet or something but I think that it might well freeze there.

 

[bmorosco]

Just drink it........Problem solved!! .Ha ha NO but how about some sort of closet that you can keep cool...

 

[MedPretzel]

If it stays around 62ish, you're fine. Depends on the yeast your using, but my basement goes down to 62 in the winter and I have no problems with Montrachet yeast and Lalvin 72B1122... Fermentation will go slower, but once that's over with, your wine should be fine with somewhat cooler temps. It'll just go a little slower than normal.


Hope this helps,


M.

 

[Wade E]

I dont think an upstairs apartment closet would go down to freexing. I
bet that would probably be your best bet. If it got that cold in there
you would have frozen pipes in there.