Storing Wine after bottling

[tonyportale]

Hello,
I have a question about where to store my wine after bottling. Do the bottles need to be stored in a cooler environment, i.e. cellar or wine refrigerator? The reason I ask, is why do so many people store wine in fancy living room wall racks or in a 'room temp' environment if the wine ages better in a cooler, less than 65 deg. environment. I've got a few wine kits in the works....carboy aging. I need to start planning on where to store it all.

Thank you,
Tony

 

[Tom]

After bottling my wine I turn the bottles upside down in the box and stack them in my "wine cellar"
Those who keep them in the kitchen will spoil the wine as its the hottest place in the home. Why are there wine racks over the fridge?

 

[TonyP]

Hello,
I have a question about where to store my wine after bottling. Do the bottles need to be stored in a cooler environment, i.e. cellar or wine refrigerator? The reason I ask, is why do so many people store wine in fancy living room wall racks or in a 'room temp' environment if the wine ages better in a cooler, less than 65 deg. environment. I've got a few wine kits in the works....carboy aging. I need to start planning on where to store it all.

Thank you,
Tony

Assuming you want your area to be for aging / storage alone, the ideal temperature range is 50-55 degrees - the same for whites and reds. Whites will benefit slightly from lower temperatures - 45 degrees - but the advantage is di minimis. Ideal humidity is 60-75%.

Unless wine storage temperatures are critical to the wine, as with a valuable wine collection, wine will tolerate a temperature up to 59 degrees with little perceptible impact.

Temperature is important in wine storage due to its impact on aging and other chemical changes. These changes are impacted exponentially when the temperature increases over 55 degrees. For example, the impact of storage at 59 degrees can be expressed as 1.2 - 1.5, while the impact at 73 degrees is 2.1 - 8.0.

Here's a link to an excellent article on the subject:

http://www.wineperspective.com/STORAGE TEMPERATURE & AGING.htm

Three additional points. First, temperature variation is critical in wine storage and it's important to make certain the temperature does not fluctuate frequently. Second, make certain the area chosen is not subject to vibration, such as near air conditioning systems. Third, humidity is most important in cork maintenance rather than the wine, itself.

Sometimes people get confused between wine aging / storage conditions and those for serving. Note that everything, above, relates to storage and aging, not holding wine prior to serving. You'll see a lot about serving temperatures but that has nothing to do with storage.

For many wine makers an area of their basement away from HVAC can work very well. My suggestion is to get an inexpensive climate meter that shows high and low temperature and humidty. Use it to find a good location and, if, desirable, enclose it.

BTW, the parameters above apply to storage and aging in general, irrespective of whether the wine is in a bottle, carboy, larger demijohn, or barrel.

Tony P.

 

[keena]

I think the main reason people have wine racks in the kitchen and living room is to store temporarily until they drink it. I don't think its for people aging wine. My dad used to buy 5 or 6 bottles at a time and store them in the rack in the living room, but they would be gone in 3 months.

 

[tonyportale]

I think the main reason people have wine racks in the kitchen and living room is to store temporarily until they drink it. I don't think its for people aging wine. My dad used to buy 5 or 6 bottles at a time and store them in the rack in the living room, but they would be gone in 3 months.

O.K.
That is the response I was looking for. So bringing in bottles of my homemade wine from cool cellar storage and putting them into a rack in the living room or dining room for a month or two is not an issue?

Thank you,
Tony

 

[ffemt128]

I have my primary storage in the cellar which stays around 50-65 degrees all year long with only gradual temperature changes. For drinking purposes, I have a small rack that I built which holds 24 bottles of wine which is located at the top of the cellar steps. Winge generally does not last on this rack more than a few months and is rotated regularly.

 

[keena]

Yea, one month in room temp would be fine drinking wise, but one month in a cool spot will make the wine better. on the fridge is a bad spot tho remember, there's alot of heat up there.