How do you store your wine [+ Fridge/Cabinet recommendations]

[john1000wine]

For those of you who do store it at home not in a wine fridge, how do you keep it cool, just insulation or do you actually run a dedicated AC in there

If you are serious about cellaring your wine, Aircon doesn’t keep it at a low enough temperature. It also can dry out the corks. You should be using a refrigeration system. That way you have better control over the temperature and humidity. Obviously this cost dollars, but so does any decent wine storage facility

 

[redbigot]

If you are serious about cellaring your wine, Aircon doesn’t keep it at a low enough temperature. It also can dry out the corks. You should be using a refrigeration system. That way you have better control over the temperature and humidity. Obviously this cost dollars, but so does any decent wine storage facility

Not an issue if you don't buy cork-sealed wines.
Define "serious about cellaring your wine". I'm pretty serious but only for about 10 years, some up to 15 or so. The number of people who cellar longer than 10 years is pretty small. For 10-15 years, cork or screwcap, my empirical experience on thousands of bottles of wine from my a/c cooled cellar is that 15-16C and humidity 40%-50% is fine for red wine (I don't cellar or drink whites).
With corks, if the bottle is horizontal the cork is kept wet at the base, there is a capsule covering the cork and it will take a very long time at 40% humidity to dry out the cork top enough to allow seepage and air into the bottle. I store some of my screwcap sealed wines standing up, you can't really do that with cork-sealed bottles.

There are a lot more issues with cork-sealed wines than the low possibility of damage from a cork shrunken a little by low humidity.

Unless you are cellaring expensive cork-sealed wine for a very long time or happen to know a friendly refrigeration person who has done it before and you have a cellar location suitable for refrigeration installation then a/c is probably easier and cheaper.
Also, those of us in cold areas sometimes need (want) a little heat over winter as well as cooling in summer.

 

[VeniVidiVici]

Not an issue if you don't buy cork-sealed wines.
Define "serious about cellaring your wine". I'm pretty serious but only for about 10 years, some up to 15 or so. The number of people who cellar longer than 10 years is pretty small. For 10-15 years, cork or screwcap, my empirical experience on thousands of bottles of wine from my a/c cooled cellar is that 15-16C and humidity 40%-50% is fine for red wine (I don't cellar or drink whites).
With corks, if the bottle is horizontal the cork is kept wet at the base, there is a capsule covering the cork and it will take a very long time at 40% humidity to dry out the cork top enough to allow seepage and air into the bottle. I store some of my screwcap sealed wines standing up, you can't really do that with cork-sealed bottles.

There are a lot more issues with cork-sealed wines than the low possibility of damage from a cork shrunken a little by low humidity.

Unless you are cellaring expensive cork-sealed wine for a very long time or happen to know a friendly refrigeration person who has done it before and you have a cellar location suitable for refrigeration installation then a/c is probably easier and cheaper.
Also, those of us in cold areas sometimes need (want) a little heat over winter as well as cooling in summer.

Agreed.

My insulated room with AC unit and dry contact ranges between 13 and 16 degrees over the course of a year and around 65% humidity.

Probably 90% plus is screwcap so I don't foresee any issues. Indeed everything I've tried including cork has been fantastic.

I think with the slightly higher temps than a traditional cellar I anticipate a slightly quicker ageing process so will drink accordingly.

 

[sietes]

My interest in wine is a bit more broad, therefore definitely includes a good proportion of wine under cork. I go for 14 degrees and 70-90% humidity.

 

[redbigot]

My interest in wine is a bit more broad, therefore definitely includes a good proportion of wine under cork. I go for 14 degrees and 70-90% humidity.

How long do you/are you intending to cellar these wines?

 

[sietes]

How long do you/are you intending to cellar these wines?

I presently have wine back to the 70's in my cellar.

 

[redbigot]

I presently have wine back to the 70's in my cellar.

Good for you. One of the few with the means and patience.

 

[VeniVidiVici]

Mine is the aforementioned converted spare room. Double brick and extra insulated with split system. Racks are fully braced ikea units then out of shot against the other wall are the lay flat racking for the wines under cork. Around 500 bottles all up.

Still a work in progress but getting there.

 

[Steady]

What do members do to store sparkling wine not under crown seals? Vertical, side or inverted?

I don’t have that many, may stretch to 20, I have some on their side and some are inverted due to space. I’m not cellaring them for more than 5 years. I also have some cork sealed still wine inverted in boxes…

 

[Daver6]

What do members do to store sparkling wine not under crown seals? Vertical, side or inverted?

I don’t have that many, may stretch to 20, I have some on their side and some are inverted due to space. I’m not cellaring them for more than 5 years. I also have some cork sealed still wine inverted in boxes…

I've got about 11 dozen sparkling wines, mainly champagne. All of mine is stored horizontally. I've heard arguments for storing it vertically, but it doesn't gel with me. Inverted makes me cringe, but when I think about it logically, there is no reason this should be problematic.

 

[redbigot]

What do members do to store sparkling wine not under crown seals? Vertical, side or inverted?

Horizontal for me. That's about the only area of my cellar that is single bottle racking, about 100 slots. For sparkling reds and some Champagne.

 

[craven morehead]

Mine is the aforementioned converted spare room. Double brick and extra insulated with split system. Racks are fully braced ikea units then out of shot against the other wall are the lay flat racking for the wines under cork. Around 500 bottles all up.

Still a work in progress but getting there.

The contemplation room

 

[SYD]

Mine is the aforementioned converted spare room. Double brick and extra insulated with split system. Racks are fully braced ikea units then out of shot against the other wall are the lay flat racking for the wines under cork. Around 500 bottles all up.

Still a work in progress but getting there.

I’m fortunate to have a large underground concrete and besser brick bunker come cellar. For ~25yrs, I’ve not felt the need to add climate control as it maintains a steady cool daily temp but does slowly rise and fall with the seasons. Perhaps bumping the humidity in winter might have saved a couple of crumbly corks? But the majority is under stelvin now.

Anyway, much as it is impressive to have wine bottles on display, I’ve always stored wine in the original cardboard (and occasional timber) cases to provide temp and light insulation. It does mean labelling the outside of the box! Arranging by region also helps in choosing the wine (or two) of the night.

I‘ve been using Uncorked cellar software for many years to help maintain the stock and try and avoid the cardinal sin of letting great wine go past its best.

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[redbigot]

Perhaps bumping the humidity in winter might have saved a couple of crumbly corks? But the majority is under stelvin now.

The crumbly corks were probably Penfolds? They were notorious for crumbling after 10 years or so no matter how good the cellaring conditions.

 

[Alex Arch]

Mine is the aforementioned converted spare room. Double brick and extra insulated with split system. Racks are fully braced ikea units then out of shot against the other wall are the lay flat racking for the wines under cork. Around 500 bottles all up.

Still a work in progress but getting there.

Looks like a wine boutique.

 

[SYD]

The crumbly corks were probably Penfolds? They were notorious for crumbling after 10 years or so no matter how good the cellaring conditions.

Actually, pretty much anything 15+ I expect a cork to break or crumble. Fortunately that doesn’t always equate to spoilt wine. Nothing a chopstick (to push the residual cork into the bottle) and a fine tea strainer can’t fix as you decant.

 

[sietes]

Actually, pretty much anything 15+ I expect a cork to break or crumble. Fortunately that doesn’t always equate to spoilt wine. Nothing a chopstick (to push the residual cork into the bottle) and a fine tea strainer can’t fix as you decant.

Apart from the poor corks from the 70s in particular that's usually just poor storage conditions. I've opened 50 year old wines with perfect corks that come out perfectly and 10 year old wines that fall apart. This is how I expect a 10 year old cork to look.

 

[SYD]

Apart from the poor corks from the 70s in particular that's usually just poor storage conditions. I've opened 50 year old wines with perfect corks that come out perfectly and 10 year old wines that fall apart. This is how I expect a 10 year old cork to look.View attachment 254849

If a cork comes out clean from an Australian wine that’s 20+, I’m always pleased.

There was just so much much bad cork here hence the wholesale move to stelvin. Quite different story for French and even US wine makers…

 

[sietes]

If a cork comes out clean from an Australian wine that’s 20+, I’m always pleased.

There was just so much much bad cork here hence the wholesale move to stelvin. Quite different story for French and even US wine makers…

From memory it was a global issue in the 70's caused by the fashion for cork shoes.

I've recently opened an 82 Wynn's Cabernet with a stunning cork. Of course TCA barely exists in modern cork thanks to recent technology to detect the bacterial at the cork production stage.

 

[qaz]

I'm planning a cellar in a renovation. Fairly smallish, under the house and the slab. Does anyone know how likely this will be to have a reasonable environment? Leaving space to add conditioning but not sure if it will be required. In Melbourne.

Hard to say without context within full layout and northerly aspect but on face value seems reasonable if you don't expect much temp variation between night and day and preferably at least under 20 deg year round, ideal would be 16-18

+1 need more information, but this post might help @skittle

Anyway, much as it is impressive to have wine bottles on display, I’ve always stored wine in the original cardboard (and occasional timber) cases to provide temp and light insulation. It does mean labelling the outside of the box! Arranging by region also helps in choosing the wine (or two) of the night.

+1 and by variety

Actually, pretty much anything 15+ I expect a cork to break or crumble. Fortunately that doesn’t always equate to spoilt wine. Nothing a chopstick (to push the residual cork into the bottle) and a fine tea strainer can’t fix as you decant.

coffee filter paper is better than a tea strainer

Apart from the poor corks from the 70s in particular that's usually just poor storage conditions. I've opened 50 year old wines with perfect corks that come out perfectly and 10 year old wines that fall apart. This is how I expect a 10 year old cork to look.View attachment 254849

+1 but also depends upon source/origin/producer

What do members do to store sparkling wine not under crown seals? Vertical, side or inverted?

I don’t have that many, may stretch to 20, I have some on their side and some are inverted due to space. I’m not cellaring them for more than 5 years. I also have some cork sealed still wine inverted in boxes…

I've got about 11 dozen sparkling wines, mainly champagne. All of mine is stored horizontally. I've heard arguments for storing it vertically, but it doesn't gel with me. Inverted makes me cringe, but when I think about it logically, there is no reason this should be problematic.

+1

The humidity recommendation is for cork-sealed wines. It doesn't really matter when you have screwcap sealed wines. Screwcap sealed wines also mature slightly slower (and much more consistently) than a similar cork-sealed wine and are probably less susceptible to rapid temp changes and can probably be cellared at a slightly higher temp to get the desired maturation time.

true re humidity/screwcaps and temperature/maturation

not an issue as the at least 90% of the bottles are screwcapped.

I tend to drink most of my wines by around 10yo, I have just over 10% of bottles older than 10 years (320), although 30 of those are sparkling Shiraz from 2008.

Not an issue if you don't buy cork-sealed wines.
Define "serious about cellaring your wine". I'm pretty serious but only for about 10 years, some up to 15 or so. The number of people who cellar longer than 10 years is pretty small. For 10-15 years, cork or screwcap, my empirical experience on thousands of bottles of wine from my a/c cooled cellar is that 15-16C and humidity 40%-50% is fine for red wine (I don't cellar or drink whites).

so the 10% that aren't screwcapped are sparkling?
i think that you edited your original post that mentioned 3000 bottles in 10yrs, which means you drink/open almost a bottle each day (or one day off per week)?
if you don't buy cork-sealed wines other than sparkling, then does that mean that you don't drink them either?