I'm fairly new to the wine scene but have already collected around 30 bottles. I went out and purchased a small wine cooler/cellar but due to budget constraints I had to stay cheap. I noticed that I get about an 8-10 degree difference in temps between the top rack and bottom rack of the cooler. I read that wine should be stored between 50-55 degrees F. My question is this. Are there certain wines that I can store in the top rack (around 55) and wines that will store better in the lower rack (around 45) Thanks for you input Skenz
That difference seems rather big for a small unit, are you sure the temp stays reasonably constant? The variation should be as small as possible on a day-to-day basis, say about 1-2 degrees...?
45 makes for a slow development, 55 is a wee bit above optimal, but not bad at all. It will be up to you what bottles to put where. With a 30-bottle cellar I don't think you're going to store things very long anyway. Face it, drink one bottle every month and you have gone through it all in 2.5 years which will be your average storing time.. 45 of 55F in that time span won't mean much, imho. Anders "skenzer" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
haier, avanti, danby ... even the more expensive marvel, u-line, sub-zero, etc. are generally dependable products. they are not designed for indefinite "storage", but are more appropriate to "consume and replace" applications (i.e., short term). on the other hand, there are a few alternative "brands" that have neither the service histories, warranties, nor vendor support provided by mainstream lines. stick with the aforementioned and you'll be o.k.
a true wine cellar will cool slowly and gently to avoid severe fluctuations in temperature. it must access the ambient fresh air supply in order to achieve/maintain appropriate humidity levels.
refrigerators with modified thermostats have no means by which to access the ambient absolute humidity and they cool relatively quickly. when an area is cooled quickly, the warm air (and the associated humidity) is evacuated quickly.
1/3 of the battle is temperature (mid 50's), but fluctuations can have adverse effects, long term, and the dehydrative effect of quick cooling can lead to oxidation/evaporation of the wine.
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