I live in Texas->no basement. How do I store wine?

Aug 08, 2005 2 Replies

Hi,



I'm getting ready to make my first batch of wine. The problem that I'm trying to solve is how to store the wine. The book that I read on winemaking ("From Vines to Wines") suggests that red wine should be stored at around 60 F. It's always warm here in Texas, and we don't have a basement. By the way, my batches will be small: the first one will be about 3.5-4 gallons, that means 17-20 bottles. It's not like I'm gonna be storing hundreds of bottles. I could take up a closet or some cabinets in the kitchen, but how do I keep it cool? Is there any kind of mini air conditioner that I can buy to keep a small space at around 60 F? Also, my budget is very tight, so I can't just go and spend hundreds of dollars on some nice equipment. Most likely it will have to be do-it-yourself.



Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.



Keep it in your living area. 72-76 is not a problem for your wines. They may age a little faster than those stores at cellar temps, but that'd be all.

I have made hundreds of gallons of wine and stored it at the

70-something my house stays at.

Its never been a problem here.

-b

I live in Texas also and store my wine in my living area as stated above. No problem. In fact, I made wine before I had A/C when temperatures would go over 100 in the storage area. Bad storage but the wine could be made. I just needed to drink it up before it was much over a year old.

Just do it the first few times. Worry about the details in the future after you learn the basics.

Ray in Houston.

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