Storing Wine in a Small House

I store a lot of my wine at about that temperature. It may not be best and it may not age well for 8 or 10 years but for a few years it is just fine.

Ray

Storing your wine properly is the best thing you can do to maximize the potentials of your wines. IMHO, I think 72 is too high - white or red. Wine is a living thing; all other variables constant, temperature has the most effect on wine quality over time. Most wine cellars are kept between 57 to 60 (F). As temp goes up into the 60's, wine will 'age' more quickly. as it goes even higher, you run the risk of wine 'aging' too fast, and even developing off flavors. Other environmental considerations include; humidity, light, and vibration.

Couple suggestions;

• If you can afford it, build a wine cellar. An old closet can be converted - there are plenty of "how to" books available.
• Less expensive, and easier, but still a few $; buy a wine cabinet. Basically, a refrigerator with a higher temp range and (usually) a humidity control.
• For small quantities and a more limited budget; get an old refrigerator and hook it up to an external temp control (many of the wine and home brew places sell them). Long term, this uses more $ in energy costs.

I feel another pertinent question is "how long do you intend to store the wine before drinking?" Our family is a regular consumer of wine and at our rate, the yield from a 5 gallon carboy goes quite quick.

Yes, storing at 72°F is not ideal, but if you consume it within a year, you may be hard pressed to detect a difference in your 25 bottles versus storage at 60F. Unless, of course, you're a master taster.

For cost and ease, I stick with a temperature around what you note for storing bottles around 2 years.

Patrick