Refrigeration, Humidity, & Wine Storage

[Mottmott]

I know wine should be stored at 55f, optimally. What are the optimum humidity conditions?

I make a point of buying my wine from a wine shop that claims to make a fetish of 55. I'm not collecting, not auctioning it off, and I usually drink it withing 6-8 or fewer months. I tend not to buy tannic, oaky types of wine and in fact stock up on whites such as Riesling, Sancerre, Moscato, and dessert wines. The reds I buy most often are less expensive and designated more for the pot than the glass.

I've been using my cool basement which is humid in the summer, dry in winter. I do have a refrigerator in the basement. What would happen if I store them there? That would create the most constant environment.

And what is ullage?

[Craig Camp]

The point of humidity to to keep the cork from drying out. Refrigerators normally remove humidity from the air and are too dry for long term storage - or for that matter medium term storage. I would not leave bottles in the refrigerator for more than a week or so.

Ullage is when wine escapes from the bottle due to a cork with a loose seal. The ullage is the missing wine shown by the low fill of the bottle.

It sounds like the wines you are buying are not for long term storing or aging. Assuming your basement is cool you are probably fine there for short term storage. Humidity is more of a long term concern.

[Mottmott]

Thanks Craig. I'm sure I can find an optimal spot in my basement, even if I have to make a rack on rollers so that I can move it to a cooler spot when the heater's on.

[Mottmott]

Thanks Craig. You're right, I'm only buying for my immediate needs over a few months period. I'm sure I can find an optimal spot in my basement. Perhaps I'll start exploring a smallish unit for wine storage. I'm in Penna where the state's pretty much in charge of what you buy unless you buy in larger amounts than I do. So I like to go to Jersey a few times a year and stock up.

[cmben]

Ok. Here is more information than you probaly want or need but ...

Cellaring temperatures & humidity varies with who you ask, The following is a sample of the best folks in the business.

Who Temp Humidity

Broadbent -most 55 F 60%

Old wines 50 F

Port 60 F

Hugh Johnson 50 to 57 F 60-70%

Vandyke Price 45 to 50 F

Steven Spurrier 50 to 54 F 60-70%

Dennis Foley 49 to 52 F 70%

Courtiers-Jures 54 F

Gold 55 F 75-80%

Cellar Masters {*] 54 F 65-70%

{*} that's me, my business is building wine cellars, wine storage facilities and wineries.

The subject of humidity is, I think, a bit overdone. The tradition of high humidity came from old world cellars, which were just that, cellars cut into the earth and naturally humid. There is one in Scotland that is at 48 F and walls drip with humidity, of course there are very few lables on the bottles. High humidity 80% plus is great in barrel rooms at wineries where evaporation through the barrel staves can reach 15%, which at $30-$75 per bottle is a significant loss. A bottle on the other hand is different. First you have the glass bottle itself impervious to air, then you have a cork 1.5" to 2.18" which is covered by a capsule of tin, plastic, wax etc. Assuming thatthe bottle is laying down, as it should for storage, the wine is in contact with the cork keeping it moist. It would take a pretty high temperature and a healthly airflow across the dime sized top of the bottle to dry the cork out to the degree that the wine would be spoiled. The high temperature by itself would accomplish that far faster than the drying out of the cork. A 70 F cellar can accelerate the aging process by 5 to 6 times and in all probably ruin the wine. 60-70% humidity seems be a reasonable range and easily achievable by most self contained wine coolers and absolutely achievable by commercial cooling systems.

[Mottmott]

Thanks cmben,

It's always a pleasure to have more information than I want to know so I know where to get it when I want to know it. And others might need that info now.

Perhaps the eGCI might do a segment on wine and food storage.

[Lancelot]

My understanding of cork has led me to believe that cork could only absorb a maximum of %20 humidity. So if the inside of the bottle is %100 humid, the moisture in the cork will only leave the cork to an enviornment that is below the % of moisture in the cork. My concern would be that if your cellar is too humid the labels will rot, living in Vancouver thats our bigger concern. Maybe i am missing something in my logic. I am sure someone will enlighten me.