Wine Storage at Home

[wannabechef]

Hi, I'm a complete wine newbie and have a question about storage. I usually only have about 4-5 bottles of wine at a time in my apartment. They sit for anywhere from a week to a year. Right now, I just keep them upright in a high up cabinet in my kitchen. Just last night I opened a bottle of Beaujolais (bought 5 months ago) and it was clearly bad. It tasted carbonated and sour.

My question is - could this be because of my inferior storage, or was the wine likely bad before I purchased it? I know that my storage area is probably too warm - but could a bottle go bad that quickly?

Thanks,

~WBC

[Really Nice!]

Was it a Beaujolais Nouveau? If yes, it won't last very long beacuse it's not supposed to. It's released on the third Thursday in November and its purpose is to celebrate the year's harvest and make some quick money for the vintners. Beaujolais Nouveau should be consummed within 2 months; but others may disagree.

Regarding the storage, find the coolest area of your apartment and lay the bottles on their side. The kitchen is probably not the best place, but it also depends on your local within the apartment. I'm on the 15th floor of a condo facing east. In the hot days summer the place doesn't get cooler than 75F. Those facing west have an even warmer median temperature through out the day.

Edited April 22, 2005 by Really Nice! (log)

[carswell]

Sounds like your bottle may have undergone secondary (in-bottle) fermentation. Or perhaps it hadn't finished fermenting when it was bottled. In any case, it wouldn't be something caused by your storage conditions. The biggest danger with cupboard storage is overheating, which gives red wines a stewed prunes aroma, flattens their taste and prevents them from evolving harmoniously. To avoid "cooking" your wines, you need to find storage where the temperature never exceeds 65-70ºF (20ºC). That's usually pretty hard to do in an apartment (I speak from experience). Small wine fridges can be had for not much these days; I saw a 17-bottle fridge for under US$100 last fall, and that's in expensive Canada. In a pinch, you're better off storing your bottles in your regular fridge than leaving them in a hot cabinet or closet. Just be sure to lay them on their sides if you don't plan to open them in a week or three; it keeps the corks from drying out (of course, if the bottles are closed with plastic corks or screwcaps, you can store them upright with impunity).

[Carolyn Tillie]

Up high in kitchen? Bad.... Heat rises (especially in a kitchen).

Like ReallyNice! said, lower, cooler, on their sides.

Closets are a good place - because the temperatures don't fluctuate as much in a dark closet. Even in regular rooms, temperatures fluctuate just with the daily light coming into them. Until you get into the idea of buying a fridge, the bottom of a closet should be sufficient.

[wattacetti]

Like ReallyNice! said, lower, cooler, on their sides.

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… and preferably in the dark. If your apartment has air conditioning, it will be easier to maintain the temperature range year-round.

[carswell]

Closets are a good place - because the temperatures don't fluctuate as much in a dark closet. Even in regular rooms, temperatures fluctuate just with the daily light coming into them. Until you get into the idea of buying a fridge, the bottom of a closet should be sufficient.

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The first 30 or so bottles in my collection, some of them expensive rarities, ended up cooked because I stored them in the bottom of the coolest closet in my apartment. This being "cool" Montreal, I don't have air-conditioning and it's amazing how warm even the darkest closet gets when you go away for a sunny weekend in July and have to leave the windows closed. And of the cooked wines that others have poured for me, an amazingly high percentage have spent time in apartment closets. I'd strongly recommend to anyone considering closet storage, especially in an unairconditioned apartment, that they get a max/min thermometer and take some readings at the height of the summer before storing wines of value anywhere but the fridge.

[wannabechef]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Yes - it was a Beaujolais Nouveau. I'm going to reevaluate my storage methods too and try to find a better spot. I've learned a lot in this short thread!

~WBC

[jende]

I have a few cases of wine hanging around, about a quarter of which I would consider special occasion bottles. I know it's all relative, so let's just call these bottles that I may not drink for a year or so and that cost me enough that I'd be really pissed if they went bad.

I have always kept my wine in a pantry in my basement: cool temperature, no sunlight, etc. Now I'm moving into a condo that doesn't have a basement, so I'm wondering what to do with my wine.

I don't mind keeping my everyday stuff in a closet, but I'm worried that room temperature is too warm for my "good wine." Plus, I'm concerned about temperature fluctuation since we tend to keep the place cool at night but warmer during the day.

Any insights would be appreciated.

[Global]

I would suggest a standalone wine fridge where you can control the temperature. There is tons of information on the internet about these fridges, and how they can preserve your wine.

They come in a variety of sizes as well.

I know that Cosco sells them if you are near one.

[Busboy]

If you only intend to keep the wines around for a year or two, room temperature with normal fluctuation is fine (as long as the place doesn't get to 95 in the summer when you're on vacation).

I've kept some pretty good stuff around for a lot longer than that with no ill effects.

Take the money you'd spend on a wine fridge and buy more wine!

[Global]

Busboy,

So are you saying that it is only benificial to have a wine fridge if you want to keep wines for more than two years?

The wine that you had around for a long time, under what conditions was it kept?

Also, is it worth having really good wines that you want to age, if you don't have a wine fridge or a wine cellar?

sorry, lots of questions, just curious!

ps. i wasn't suggesting they go out and buy a subzero!!

[RDCollins]

I've been collecting wine for 30 years. In my judgment, the two worst enemies of wine are heat and light. Ideally, long-term storage of wine should be in a dark room or cabinet at between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures will impede development of the wines, especially the reds. Significantly higher temperatures will damage the wine in time, but normal room temps for a year or so are normally OK. The wine should be stored on its side to keep the cork from drying out.

If you're serious about collecting wine, either find a local wine-storage facility or look into buying a wine locker, such as a Vinotemp. A normal refrigerator is fine for whites, at least for the short term.

[Busboy]

Busboy,

So are you saying that it is only benificial to have a wine fridge if you want to keep wines for more than two years?

The wine that you had around for a long time, under what conditions was it kept?

Also, is it worth having really good wines that you want to age, if you don't have a wine fridge or a wine cellar?

sorry, lots of questions, just curious!

ps. i wasn't suggesting they go out and buy a subzero!!

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There are, as always, many variables (as well as people more knowledgeable than me), so I'll speak only of my experience. I don't want to be responsible for the premature death of someone's $500 '05 Margeaux.

My wife and I have been hauling a revolving collection of wines to various locations for a couple of decades now. We usually put them in empty wine cases, in the cellar or a closet, where they stay in the dark and don't get too much heat except the occasional summer heat wave (and then nothing extreme). Quality has ranged from a couple of first-growth Bordeaux to a lot of mid-level reds -- $30-$60 wines that can benefit from a few years on their side. If a wine lasts more than four or five years -- maybe 6 or eight for a cabernet -- we usually drink it up. I can't say for certain that they wouldn't have been better had they been in a climate-controlled facility, but they seem to have showed no ill-effects; some have been extraordinary. I say go ahead and buy some decent stuff for laying down.

The 'fridge thing strikes me as a bit much, especially given the cost, but to each his own.

I'd like to hear what others think, but suspicion is that most red wines, even the good ones, don't develop much after seven or eight years, anyway (though an advantage of the real cellar is that they stay at their peak much longer). So if they're a couple of years old when you buy them from your (reputable) wine shop, and you keep them in the closet for three or four years years after, you're probably drinking a pretty good wine.

[jende]

Thanks for all the good feedback. I've considered buying a wine fridge, but I'd have to give up a kitchen cabinet and it still wouldn't hold all of the wine I have. (they sure look cool, though!).

Another question popped up as I was reading the reponses: is there any problem with keeping the bottles upside down rather than on their side? That makes it easier for storing in cases.

[James Kessler]

My wine collection, sadly is next to zero. I have a couple of good bottles kept on their side in a drawer of a wooden dresser in a room with no external walls or windows. Room temperature is kept between 68 - 78 year-round.

My question refers to a friend who keeps her wine collection in a basement pantry on shelves. Of course light and heat are not really a problem down there, but I noticed very distinctly the smell and feel of humidity in the air. Not really a "mold problem" per se, but it was a little danker than I would have thought good. SO... is humidity, dampness, dankness and/or mold in the basement a serious issue to consider? I was going to tell my friend to get her wine collection OUT of that basement right away, but then I thought I might ask here first.

[Robin Meredith]

I'd like to hear what others think, but suspicion is that most red wines, even the good ones, don't develop much after seven or eight years, anyway

I think this varies a lot by region. I would probably agree with you for the most part when it comes to New World wines, but our experiences with European wines have been quite different. We started buying wine seriously in the 1989 and 1990 vintages, and most of the Bordeaux we purchased from those years (including some fairly humble bottles) is just now entering it's prime - we certainly haven't stumbled across anything that appears to be over the hill. In fact, I was quite taken aback the other night by a 1990 Beaune premier cru from Jadot that was in the "sweet spot" of perfect drinkability - made me think we consumed the rest of our 1990 Burgundy way too early. Our cellaring conditions have been good but not perfect - we have a temperature controlled room, but we've moved a few times and our cooling units have not always been in perfect working order.

I would tend to shy away from Bordeaux and Burgundy without proper storage conditions, but New World wines and even some gutsier Old World categories like Chateaneuf-du-Pape and other Southern Rhone wines should be pretty safe bets. And if you just have a few bottles the refrigerator is probably a worthwhile investment IMHO, especially if you plan on holding some things longer than one or two years.

Edited September 20, 2006 by Robin Meredith (log)

[Busboy]

That looks like good advice to me, Robin. When I was thinking "most" wines don't imporve much after 7 or 8 years. I had definitely excluding Bordeaux, though I've had good luck with drinking Burgundies relatively young.

Probably should note here that better wines of any variety generally take longer to mature, and last longer.

[David McDuff]

My question refers to a friend who keeps her wine collection in a basement pantry on shelves.  Of course light and heat are not really a problem down there, but I noticed very distinctly the smell and feel of humidity in the air.  Not really a "mold problem" per se, but it was a little danker than I would have thought good.  SO... is humidity, dampness, dankness and/or mold in the basement a serious issue to consider?  I was going to tell my friend to get her wine collection OUT of that basement right away, but then I thought I might ask here first.

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Actually, the only problem posed by high humidity levels is that, over time, the labels may discolor, mold and/or fall off of bottles due to moisture. Only submersion would be likely to damage the wines themselves. Temperatures above 70 degrees, oxygen and strong, prolonged light exposure are all of much more concern.

[CarolineLD]

On a related point, how long can wine be kept in the regular fridge?

Caroline

[Christ]

Can anyone tell me the factors that have to be kept in mind to prevent the stored wine?

Thanks in advance!

[docdix]

Hi,

I didn't quite understand your question. Did you mean to ask how to store wine properly or to prevent wine from going bad in storage?

There are three basic things to take note of: Temperature, Humidity and Agitation.

wine storage temperature should be between 12-16C which is ideal for the wine to age in the bottle, the more stable the temp, the better (meaning there are no wide upswings and downswings). The relative humidity of about 50%, this prevents the outer parts of the cork from drying out and shrinking. This means that the common refrigerator is too cold and too dry to store wine long term. If you are planning to do long term storage, the place should be free from being agitated so any sediments that have settled doesn't get mixed up with the wine.

Now having said that, other more minor things of note are; store without any bright lights on them, don't store food (like chocolate, cheese etc...) with wine. I guess screw capped wines have eliminated the humidity issue but the ref is still too cold for the wine to be allowed to mature.

I hope I answered your question.