What will 70-72 degrees do to wines?

I’ve looked through old threads and can’t find anything that specifically addresses this thing. I live in New Orleans, which presents all sorts of wine cellaring challenges.

No basement obviously. I have proper temperature control for anything I want to cellar more than 5 years, or is otherwise just “too nice” to keep at ambient temperature, but this is for only 165 or so bottles.

Everything else is subject to said ambient temperature. One area of my house, on the ground floor, in a completely dark area, in a room with exterior walls that never get direct light, stays between 64-72 degrees, 72 being the temperature in this area of the house during the summer months when AC is on. The temperature is relatively stable given its location. This is where I store anything that doesn’t fit in the Euro Cave and is intended to be consumed in less than 5 years.

Then on the middle floor I store “everything else”. My daily drinkers and anything I intend to consume in the next couple of years. When AC/heat is off during non summer/winter months, this area is more variable, but still typically 72 on the top end (though, sometimes 74 if I have doors/windows open).

So my question is, how bad is this? How much risk am I exposing these wines to?

With anything that is to be drunk in 5 years or less, you should have no concerns. I’m sure that there will those who tell you otherwise.

It depends on the wine. Older white Burgs may have a problem after 5 years. Big new reds should be more than fine.

I agree with Michael on this one. I’ve stored wines in this temperature range for up to four years without any noticeable impact. Of course, these are all young wines I intend to drink in this time frame.

Thanks everyone. A bit of piece of mind. I’ll be very happy when I’m in a position to add more temperature-controlled storage…

For more peace of mind pop one of the older ones (one that has been subject to the temps for the longest period of time) and seed or yourself. They should all be fine.

A big concern with passive storage is daily temperature swings.

+1. I’ve got a fair amount in similar passive storage, and haven’t had any problems at all in the 5 year timeframe, some much longer.

If you happen to buy wines that are susceptible to brett, temps at that level can allow brett to bloom. Otherwise, no real issues.

Exactly. My only concern would brett, so if you have wines that might be susceptible to brett, it could be a problem. Otherwise no concern.

You should probably drink everything immediately.

PARTY AT JASON’S !!!

In the short term 72°F (=22°c) will be no problem at all.
Over 2-3 years the wine might age faster (and most probably loose a bit of finesse and freshness).
After 5 y still more so - so I wouldn´t recommend this for fragile fragrant wines (Burgundies etc.) … but for a let´s say chateauneuf or heavier californian cabernet it will be less risky.

From the cellar at Chateau Margaux:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/tswa030519.html

I agree - THAT could be a reason for concern.

I guess I should stop storing my Pegau in that cabinet above the stove.

In glad I have a wine “problem” and can’t manage to keep bottles for more than 2-3 years. However, I never spend more than $100 on a bottle. I have 80 bottles in my little tiny cellar which will turn over by 2017 and some by 2018. They are each get replaced as I drink them with two bottles of something that looks interesting based on what people post on this board (long time lurker).

If 12 to 19C betwen Winter and Summer is good enough for Margaux from te 19th century… that’s good enough for me as well, I suppose

Thank you for posting that! I’ve been hunting for that article for years! This subject comes up every so often, and I have wanted to post it. This article made me sleep better when I was relying on a passive cellar.

I see no issues with short term storage under the conditions you describe. Refrigeration for wine is a relatively new phenomenon.