So i am pretty new to this and i am having a few issues. First, my basement stays a constant 68-69 degrees. Nothing i can really do about this. Second, i have every intention of moving within 3 years where i will make sure to build a wine cellar. So my problem becomes, i have a few nice bottles right now. They are kept in a styrofoam cooler in a corner. I will purchase maybe 12 bottles per year for now. Probably $75-$150 per bottle. The reviews for wine fridges with 50 bottle capacity that cost under $1000 all pretty much stink and since it is temporary, about 3 years, a waste of money for the fridge. So again back to the problem, store the wine at 68-69 degrees for up to 3 years or break down and spend $1000 on a fridge that will probably break down and i wont use after i move.
Anyone see a problem with my basement for this time frame?
If you only plan on buying 12 bottles a year at most why can’t a cheap $300 wine cooler off Craigslist work? It keeps the temperature down and it’s fine for three years.
As long as it’s a constant 68 summer to winter and you’re only looking to have these wines for personal consumption and not resale, the basement should be fine. It’s the extreme temperature fluctuations that can do short to mid-term damage in a passive cellar. You may loose a few extra years off the back end of some wines if you’re cellaring something for a couple decades, but beyond that it shouldn’t hurt you in the short term.
Joe
What part of the world are you in? Do you have temperature controlled offsite locations? Might be worth looking into sharing a locker with someone, or getting a very small one for yourself. You could always try to find a used fridge, try Craigslist, or buy something you’d intend to use in your next house? Like an undercounter model?
I wouldn’t think that stable in the 60s would wreck your wine either, though I would be hesitant to expect any wine stored like that for years to age a very long time.
Im in northern illinois. I have not looked at any off site due to the almost non existant collection i have so far. I have a real intention to start buying larger quantities after 3 years to store for between 10-20 years. The 3 year gap also allows me to experiment with wine tasting to get to what i reall enjoy. So far red zin and malbecs are what i am into. But i havent really tried lots so who knows. I didnt like the chianti and i dont really care for chardoney or merlot.
I’d suggest not worrying about storage at all right now, you’d be better off spending whatever money on tastings or random bottles to try out. There’s a mountain of wine out there, you can’t go wrong learning as much as possible before worrying about aging anything…
I agree with Andrew. Don’t worry about storage if you don’t know what you prefer to drink down the road. Red zin and malbec taste great with a few years on them but would do fine in the stable temp you describe for a few years. There are plenty of 50 bottle fridges cheap that would do fine for a few years and beyond for some of the more delicate wines you might want to age down the road. I live in the Chicagoland area and have around 500 wines with 50% passive cellar and 50% wine fridges and have done fine for years. The passive stays in the mid to upper 60s year round dedicated to those wines I’ll drink in the next 5 years, and the fridges are for the longer term wines. Hope this helps.
I have had passive basement cellars in the last three houses for over thirty years with only five bottles that old, most under twenty. I just drank the last bottle of '85 Riesling that I made and it was still drinkable. I would like to have a chiller for the whites as my wife likes them cooler than cellar temp which stays between 68-72F.
Bet you a nice bottle you buy more than twelve bottles a month by the time three years are up
Great time to get acquainted with all kinds of stuff. Buy things the are ready to drink and don’t worry about storage. Also don’t rule anything out just yet, even things like Chardonnay. Just drink drink drink.
Im a fairly impatient person at times. I will have to hold myself back for three years somehow. But the reason i want to start storage now is because i try to plan things out. My kids are 8 and 6 so by the time they are graduating college, getting married etc and i have all these events in my life, id like to have really good wine for the events. Another three years makes a difference.
So what about these off site wine storage places. Any in the north suburbs of chicago? Links so i can see some prices.
Id be the last person to suggest you dont buy anything Joe. I have a buying problem. But I did end up with about 100 bottles that I have no interest in drinking because I had not honed in on what I really like and want to drink. You will not miss out if you wait, we are having vintages of the century every year. The quality is ridiculous but the hype is even worse. Knowing what you like, from your own taste buds, is the only fail safe way to go, and even that will change. If you buy high quality wines because of impatience, #1 welcome to the club, #2 There is no way in hell you stick to 12 bottles a year, and #3 definitely get some kind of active storage, though a 100 bottle used unit off Craig’s list should suffice. Good luck!
The floow of you basment is likely cooler that higher up. Keep your bottles in styro on the floor and you will be fine. If you want, get a small wine fridge at Costco, etc. and put your prized bottles in there.
Dude - if you’re spending $75 and up a bottle, you’re really buying some expensive Zin! Holy crap!
My suggestion is don’t buy a wine fridge and don’t worry about storage. If you keep the wine for 3 years in the conditions you describe, it will most likely be fine. Why? Partly because those aren’t killer temps and partly because most of the Zins and Malbecs you’re buying are fairly stable. Unless you’re getting some outliers, they’re not like some no-sulfur French wine from some obscure region that’s going to crap out in a year.
I’d keep trying wine and see if I could get my hands on some older ones. There’s no reason that you have to like any particular wine or region or style, even if many people sing its praises. And you may not like wine with some age on it. Ten years isn’t all that long to store most good wine - I guess most rosados and inexpensive stuff wouldn’t keep all that long but you’d be surprised at how stable many standard-issue wines can be, including stuff like Chateau St Michelle that goes for $15.
From experience, I’ve stored a lot of wine at the temps you’re describing, just putting it in the basement, and it’s not been damaged. For long term, it’s not an ideal solution but for 3 years I think you’re OK. And maybe if worse comes to worst and the temps go really high, you can stick some kind of AC unit in a window.
I am sorry for misleading people. So far the wines I have bought for keeping are Pinot noire and cabs, names are french and italian and i read that they were these two types. These have cost me 75-150. The zins and malbecs I have drunk have been under 75 a bottle but I’d like to move up on those if I can.
Not too many zins over $75, some turleys and I cant honestly think of any others. Even Turley is hard to find at $75 outside of a restaurant.
There are some expensive Malbecs out there but in my experience they are not any better than a $40 Malbec if chose wisely.
Pinot and cabs…now those you can spend the farm on.
So would you cellar any zins or malbecs, long term or just short term? So far these two re my favorites. Cabs are ok and the pinot noir are slightly better but id rather drink the zins or malbecs?
There are very few zins or malbecs that are going to be appreciably better or different in three years, so I wouldn’t worry about long-term storage of those. If the cabs and pinots are from Bordeaux and Burgundy, though, in the $75+ price range they’ll likely improve for 10+ years. I wouldn’t worry too much about three years in the high 60s at an early stage in their life, but beyond that it would be good to get the temperature down a bit more.
By the way, you’re sounding Scottish about this refrigerator issue, too.
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