Storing Wine in Brownstone
What is the consensus on storing wine in brownstone? Should I keep it in the basement or should I buy the wine fridge? I do not have expensive wine just a couple of cases of cabernet. Still I hate when temperature fluctuates between 90 and 75 twice a day or when bottles moved or shaken.
What is the consensus on storing wine in brownstone? Should I keep it in the basement or should I buy the wine fridge? I do not have expensive wine just a couple of cases of cabernet. Still I hate when temperature fluctuates between 90 and 75 twice a day or when bottles moved or shaken.
I remember quite nostalgically the basement of a liquor store in California that was cool and dry and had thousands of bottles on shelves. It smelled deliciously of wine and cork.
If you’re really cellaring wine, you really need more capacity than the small fridges offer. If you plan on drinking 4 cases a year (pretty low), and want to cellar for 5 years (pretty minimal also), you need space for 20 cases. Potentially much more. 30 bottles doesn’t cut it. (Having made the mistake myself). Sadly, the cheapest units are pretty tall, and I don’t think would fit in the typical brownstone basement. My plan is to build an insulated room in the basement and install one of the fairly inexpensive cooling units to stabilize the temperature in it. My current boiler (near end of life, very inefficient), does a great job heating the whole basement in the wintertime, which is another hurdle to cope with.
Love this thread. What do you think is the average temperature in a below-grade cellar with dirt floors in the summertime in New York City?
I have a wine fridge but I must admit that I have always wanted to turn a portion of the cellar into a “Cave de vin”
I aleady have the cobwebs.
Robert Parker suggests that 70 degrees and below (without fluctuations as previously mentioned – intra day and seasonal) should be fine for several years. Avoid light, movement and also vibrations. Should be fine for 0-2 years, likely more. Several articles on the web for natural cellars.
Humidity is generally an issue for the corks – remedy is to lay bottles on the side to keep the corks moist.
Rule of thumb on temp controlled storage is $2 per bottle, but some retailers (Sherry Lehmann) will store up to 1 year. Best to buy a wine unit in my view.
Yes, if you don’t want to use a fridge, you should use a humidity gauge as well. Corks can mold, rot and mildew.
thanks for the suggestions. BTW, do I need to worry about humidity sipping though the cork in basement?
Bobjohn, my tenants left a brand new, barely-been-used Magic Chef 30 bottle wine cooler. It is in my garage and sells for between $220-$300. I would like to sell it for $100 or another suggested price. If you would like to take it please email me at : salross@verizon.net
I wished I faced this dilemma.