# Mold



## jsmahoney (Jul 4, 2007)

Last evening we were invited to the neighbors for a small get together and fireworks. I went to my scroungy, cobwebby, buggy, damp wine storage basement to grab a couple of bottles of wine. I grabbed a wine I had bottled May 23rd. Although I sterilize my corks when corking the bottle I notice a tiny fuzzy green mold on the outer tops of the corks. Do I have reason for concern? The wine, although being young was still fantastic. Checking the rest of the bottles in the basement, they all have this small fuzzy growing green mold on them. They are all off the concrete floor in plastic crates. I noticed the bottles that are closer to the floor have more green mold on them, rather than the ones that are two feet off the floor. 
Thanks in advance!


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## PolishWineP (Jul 4, 2007)

My guess is that the moisture of the basement is causing the mold growth on the outside of the corks. It may be time to invest in large, plastic tubs for wine storage. 
I would thoroughly scrub the cork area of the bottles, let them dry thoroughly, spritz them with sanitizer, let them dry again and then store them in plastic tubs. (Spraying and drying the plastic tubs wouldn'thurt, either.) If you have A/C, cool the area where you have the wine and plastic tubs waiting to equalize the temperature of wine and tubs with the temp of the wine storage area. This should help prevent condensation on the bottles and in the tubs when you put them back into the basement.
If your basement gets dryer come fall and winter, you may be able to return the bottles to the rack.


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## jsmahoney (Jul 4, 2007)

WOW! I guess I need to figure something out! Over 150 bottles in the basementwith four carboys readyfor bottling. Time to invest in a permanent solution.


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## JWMINNESOTA (Jul 4, 2007)

I run a dehumidifier in the basement for this very reason.


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## masta (Jul 4, 2007)

Using 2-3 oz of bleach in a gallon of water to wash all the moldy surfaces will help also.


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## Wade E (Jul 4, 2007)

I would think of either moving the bottles out of there or using a
sealing wax to protect the corks JS. The latter probably being the
easiest option.


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## jsmahoney (Jul 4, 2007)

186 bottles out of the basement! WHEW! Getting older! Will scrub the corks with clorax water, dry, sanitize, and ? for now. Funny thing, there isn't any mold anywhere else in this small basement. There are boxes, cans and other junk, but they are without mold. Guess, it is a good excuse to turn on the central air! Thanks for all your suggestions and Hope you all have a "WONDERFUL AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY!"


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## Nebraska-Wino (Jul 5, 2007)

Hi neighbor!!


I had the exact same problem with my 600+ bottle cellar.


Humidy was "ideal" at 70% in most of the cellar but the bottom2 feet of racks were 88% humidity... just enough to get mold growing on corks.


I was afraid to use bleach (bleach + cork = TCA??) but I did use a strong sulfite solution to "wash" the mold off. But, the mold came back. So, I washed them again and after they dried, I "waxed" the tops. No problems since.


In the future Imay use synthetic corks for the lower racks.


Good luck....


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## jsmahoney (Jul 5, 2007)

Nebraska-Wino said:


> Hi neighbor!!
> 
> 
> I had the exact same problem with my 600+ bottle cellar.
> ...




HOWDY! Great to see a Nebraskan on the forum. Thanks for the tip. I did wash with clorax, and then sanitized. Placed them back upstairs and turned the AC on. But, will watch and see if the mold returns. Hopefully it shouldn't. I just need to find a solution to a storage area, and $$$$ right now come into the "big picture".


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