RJ Spagnols Aging in a wine fridge

[facn1989]

Hi,

I'll be aging my kits in a wine fridge (yes, I went crazy and bought a 300+ bottle wine fridge. And yes, my wife hates me now). Our place gets HOT in the summer and I can't keep my wines at 80+ degrees for months on end. The point is, I'll be aging at 55F. That is cooler than most of you age at. So if your wines start being good at 2 years for the high end kits, should I wait 2.5 years or so since my wines will age a little slower because of the temperature?

Or is everyone aging in a cool basement at around 60F and won't make much difference? I could also put my fridge at a higher temp if necessary, but 55F seems to be the industry consensus as the best temp to age.

Thanks!

 

[Johnd]

Hi,

I'll be aging my kits in a wine fridge (yes, I went crazy and bought a 300+ bottle wine fridge. And yes, my wife hates me now). Our place gets HOT in the summer and I can't keep my wines at 80+ degrees for months on end. The point is, I'll be aging at 55F. That is cooler than most of you age at. So if your wines start being good at 2 years for the high end kits, should I wait 2.5 years or so since my wines will age a little slower because of the temperature?

Or is everyone aging in a cool basement at around 60F and won't make much difference? I could also put my fridge at a higher temp if necessary, but 55F seems to be the industry consensus as the best temp to age.

Thanks!

55 F is considered by many to be the "holy grail" of aging temps, with humidity in the 60%-70% range. It's also important not to have temperature fluctuations for optimum aging as well. I do not personally feel like you need to try to equate it to a time equivalent for different temps, your wine will be at the right age when you determine that it's at its best, aged at whatever reasonable and constant temperature you can muster to maintain.

Higher temps to age a wine quicker don't hasten the process with the same quality derived from aging with proper storage temps, they don't develop the same at elevated temps as they do aging gracefully at 55ish.

No bashing is intended for anyone who chooses to age their wine at higher or lower temps, but the 80+ that you cite above wouldn't be good for the wine, you should try to improve that for sure.

 

[facn1989]

Thanks John, I bit the bullet and bought a big wine fridge to avoid damaging my wines at high temps in the summer. I keep the fridge at 55 and stays within +/-2 degrees. Now, on to the most difficult part of wine-making,...waiting!

 

[GaDawg]

Hi,

I'll be aging my kits in a wine fridge (yes, I went crazy and bought a 300+ bottle wine fridge. And yes, my wife hates me now).
Thanks!

You the man!!!

 

[dcbrown73]

300 bottle fridge? You should have built a walk-in! Then I could age my wines there too!

Actually, the building I work in has a wine storage company attached to it. I just bottled another wine with a second one on deck. The wine is really building up in my walk-in closet. I think I'm going to move all the full cases there. ($2/month per case, $6/month for mixed cases (not sure why!))

Being next to my work makes it at least somewhat convenient place to have it.


My wines currently set about 71F. The storage company stores them at 55F.

 

[Boatboy24]

I think you could easily store your wine at a slightly higher temp without issue. To me, 55 is a little on the cold side. I keep my fridge at 58 and like that. It seems to fluctuate between 57 and 60 (it is not a fancy fridge - Home Depot purchase). It is basically a 'serving fridge' for me. All my other wine is kept in the basement that ranges probably from the low 60's to maybe 70 degrees. Regardless of what temp you settle on, I think you made a wise move. Storing wine in an area that exceeds 80F is not a good idea, IMHO.

 

[facn1989]

I think you could easily store your wine at a slightly higher temp without issue. To me, 55 is a little on the cold side. I keep my fridge at 58 and like that. It seems to fluctuate between 57 and 60 (it is not a fancy fridge - Home Depot purchase). It is basically a 'serving fridge' for me. All my other wine is kept in the basement that ranges probably from the low 60's to maybe 70 degrees. Regardless of what temp you settle on, I think you made a wise move. Storing wine in an area that exceeds 80F is not a good idea, IMHO.

I live in an apartment so my options are limited. I can't really build anything and need all the closet space I have. Only other option is renting a climate controlled storage unit for $100/month

 

[MHSKIBUM]

I keep my wine in a corner of the basement that stays at 64-68 degrees for 10 months a year but on really hot days it can get up to 75-78. I make medium-priced kit wines and age them for two years or less. We consume 300-400 bottles a year so they don't last long. Any advice for me if I get into top tier kits? I'd need a wine fridge that holds upwards of 100 bottles.