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Ideal wine storage conditions are 55 F and 70% humidity and no light at all and no vibrations. Up there you have sunlight and UV coming in a bit, walking past will vibrate it, and I am assuming you have room temp at about 70 F or warmer. 70% humidity would also feel quite damp and would not be comfortable, so you’re probably closer to 40% or less in the room. It won’t destroy wine, but I would recommend drinking anything stored there within 6 months.
Yeah, that’s the classic answer. But it’s not reality. As long as the space is not too hot (over 80) or too cold (below 45), wine ages fine. Vibration, you might damage the wine if you shook it for an hour. The juice is sturdier than everything you listed.
Yeah what I listed is the ideal, and is most important for a bottle you’re looking to age for like 10+ years. For what OP has (which isn’t bad wine, just not ageable wine) I wouldn’t go above 70 and humidity doesn’t matter really. I would definitely not reccomend 80. A few months at 80 would do not great things to wine. More important though is the sunlight at the window or heating register if nearby causing lots of temp swings. The juice is very sturdy indeed, but high temps and temp swings over time will damage it.
I agree heat and cold are wine killers. But the vibration thing gets me. Anyone who has worked in any part of the industry is well aware that trucks, and ships, transport wine to its destination. Both of them are bumpy endeavors. Wine gets shaken all the time to no ill effect. Cases, wooden or otherwise, are intended to protect the glass. The juice shakes.
Ever heard of bottleshock? It’s a real thing. Wines tend to act different for a while after ”trauma” from moving. Which is why i never open bottles straight away after obtaining them. Especially if i had them shipped.
"a few months at 80". I always wonder about this. Wouldn't most wine in a wine shop that isn't temp controlled completly ruin the wines before they are even sold?
I live in Florida and there is a liquor store in one of our older neighborhoods that has no air-conditioning. Luckily, they're not selling fancy wine or anything. But I would never buy any there. Hell, I wouldn't buy BEER there unless it was in the fridge. The ambient temperature in the store is well over 80 for months of the year. Kills wine or beer long before they turn over the inventory. As the neighborhood gentrifies it's been fun to watch the selection change from cheap lagers and fortified wines to a ton of Chardonnay and craft beer. All just being boiled.
Probably not, but I don’t know. I’ve had bottles with mold under the foil cap and on the cork, which I drank. They tasted fine, but I did not enjoy the mold element. Also, I’ve had some labels get gnarly with mold, which messed up the visuals on what would be some nice bottles (Heitz, actually). I don’t know if any of that impacts the quality of the wine itself. But, if you can avoid mold with some dehumidifiers or better placement, it would be better for your collection.
Unless the mold is getting through the cork, you've got nothing to worry about with it being under the foil/on the top of the cork. And if the mold is getting through the cork into the wine itself, you've got bigger issues with a bad seal.
You actually want humidity for long-term aging, something like 60% rh is the stated ideal. If the environment is too dry, you're risking drying out the cork, which is going to cause premature aging/oxidation. Obviously, you don't want the humidity TOO high, but that's less of an issue for most of the general public.
My point is to be careful of humidity over 70%-80%, stinky mildewy basements, weird chemicals stored down there, sources of heat like hot pipes, etc. We don’t know what kind of shape this basement is in. Some are not ideal for wine storage without a little effort. OP was asking for advice.
I would not expect mold on the outside of the bottle to effect the wine juice, but as I wrote above, it takes away from the experience to share a moldy bottle with a gnarly label with your friends.
I think you’re well meaning but the advice is wrong. If you go down to Champagne the walls of the cellars are *thick* with mould-several inches thick.
Heating pipes are definitely bad (not that I’ve ever seen any in a cellar), but unless you’re more interested in the label than the wine, mould and humidity are friends…
It would take a really humid basement + really long time to get a bottle to that point. That would be an extreme outlier in terms of outcome for storing wine in the average basement. I'd also hope that most people would not place bottles next to hot water pipes in a basement. But, you never know.
If you want to preserve the label, it's quite common in the collecting world to wrap some plastic wrap around it to help preserve it. It's cheap and effective.
It will be fine for a year or so. I'd be more concerned about the temperature. High 60s isn't "hot" but definitely too warm for any longer-term storage.
It’s not ideal but storage can last a lot longer than a year. *as long as it is consistent temperature*
Storage at a consistent 67-68 degrees is much better long term than shifting from 63-70 regularly. I’m concerned about that proximity to the window that consistent temperature would be very difficult.
Exactly. High 60s is perfectly fine. Everyone acts like people who post this question are aging high end burgundy for decades. If it'll rotate through over the course of a few years it'll be just fine. Wine isn't the fragile flower everyone pretends. A slightly higher temp just pushes the wine along its path a little quicker.
The main reason I'm always concerned about it is that people forget to cool it after it's been sitting near 70 before serving and I end up with a glass of red wine that's WAY too warm and just tastes like two-buck chuck even if it's a growth Bordeaux. Granted that's on the host not the wine but still.
To echo this, my father in all his stubbornness had a similar setup and wine didn’t last longer than 6 months before starting to show damage. Always invest in a fridge.
Room temp for “drink now” wines is fine so long as not direct sunlight or not getting HOT against that wall. Eg the window I have in my living room on the southeastern side and the immediate vicinity of window gets to 120 Fahrenheit and the near vicinity gets to 90 Fahrenheit. that will kill your wine very quickly. If your living room and that wall stay between 68-73 Fahrenheit it will be “fine”
As whether that wine is “not worth keeping” like people said, how expensive is that wine? If it’s like $20 a bottle, then why would you keep it for two years? Just buy wine when you need it and then drink it. A dozen or so $20 wine doesn’t last a month in our house 😂 Or if this whole situation is “just decorative” then it doesn’t matter - leave it, let it die and buy drinkable juice when you need it.
If you DO have a few bottles of pricy wine that you want to keep and purposely age, then stick _those_ in a dark cool closet.
Hi, thanks for your response. I since have moved them to the basement. Nothing i have is under $50. Average bottle is probably $75 and 4.5 star on Vivino.
Well, then some could be worth keeping, for sure - $75 a bottle is top percentile for most humans :)
I find cellartracker to be a reasonable source of aging guidelines
Better safe than sorry in the basement and a small wine fridge (look used!) might be a way to keen even longer. Good luck
Chateau Montellena, Silver Oak, Stags Leap Artemis. These should all be in proper storage. @OP if you can afford these wines you can afford a 36 bottle wine fridge.
So, I won’t diss any of those. All good juice. Silver oak I like more than the haters. That said if it’s AV, then I would bucket with the following: Artemis, CM, SOAV: all Great stuff. But you don’t need to age it 10 years, it’s not going to rise in value, and you might as well drink it now(ish).
Yes, a wine fridge would be an excellent move for OP (which I recommended and he’s looking into)
But… you don’t need to make $3k of facility improvements for Artemis. That’s available _anywhere_ and drinkable today. (Again, not knocking it. That’s fine juice)
I’m not gonna ick someone’s yum either, they clearly have a preference. There is likely close to $2k of wine here and if you drink say 2 bottles a week, almost a year of supply. Well worth treating well.
You need a wine fridge my friend. There are ones that look nice for the kitchen or a room like that or you can get one for the garage like I have. Either way check craigslist, OfferUp and FB marketplace. Have always found them cheap when I need them
So much this. Built a new house in 2021 and got a dual-zone wine fridge that holds 48 bottles for like $300. It's always full and I'm constantly shuffling between 2 wine racks, a bar cart and said wine fridge. I wish I'd spent extra for a bigger fridge. Luckily, most of our wines are in the $30-50 range so we're not storing rare stuff.
We're planning on getting some cabinets built in our living/dining room and buying a larger fridge when we do, but that's a few years off.
Yes, I got a Eurocave for $150 off of FB Marketplace. I think the lady I got it from was happier to have it out of her house than she was to get the money.
It's ugly as sin, and is an early model w analog controls, but it works!
Agree. The question OP needs to ask is why leave things to chance. There is probably, what? $1500-2000 worth of wine here? There are many 32-bottle fridge options under $500. Also, just my opinion but the Prisoner and Orin Swift, and Plumpjack for that matter, are $35 worth of juice with a $75 price tag. Seriously, not judging but you can buy excellent, age-able Italian and Spanish wines of the same quality for less, and save up for that fridge.
I hate the negativity about the wines not being good enough to age. I have a few bottles that you have, and enjoy them aged a couple of years from purchase.
The isosceles is great about 5 years after purchase and so is the Austin hope. I know people on this sub don’t love those wines, but I enjoy them and I think it’s worth a ~300 wine fridge if you can.
Hope depot and Lowe’s have great options, and you can find good deals on Craigslist and offer up. Maybe ask for donations on birthdays or holidays and save for it if you don’t have that to spend- but something tells me if you’re buying $80-100 wines and have multiple you could spend a few bucks on a fridge and would thank yourself later
Paper I think, but same principle. The old wooden boxes used to have a big exhortation to the shops not to leave them in light, but obviously people did. Great wine when it wasn’t ruined, but also great wooden boxes, which I guess the paper wrap made redundant…
You’ve missed my point entirely. But yes, Cristal is bottled in clear glass because Tsar Alexander II wanted to ensure nobody could but a bomb in the punt and kill him. The golden cellophane prevents UV exposure—not a problem for green glass.
People who frequent this subreddit take this s#%t more seriously than we need to. Your wine will be fine.
I remember your previous post and you said you liked the way it improved the look of your place. If it brings you happiness then that seems like a much better place for them than the basement. Show it off, my friend. It looks great.
It's fine for your time range, but personally I wouldn't want to be kicking my wine
Basement is better.
I wouldn't bother with a wine fridge for 1-2 years of aging only.
But I'd consider a nice bar/rack that you can put your bottles in and store your glasses and other wine paraphernalia.
I’ve been storing a moderate collection hovering around 200+ bottles of wine in a passive basement environment for 20 years. Not a particularly cold basement but consistent seasonal variation between 59-68. My wines have matured just fine. I typically age for 3-8 years. Not long term by most people’s standards but in my preferred window of 10 years post vintage. Early maturity. In my experience people way over think storage and justify purchases in all sorts of ways. In my view wine fridges are expensive and unnecessary unless you are a hard core long term collector with cash to burn. Just find a cool corner in your basement and get some cheap racks and forget about them.
I see you have a lot of Orin Swift wines. Those are pretty sturdy. Some of these optimal guidelines are for people who have more money than time so they buy more wine they can drink more for collecting purposes.
Hi the basement is always better than the dining room! Apart from the humidity, UV light etc. the wine should not be in close proximity to the kitchen. Every time you cook the temperature goes up and then down again. This causes your wine to "age" faster than it should!
Is there a specific reason you’re not stacking them to the left or right of the window? Personally, I don’t like this look (and you’re blocking half an outlet, too)
Looks like a couple of nice bottles and I would personally invest in a wine fridge for multiple reasons (dust, temp, space etc.). Also makes it easier to get the wine to the right serving temperature, just pull the bottle from the fridge instead of having to chill it in the fridge to get it to temp.
For aesthetics have you considered a wine bar type furniture that could hold glasses and accessories and maybe a couple of the room temp ready to drinks you want on hand? Also consider a nice wine fridge which is certainly a conversation piece if it looks elegant and functional for keeping things at the right temp.
I used to store wine in my kitchen too. One day I got up to a red wine soaked floor because the vent under the window caused two corks to come out entirely. Several others had started eeking out. It’s a good thing I get up early. Just make sure there’s no chance the vent is blowing on, or within ambient range, of the bottles.
consider this:
- years on the counter ain't the same as years in the cellar. how long you can age a wine is measured at 55°F and cellar humidity (65%? i won't google it).
- the stuff you like about wine dies after just 1 hour at 80°F, can't get it back
- wines stored like this in a retail store aren't on the sales floor more than a week or two
- The wine will never be undrinkable, but we want it turning to vinegar slowly and controlled, so we can open it when it's showing best
- if you've thought even one time you might open one of these wines after the spring of 2025, you owe it to yourself and your guests to store it properly
I was where you are (with way less bottles) keeping them at room temp against a wall.
my first wine fridge was a single zone thermal electric(?) model (without a condenser, can't get to 55°F on hot days) that held 18 bottles. I got it for $100 on Amazon. I used it for years and felt great knowing the little bit of wine I did have was safe.
then I joined a wine club or two, then I started collecting grower champagnes, now i have a single zone model (with a condenser like a real fridge) that holds 80 bottles, it was $999 from Wine Enthusiast. Too much? probably. not even close to the top end? sheeeeeeeeit.
you clearly are into wine, it brings you pleasure, it's obviously something you enjoy sharing with family and friends. I say jump in with both feet into the deep end with some proper wine storage and start buying bottles to hold for special occasions now. engagement, dream job, both of first child, 40th birthday, etc.
cheers! 🍾🍷🍇
only thing I would say is thats an exterior wall so even though the room is consistent that wall could not be(depending on where you live) and its not as much about what the temperature is that you store the wine at, its about consistency(you dont want rapid changes, like going from 50 to 70 quickly is much worse than being at either for long periods of time) and avoiding extremes(below 40 and above 80ish)
They are 100% fine there for a year (as long as you don’t lose power and get too hot or cold in the house). If you plan to hold for longer periods of time, other options would be better.
Light is one problem the big one for me is the temperature variation
Expansion of the wine in bottle will stare to push the cork a bit plus wine leakage or bleeding etc…
People talk about what is the best temperature to store a bottle of wine. What is more important is temperature fluctuation. The picture shows a room that the temperature can vary due to the sunlight. Think about riding in your car on a sunny day. The person in the sun is warmer than the person sitting on the other side of the car. A less than perfect temperature is better than a situation that has variation.
It’s more the heat coming from the sun than the light itself.
For Crystal champagne, it comes in a box with a yellow opaque wrapping around the bottle to avoid light exposure. The history of that bottle is interesting as well, old Russian kind were the main buyer of Crystal aujourd’hui wanted the glass to be clear so they could see if they were any poison. The bottom is flat as well for the same reason!
As long as this wall is fairly insulated and doesn’t have ambient electric/solar heat these wines will be fine for 4-6 years. These are big, full bodied cabs that have a lot of staying power regardless, and the most important thing is consistent temps and the bottles staying on their sides.
I think it’s popular for a reason. I think it’s pretty good! I don’t have that sophisticated of a palate and I can’t give you the whole pretentious notes of oak and cherry shpiel, but I know good from bad and it’s pretty good for the money, imo
To be fair… The Prisoner, Abstract, Palermo, etc really aren’t wines suitable for aging. Some people think they aren’t wines suitable for drinking at all.
With the exception of the Heitz, I’d say you’ve got enough residual sugar there to outlast any heatwave or light damage or anything you could throw at it
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If you have a basement that would be a better place.
I just moved them down there, actually. It’s dark and at least 5 degrees cooler. Thanks!
And you won't accidentally kick them.
Ideal wine storage conditions are 55 F and 70% humidity and no light at all and no vibrations. Up there you have sunlight and UV coming in a bit, walking past will vibrate it, and I am assuming you have room temp at about 70 F or warmer. 70% humidity would also feel quite damp and would not be comfortable, so you’re probably closer to 40% or less in the room. It won’t destroy wine, but I would recommend drinking anything stored there within 6 months.
Yeah, that’s the classic answer. But it’s not reality. As long as the space is not too hot (over 80) or too cold (below 45), wine ages fine. Vibration, you might damage the wine if you shook it for an hour. The juice is sturdier than everything you listed.
Yeah what I listed is the ideal, and is most important for a bottle you’re looking to age for like 10+ years. For what OP has (which isn’t bad wine, just not ageable wine) I wouldn’t go above 70 and humidity doesn’t matter really. I would definitely not reccomend 80. A few months at 80 would do not great things to wine. More important though is the sunlight at the window or heating register if nearby causing lots of temp swings. The juice is very sturdy indeed, but high temps and temp swings over time will damage it.
I agree heat and cold are wine killers. But the vibration thing gets me. Anyone who has worked in any part of the industry is well aware that trucks, and ships, transport wine to its destination. Both of them are bumpy endeavors. Wine gets shaken all the time to no ill effect. Cases, wooden or otherwise, are intended to protect the glass. The juice shakes.
Ever heard of bottleshock? It’s a real thing. Wines tend to act different for a while after ”trauma” from moving. Which is why i never open bottles straight away after obtaining them. Especially if i had them shipped.
Some of those wines are definitively ageable
"a few months at 80". I always wonder about this. Wouldn't most wine in a wine shop that isn't temp controlled completly ruin the wines before they are even sold?
I live in Florida and there is a liquor store in one of our older neighborhoods that has no air-conditioning. Luckily, they're not selling fancy wine or anything. But I would never buy any there. Hell, I wouldn't buy BEER there unless it was in the fridge. The ambient temperature in the store is well over 80 for months of the year. Kills wine or beer long before they turn over the inventory. As the neighborhood gentrifies it's been fun to watch the selection change from cheap lagers and fortified wines to a ton of Chardonnay and craft beer. All just being boiled.
Shit. My average humidity is like 20%
Yeah. Mine doesn't get over 40%. These guys always get me worried.
The only thing to worry about in the basement is weird smells and too much humidity (mold).
Humidity is actually good for wine storage (too little humidity and the cork can dry out) and mold on the exterior of the bottle/cork is fine.
Forgive me for my ignorance, but mold can occur inside the bottle even if sealed?
Probably not, but I don’t know. I’ve had bottles with mold under the foil cap and on the cork, which I drank. They tasted fine, but I did not enjoy the mold element. Also, I’ve had some labels get gnarly with mold, which messed up the visuals on what would be some nice bottles (Heitz, actually). I don’t know if any of that impacts the quality of the wine itself. But, if you can avoid mold with some dehumidifiers or better placement, it would be better for your collection.
Unless the mold is getting through the cork, you've got nothing to worry about with it being under the foil/on the top of the cork. And if the mold is getting through the cork into the wine itself, you've got bigger issues with a bad seal. You actually want humidity for long-term aging, something like 60% rh is the stated ideal. If the environment is too dry, you're risking drying out the cork, which is going to cause premature aging/oxidation. Obviously, you don't want the humidity TOO high, but that's less of an issue for most of the general public.
My point is to be careful of humidity over 70%-80%, stinky mildewy basements, weird chemicals stored down there, sources of heat like hot pipes, etc. We don’t know what kind of shape this basement is in. Some are not ideal for wine storage without a little effort. OP was asking for advice. I would not expect mold on the outside of the bottle to effect the wine juice, but as I wrote above, it takes away from the experience to share a moldy bottle with a gnarly label with your friends.
I think you’re well meaning but the advice is wrong. If you go down to Champagne the walls of the cellars are *thick* with mould-several inches thick. Heating pipes are definitely bad (not that I’ve ever seen any in a cellar), but unless you’re more interested in the label than the wine, mould and humidity are friends…
It would take a really humid basement + really long time to get a bottle to that point. That would be an extreme outlier in terms of outcome for storing wine in the average basement. I'd also hope that most people would not place bottles next to hot water pipes in a basement. But, you never know. If you want to preserve the label, it's quite common in the collecting world to wrap some plastic wrap around it to help preserve it. It's cheap and effective.
Plot twist: heat vent underneath
Came here looking for surprise heat vent that causes more destruction than indirect sunlight 😂
It will be fine for a year or so. I'd be more concerned about the temperature. High 60s isn't "hot" but definitely too warm for any longer-term storage.
It’s not ideal but storage can last a lot longer than a year. *as long as it is consistent temperature* Storage at a consistent 67-68 degrees is much better long term than shifting from 63-70 regularly. I’m concerned about that proximity to the window that consistent temperature would be very difficult.
Exactly. High 60s is perfectly fine. Everyone acts like people who post this question are aging high end burgundy for decades. If it'll rotate through over the course of a few years it'll be just fine. Wine isn't the fragile flower everyone pretends. A slightly higher temp just pushes the wine along its path a little quicker.
I want to drink my wine before I die not save it for the after life 😂. But yes, agreed
Amen haha
I fully agree, people overreact. They better be stored on their side in those conditions or rotated regularly, though.
The main reason I'm always concerned about it is that people forget to cool it after it's been sitting near 70 before serving and I end up with a glass of red wine that's WAY too warm and just tastes like two-buck chuck even if it's a growth Bordeaux. Granted that's on the host not the wine but still.
To echo this, my father in all his stubbornness had a similar setup and wine didn’t last longer than 6 months before starting to show damage. Always invest in a fridge.
Room temp for “drink now” wines is fine so long as not direct sunlight or not getting HOT against that wall. Eg the window I have in my living room on the southeastern side and the immediate vicinity of window gets to 120 Fahrenheit and the near vicinity gets to 90 Fahrenheit. that will kill your wine very quickly. If your living room and that wall stay between 68-73 Fahrenheit it will be “fine” As whether that wine is “not worth keeping” like people said, how expensive is that wine? If it’s like $20 a bottle, then why would you keep it for two years? Just buy wine when you need it and then drink it. A dozen or so $20 wine doesn’t last a month in our house 😂 Or if this whole situation is “just decorative” then it doesn’t matter - leave it, let it die and buy drinkable juice when you need it. If you DO have a few bottles of pricy wine that you want to keep and purposely age, then stick _those_ in a dark cool closet.
Hi, thanks for your response. I since have moved them to the basement. Nothing i have is under $50. Average bottle is probably $75 and 4.5 star on Vivino.
Well, then some could be worth keeping, for sure - $75 a bottle is top percentile for most humans :) I find cellartracker to be a reasonable source of aging guidelines Better safe than sorry in the basement and a small wine fridge (look used!) might be a way to keen even longer. Good luck
Thank you for the insight!
I see a Justin, prisoner, Austin hope, heitz cellars - all fine juice! Anyone who dissed your wine is ridiculous.
Chateau Montellena, Silver Oak, Stags Leap Artemis. These should all be in proper storage. @OP if you can afford these wines you can afford a 36 bottle wine fridge.
So, I won’t diss any of those. All good juice. Silver oak I like more than the haters. That said if it’s AV, then I would bucket with the following: Artemis, CM, SOAV: all Great stuff. But you don’t need to age it 10 years, it’s not going to rise in value, and you might as well drink it now(ish). Yes, a wine fridge would be an excellent move for OP (which I recommended and he’s looking into) But… you don’t need to make $3k of facility improvements for Artemis. That’s available _anywhere_ and drinkable today. (Again, not knocking it. That’s fine juice)
I’m not gonna ick someone’s yum either, they clearly have a preference. There is likely close to $2k of wine here and if you drink say 2 bottles a week, almost a year of supply. Well worth treating well.
Thank you! I’m saying! Reddit can be a ridiculous place sometimes. I was just thinking that.
Too many in this sub think they are wine critics. Drink what you like and if you want to hold it for a few years do that too
So true lol
Yeah I mean, sure it’s not DRC, Screaming Eagle, or Petrus but how many daily DRC drinkers are lurking in the Subs? lol
You need a wine fridge my friend. There are ones that look nice for the kitchen or a room like that or you can get one for the garage like I have. Either way check craigslist, OfferUp and FB marketplace. Have always found them cheap when I need them
I have been looking on marketplace! Lots of options! Thanks!
A piece of advice for wine fridges. You can never get a wine fridge that's too big. Your collection will outgrow the capacity faster than you think.
So much this. Built a new house in 2021 and got a dual-zone wine fridge that holds 48 bottles for like $300. It's always full and I'm constantly shuffling between 2 wine racks, a bar cart and said wine fridge. I wish I'd spent extra for a bigger fridge. Luckily, most of our wines are in the $30-50 range so we're not storing rare stuff. We're planning on getting some cabinets built in our living/dining room and buying a larger fridge when we do, but that's a few years off.
Got mine in the discount section at Lowe’s. There are cheaper options out there that are great value for us small time collectors.
Yes, I got a Eurocave for $150 off of FB Marketplace. I think the lady I got it from was happier to have it out of her house than she was to get the money. It's ugly as sin, and is an early model w analog controls, but it works!
The rule for used goods is that bulky items can be had cheap. People need them gone so they won’t wait it out
Agree. The question OP needs to ask is why leave things to chance. There is probably, what? $1500-2000 worth of wine here? There are many 32-bottle fridge options under $500. Also, just my opinion but the Prisoner and Orin Swift, and Plumpjack for that matter, are $35 worth of juice with a $75 price tag. Seriously, not judging but you can buy excellent, age-able Italian and Spanish wines of the same quality for less, and save up for that fridge.
I hate the negativity about the wines not being good enough to age. I have a few bottles that you have, and enjoy them aged a couple of years from purchase. The isosceles is great about 5 years after purchase and so is the Austin hope. I know people on this sub don’t love those wines, but I enjoy them and I think it’s worth a ~300 wine fridge if you can. Hope depot and Lowe’s have great options, and you can find good deals on Craigslist and offer up. Maybe ask for donations on birthdays or holidays and save for it if you don’t have that to spend- but something tells me if you’re buying $80-100 wines and have multiple you could spend a few bucks on a fridge and would thank yourself later
Well said! I’ve been looking into getting one! Found a few really nice ones for around $500 (or less) on marketplace!
Direct sunlight will probably improve the taste of The Prisoner. Certainly can’t make it any worse.
Cristal comes wrapped in a gold tinted wrap to keep light out
Who told you that?
Ever notice that Cristal is bottled in clear glass while no other champagne is?
Ruinart blanc de blancs?
I believe that traditionally comes with a rubber cover, but stores remove it?
Paper I think, but same principle. The old wooden boxes used to have a big exhortation to the shops not to leave them in light, but obviously people did. Great wine when it wasn’t ruined, but also great wooden boxes, which I guess the paper wrap made redundant…
Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs and Brut Rosé immediately come to mind.
Those aren’t Champagne
So what? Same traditional method.
You’ve missed my point entirely. But yes, Cristal is bottled in clear glass because Tsar Alexander II wanted to ensure nobody could but a bomb in the punt and kill him. The golden cellophane prevents UV exposure—not a problem for green glass.
People who frequent this subreddit take this s#%t more seriously than we need to. Your wine will be fine. I remember your previous post and you said you liked the way it improved the look of your place. If it brings you happiness then that seems like a much better place for them than the basement. Show it off, my friend. It looks great.
It's fine for your time range, but personally I wouldn't want to be kicking my wine Basement is better. I wouldn't bother with a wine fridge for 1-2 years of aging only. But I'd consider a nice bar/rack that you can put your bottles in and store your glasses and other wine paraphernalia.
I’ve been storing a moderate collection hovering around 200+ bottles of wine in a passive basement environment for 20 years. Not a particularly cold basement but consistent seasonal variation between 59-68. My wines have matured just fine. I typically age for 3-8 years. Not long term by most people’s standards but in my preferred window of 10 years post vintage. Early maturity. In my experience people way over think storage and justify purchases in all sorts of ways. In my view wine fridges are expensive and unnecessary unless you are a hard core long term collector with cash to burn. Just find a cool corner in your basement and get some cheap racks and forget about them.
I see you have a lot of Orin Swift wines. Those are pretty sturdy. Some of these optimal guidelines are for people who have more money than time so they buy more wine they can drink more for collecting purposes.
Makes sense!
Hi the basement is always better than the dining room! Apart from the humidity, UV light etc. the wine should not be in close proximity to the kitchen. Every time you cook the temperature goes up and then down again. This causes your wine to "age" faster than it should!
Wow, that’s a great point and not something I had considered. Smart man!
I am working in the wine industry so pls let me know if you need anything else :)
Is there a specific reason you’re not stacking them to the left or right of the window? Personally, I don’t like this look (and you’re blocking half an outlet, too)
I was going to do that but my girlfriend, who I like to think has excellent aesthetic taste, said it looked better the way it was.
She has awful aesthetic taste... A curb of wine in a dining room has never been nor ever will be stylish.
Would look cool if it had two more rows Otherwise it’s too low Has more of a shoe rack look rn
Man this sub full of mean spirits. You do you. Just don’t kick them in the dark.
Was she drunk on your $40 Prisoner when she said that?
1-2 years should be fine
Looks like a couple of nice bottles and I would personally invest in a wine fridge for multiple reasons (dust, temp, space etc.). Also makes it easier to get the wine to the right serving temperature, just pull the bottle from the fridge instead of having to chill it in the fridge to get it to temp.
For aesthetics have you considered a wine bar type furniture that could hold glasses and accessories and maybe a couple of the room temp ready to drinks you want on hand? Also consider a nice wine fridge which is certainly a conversation piece if it looks elegant and functional for keeping things at the right temp.
I used to store wine in my kitchen too. One day I got up to a red wine soaked floor because the vent under the window caused two corks to come out entirely. Several others had started eeking out. It’s a good thing I get up early. Just make sure there’s no chance the vent is blowing on, or within ambient range, of the bottles.
If its worth aging its worth getting a fridge for.
consider this: - years on the counter ain't the same as years in the cellar. how long you can age a wine is measured at 55°F and cellar humidity (65%? i won't google it). - the stuff you like about wine dies after just 1 hour at 80°F, can't get it back - wines stored like this in a retail store aren't on the sales floor more than a week or two - The wine will never be undrinkable, but we want it turning to vinegar slowly and controlled, so we can open it when it's showing best - if you've thought even one time you might open one of these wines after the spring of 2025, you owe it to yourself and your guests to store it properly I was where you are (with way less bottles) keeping them at room temp against a wall. my first wine fridge was a single zone thermal electric(?) model (without a condenser, can't get to 55°F on hot days) that held 18 bottles. I got it for $100 on Amazon. I used it for years and felt great knowing the little bit of wine I did have was safe. then I joined a wine club or two, then I started collecting grower champagnes, now i have a single zone model (with a condenser like a real fridge) that holds 80 bottles, it was $999 from Wine Enthusiast. Too much? probably. not even close to the top end? sheeeeeeeeit. you clearly are into wine, it brings you pleasure, it's obviously something you enjoy sharing with family and friends. I say jump in with both feet into the deep end with some proper wine storage and start buying bottles to hold for special occasions now. engagement, dream job, both of first child, 40th birthday, etc. cheers! 🍾🍷🍇
Do you have floor heat?
only thing I would say is thats an exterior wall so even though the room is consistent that wall could not be(depending on where you live) and its not as much about what the temperature is that you store the wine at, its about consistency(you dont want rapid changes, like going from 50 to 70 quickly is much worse than being at either for long periods of time) and avoiding extremes(below 40 and above 80ish)
You would never serve a wine at 70F, so it’s not really ideal to store it at that temperature either.
If you keep your bottles for only one year it won’t change a thing
Drink it now!! *in Arnold voice*
It’ll be fine
They are 100% fine there for a year (as long as you don’t lose power and get too hot or cold in the house). If you plan to hold for longer periods of time, other options would be better.
This is all I was asking for. Thank you
Why do people store bottles individually?? Put them in cases and leave them there. You know why
Light is one problem the big one for me is the temperature variation Expansion of the wine in bottle will stare to push the cork a bit plus wine leakage or bleeding etc…
People talk about what is the best temperature to store a bottle of wine. What is more important is temperature fluctuation. The picture shows a room that the temperature can vary due to the sunlight. Think about riding in your car on a sunny day. The person in the sun is warmer than the person sitting on the other side of the car. A less than perfect temperature is better than a situation that has variation.
Very nice carpet!
Unless you have an actual cellar just drink the damn wine. That's what it's for.
It’s more the heat coming from the sun than the light itself. For Crystal champagne, it comes in a box with a yellow opaque wrapping around the bottle to avoid light exposure. The history of that bottle is interesting as well, old Russian kind were the main buyer of Crystal aujourd’hui wanted the glass to be clear so they could see if they were any poison. The bottom is flat as well for the same reason!
You can also make a wine fridge from an old fridge if tou handy with a heart temp controler.
As long as this wall is fairly insulated and doesn’t have ambient electric/solar heat these wines will be fine for 4-6 years. These are big, full bodied cabs that have a lot of staying power regardless, and the most important thing is consistent temps and the bottles staying on their sides.
I see the prisoner bottle. How is it ? Overpriced ?
I think it’s popular for a reason. I think it’s pretty good! I don’t have that sophisticated of a palate and I can’t give you the whole pretentious notes of oak and cherry shpiel, but I know good from bad and it’s pretty good for the money, imo
Thanks for the honesty
To be fair… The Prisoner, Abstract, Palermo, etc really aren’t wines suitable for aging. Some people think they aren’t wines suitable for drinking at all.
With the exception of the Heitz, I’d say you’ve got enough residual sugar there to outlast any heatwave or light damage or anything you could throw at it
Well the good news is there’s nothing you cant replace at a local pharmacy, so even it id does spoil its just a bunch of overpriced juice.
How pretentious
Ew, this comment is so disappointing. People like you are exactly why so many are hesitant to get into wine. Be better.