Wine
Cellar Temperature
The ideal temperature
to store wines is between 55ºF and 58ºF (13ºC–15ºC). However, any
temperature between 40º–65ºF (5º–18ºC) will suffice as long as it
remains constant.
The degree and the
speed of the temperature change are critical. A gradual change of a
few degrees between summer and winter won't matter. The same change
each day will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.
The most important rule
when storing wine is to avoid large temperature changes or
fluctuations. You'll notice damage of this nature straight away from
the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time
the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the
'integrity' of the cork. It's like having the cork pulled in and out
again every day. When this happens, minute quantities of wine may be
pushed out along the edge of the cork (between the cork and the
bottle neck) allowing air to seep back in. Once the air is in
contact with your wine the irreversible process of oxidation begins
and your wine is ruined.
At 55º to 58ºF the wine
will age properly, enabling it to fully develop. Higher temperatures
will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down
the ageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is
kept at a temperature above 82ºF for even a month.
At 55°F wines will age
slowly and develop great complexity and you will never have to worry
about them.
Every wine you buy should be placed in your cellar. Even if you are
planning on opening the wine shortly after purchase it will benefit
from resting to recover from the shock of traveling.
Before any bottle makes it into your cellar you need to consider the
treatment it received before you acquired it.
Every wine lover knows that heat damages wine but how many of us
take care to protect our wine at every stage? For example, you buy
wine at a shop or winery, but leave it in your hot car all
afternoon. You get it home to your temperature-controlled cellar,
but by then you may have already cooked it. Remember that high
temperatures can result in undesirable chemical reactions that would
not normally take place.
