Storing wine on the cheap side

[Red Red Wine]

Hi all.


I was wondering if you guy can help me with some suggestions for my wine underneath the house. It is at the moment stored in the centre of the house wrapped in a few layer of newspaper and sealed in polystyrene boxes, during winter it is about 13 degrees and summer it is about 18 degrees. Most of the wines stored there are at $30-60 price range, while the more expensive stuff (for me anyway) are stored in (please don't laugh) a cheap Dome unit that I bought from Target years ago for $80, which maintains temp at 13-15 degrees no matter what temp is outside. While the idea of buying another larger fridge had crossed my mind, I would prefer to spend that money on buying more wines.

What else can I do to my underneath house storage to get better temperature so that I can move some of the more expensive wine down there?


Thanks in advance.

[sparky]

Whereabouts do you live?

If you're in the Southern states, ambient sub floor storage is likely to be fine as is.

[Michael McNally]

during winter it is about 13 degrees and summer it is about 18 degrees.

What else can I do to my underneath house storage to get better temperature so that I can move some of the more expensive wine down there?

Hi Red Red

If that is the fluctuation over the course of the year that is pretty good. That fluctuation of temperature on a daily basis would be worrying over the very long term, but sounds like you get little if any daily variation.

Cheers

Michael

[Rory]

Red Red,

The polystyrene boxes alone are a winner. They are cheap, and so long as the lid fits, perfect insulators. There is no need to spend loads of money on a fridge.
My cellar is basically under the house (split level) and most are in polystyrene.
I'm pretty sure my wine drinking friends can attest to the excellent condition my cellared wines are in. I have had this set up for 20 years now, the 1990 wines are looking spectacular.
It may not look as nice as a bank of fridges, but it works.

Rory

[The Hunter]

Red Red,

Totally agree with Michael. If thats the fluctuation than you have it pretty good. I also have a split level house and store approx 3500 bottles under the house, and have done so for approx 22 years. I must say in Sydney I can get even higher temps than you mention, but it slowly fluctuates and it's dark, vibration free and appropriate level of humidity. Still pulling out stuff in perfect nick, which I have had in the cellar for all of those 22 years !

Cheers

[odyssey]

I strongly recommend getting a digital thermometer with resettable min/max records and validating your feel for temperature - many years ago I stored wine in what I thought was 18-20 degree temperatures, but was in fact edging 25-30 at times.

Cheers

[calm]

I strongly recommend getting a digital thermometer with resettable min/max records and validating your feel for temperature - many years ago I stored wine in what I thought was 18-20 degree temperatures, but was in fact edging 25-30 at times.

Cheers

+1

[Red Red Wine]

Thanks all.

I live in Melbourne so temperature is pretty crazy.

So I should be fine and not worry too much with those temperatures? I do have a digital high/low thermometer as well and that is what it reads 13-18. On some occasions when the weather reaches 40+ outside, I would check under there and it would be around 20.

Because as some of you can relate to my situation, having recently discovered the beauty of red wine and wanting to collect them now so that I can enjoy them when time comes had me caught up in all the hype about how I must keep it at perfect perfect perfect conditions.

[Waiters Friend]

How many wines ar you intending to cellar? For how long? And are you intending to expand?

Now is the time to consider how much the cellar might expand (because that's what happens ) and your intended cellaring time (think of a number and double it). If you can plan for what might become your obsession now, it will save you on expansion costs in the future.

Good luck

Allan