One off Cooling for a cellar

[DJZany]

Hi,

Those from Melbourne will know it's been a stinking hot summer.

My "local" wine storage (the long term stuff is offsite) is in an insulated cupboard holding 20-30 bottles.

It is pretty good at holding its temperature, however with the continued hot temperatures it got over 20 degrees recently. And of course being quite well insulated, it will take some time to come back down.

Is there any way I can do a once off cooling to take the heat out?

If I could get it back to 16, it would take a few weeks to get back up to 20.

Do this once or twice a summer and it would be fine.

One concern would be that a sudden drop might be just as bad, but if I got to it at 18, and brought it back to 16, I think it could work.

So what do I do?

Point a portable air con unit at it?
Dry ice?
Ideas?

Maybe I'm crazy!

[bigkid]

Hi DJZany, from what I have read in Tyson's book - which you may have seen mentioned on the forum - it may be that rapid fluctuations in temperature may be more harmful than a sustained period at 20 degrees. I seem to recall it has to do with the regular expansion and contraction of the wine and the cork (assuming we are talking cork) moving in and out of the neck risking oxidation. Gradual change from 16 to 20 and then back again in winter - so 4 degree variation over a year - may not be so problematic. Others, however may be in a better position to advise - the wine in my local storage doesn't last long for temp variation to be that critical, and the good stuff, like yours, is off-site.

Regards,

Allan

[Paullie]

Indeed you are correct, it is the contractions of the cork and wine as the temperature fluctuates that causes air ingress, and hence premature oxidation of your wines.

More important than the right temperature, is a constant temperature. So unless you can control the temperature at the desired levels constantly, better let nature take its cours and have the fluctuation occur throught the year.

[Davo]

Can someone please direct me to a copy of a published, peer reviewd study on the ingress of air into bottles due to cork movement secondary to temperature fluctuations.

I keep hearing about it but I can't find the research.

[Paullie]

Ditto Davo.

Although, it is the generally accepted hypothesis.

[Red Bigot]

Ditto Davo.

Although, it is the generally accepted hypothesis.

By whom?

I know I once (long time ago) saw someone with an engineering background post some calculations on the pressure needed to move a good quality cork inserted properly in a wine bottle with the normal headspace. I can't remember the details, but it took more than 10C variation to do it.

All corks "breathe", some do it very little and very slowly, some do it more and more quickly, even at constant temperature.

Unless you are cellaring for 10 years, a few weeks at 20C each year won't hurt red wine. If you were worried about that you'd never buy any wine from a shop more than a few months after release.

Get over it guys, good wine is a lot more robust than many people like to make out. What about all those fabulous old Hunter reds that people rave about? Think how many years of fluctuating non a/c temps they survived from the day they were made.

[Red Bigot]

"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."

The above is from a wine information site found while googling for info on the physics/mechanics involved (haven't found it yet).

Sounds plausible?

[Paullie]

Exactly why I said forget about the temporary cooling.

[Sharkey]

I keep all my wine (~800 bottles) at home in a passive cellar that is off the kitchen / living area. It is well insulated and holds a steady temperature but over summer the temp will gradually creep up above 20 and in winter it will creep down below 12. I have found I can stabilise the temperature by leaving the door open at certain times.

So in summer when the temperature is creeping up I will leave the door open over night when I know the house is going to be cooler than the cellar and it will drop the temp fractionally.

In winter I will leave the door open during the day, when the house is heated, to raise the cellar temp. There is still a seasonal fluctuation but instead of it being 10 degrees I can keep it to about 4.

Perhaps a similar strategy would work for your cupboard.