The Auswine Forum

Not sure the Qantas baggage allowance would cover it.

The temperature in the forum seems to be rising!
Not so for my cellar. Been watching the gauge over the last few weeks as it starts to drop.
This morning it read 16.3

Based on anecdotes from other cellar owners in Adelaide I expect it to drop to somewhere near 15.
As you would expect, the temperature is amazingly constant. Some days it only changes 0.1 degrees.

Scotty vino wrote:The temperature in the forum seems to be rising!
Not so for my cellar. Been watching the gauge over the last few weeks as it starts to drop.
This morning it read 16.3

Based on anecdotes from other cellar owners in Adelaide I expect it to drop to somewhere near 15.
As you would expect, the temperature is amazingly constant. Some days it only changes 0.1 degrees.

Good to hear Scotty, what a find. I just had a rough quote to dig one out et my house. Suffice to say, the offsite storage is here to stay!!

Haha you are right about the forum temp too. The early nights and long days of darkness are getting to people maybe?

maybs wrote:

Scotty vino wrote:The temperature in the forum seems to be rising!
Not so for my cellar. Been watching the gauge over the last few weeks as it starts to drop.
This morning it read 16.3

Based on anecdotes from other cellar owners in Adelaide I expect it to drop to somewhere near 15.
As you would expect, the temperature is amazingly constant. Some days it only changes 0.1 degrees.

Good to hear Scotty, what a find. I just had a rough quote to dig one out et my house. Suffice to say, the offsite storage is here to stay!!

Haha you are right about the forum temp too. The early nights and long days of darkness are getting to people maybe?

I had a dig and install cellar pencilled in for the extension plans on my place. Like everything else when it comes to Reno's, if you've got a few mates, who know a few blokes then the price can come down significantly, particularly if you're willing to get involved and have a go. Either way I was starting at 20k for just a basic setup. And that's building one in a clear area. I can't imagine trying to build one under an already existing structure. God knows what you'd be compromising in terms of structural integrity. I've seen those spiral stair style cellars and they seem very appropriate to install but the prices are way up there.

I am presently building a new double story house on a moderately sloping block in Perth with a double garage underneath I.e. Tri - story. I always had the dream of putting in a sub terrain cellar running off the under stair well store room / garage. I was quoted about an additional $80k. For that I would have got an excavated 4.5 x 3m double bricked (filled with rebar and cement) walls, tiling, power, and fit out with racking. Needless to say I said no as $80k can buy a lot of off site storage and wines.

Regards

Rocky wrote:I am presently building a new double story house on a moderately sloping block in Perth with a double garage underneath I.e. Tri - story. I always had the dream of putting in a sub terrain cellar running off the under stair well store room / garage. I was quoted about an additional $80k. For that I would have got an excavated 4.5 x 3m double bricked (filled with rebar and cement) walls, tiling, power, and fit out with racking. Needless to say I said no as $80k can buy a lot of off site storage and wines.

Regards

bloody excavation
geez for less you could do an extra room attached all refrigeration insulation and locked up
is that an option?

Unfortunately with the sloping block I don't have the luxury of another room off the 1st story. My options are using the under stairwell room which is likely to hold a passive temperature in summer of 19-20c cooling to 15-6c over winter or converting one of the spare bedrooms and running a standard A/C. I think I will go with the under stairwell room.

Rocky wrote:Unfortunately with the sloping block I don't have the luxury of another room off the 1st story. My options are using the under stairwell room which is likely to hold a passive temperature in summer of 19-20c cooling to 15-6c over winter or converting one of the spare bedrooms and running a standard A/C. I think I will go with the under stairwell room.

It seems when It comes to cellaring wine the 2 biggest factors are temp and temp variation.
I wonder how much your stairwell room will change over a day in terms of temp?
I'm led to believe after scouring the net that more than a 1-2 degree variation over a day
is the limit in terms of temp variation for ideal storage.

Scotty, For cork or screwcap?

redwhiteandrose wrote:Scotty, For cork or screwcap?

Both I believe. The only factor that divides screw cap and cork (again, not an expert, just what I've read) is humidity.
50%-70% humidity is apparently ideal for cork.

Cork will move given temperature changes, but with screwcap, I'm not convinced that stability of temperature are so critical. High temperatures are a different matter as they increase chemical reactions. Short periods of high-ish temperatures may not be a big issue.

But I think it's mostly a matter of guesswork. I don't believe there is much scientific certainty in this matter.

redwhiteandrose wrote:Cork will move given temperature changes, but with screwcap, I'm not convinced that stability of temperature are so critical. High temperatures are a different matter as they increase chemical reactions. Short periods of high-ish temperatures may not be a big issue.

But I think it's mostly a matter of guesswork. I don't believe there is much scientific certainty in this matter.

We are on the precipice of the cork/screw cap closure debate. It's a slippery slope.
Based on the articles and texts I've cast my eye over stability is king for both closures.
Cork would perhaps react more to temp variation due to its volatile nature. Isn't it more to do with the glass itself?
Who knows....
More research indeed.

Scotty vino wrote:

Rocky wrote:Unfortunately with the sloping block I don't have the luxury of another room off the 1st story. My options are using the under stairwell room which is likely to hold a passive temperature in summer of 19-20c cooling to 15-6c over winter or converting one of the spare bedrooms and running a standard A/C. I think I will go with the under stairwell room.

It seems when It comes to cellaring wine the 2 biggest factors are temp and temp variation.
I wonder how much your stairwell room will change over a day in terms of temp?
I'm led to believe after scouring the net that more than a 1-2 degree variation over a day
is the limit in terms of temp variation for ideal storage.

I haven't done any temperature experiments in the stair well room but my suspicion is that the daily temperature variation won't be more than a couple of degrees. I guess my only real concern were during the Perth summer heat wave when we get stretches of 40c days, but even last summer when I walked into the 'under construction' stairwell room it felt markedly cooler.
Apart from a door leading to a underground garage the other 3 walls are surrounded by metres of dirt, protected by about 15 inches on brick, concrete and rebar. I also have a couple of Delonghi wine fridges in which i will keep my very few cork enclosures and high end wine to eliminate the humidity issues and protect against heat concerns.

There is always a better way but balanced against costs this is about the best i can do.

Regards

Don't keep your wine fridges in your wine cellar, though. The heat given off will heat up the room. Not ideal.

Having a good cellar is great but what happens if you want to move house? So I guess I'm stuck with this high maintenance 110 year old house until they cart me off to the old folks home. Still, until then I'll be happy.

Carl

Chuck wrote:Having a good cellar is great but what happens if you want to move house? So I guess I'm stuck with this high maintenance 110 year old house until they cart me off to the old folks home. Still, until then I'll be happy.

Carl

The down side of onsite storage? I'll take it.
I understand where you're coming from Carl. As mine slowly fills up the thought of having to relocate doesn't bear thinking.
It'd be offsite storage or another couple of Vintecs. Think I'll stay put.

bought a 144 bottle timber rack. painted it black, put it together then slotted it in.
now to fill it.

Purchased my first home today in nurioopta, brand new. Unfortunately it doesn't have one. But even the real estate office where the paper work was completed had one. I asked to check it out, it was the same size as the building/old house. One of that size would become very dangerous for wallet.
Unreal ..

Scotty vino wrote:bought a 144 bottle timber rack. painted it black, put it together then slotted it in.
now to fill it.

Looks great scotty

Scotty vino wrote:bought a 144 bottle timber rack. painted it black, put it together then slotted it in.
now to fill it.

Give it a month and it will be full!

Hacker wrote:

Scotty vino wrote:bought a 144 bottle timber rack. painted it black, put it together then slotted it in.
now to fill it.

Give it a month and it will be full!

There's no such thing as too much wine.

Carl

More wine; fatter women

Hacker wrote:

Scotty vino wrote:bought a 144 bottle timber rack. painted it black, put it together then slotted it in.
now to fill it.

Give it a month and it will be full!

Hmmm. Think you might be right.
I've gotta plan my next storage strategy down there.
First world problems.....