The Auswine Forum

How many of you allow hot weather to affect when you order wine? I'm wanting to order some more but I'm wondering whether Brisbane has a bit too warm or whether I'm being a bit precious? No one wants heat affected wine, especially when it's going to be a bunch tasters and they'll decide my level of interest in the wine. The other dilemma is then waiting until it's proper cool again for ordering wine I've decided to keep and then finding supply has dried up.

It's crossed my mind, but figure a few days shouldn't hurt too much? Happy to be proved wrong...

This heat has also been on my mind too....just started a thread regarding where I can find storage for my sleepers...

Redav wrote:The other dilemma is then waiting until it's proper cool again for ordering wine I've decided to keep and then finding supply has dried up.

There is always more great wine just around the corner. Once the weather starts to warm up I'll usually hold off on buying anything that needs shipping.

I for one try to severely limit my purchases over the hotter months. What if your wine is sitting in a tin shed or a semi-trailer over a weekend or a few days? Better palates than mine have suspected that wine has been cooked during delivery, so I can only give credence to those views. Having said that, some good retailers and wineries will hold back deliveries until the weather has cooled somewhat and are happy to hold stock that has been payed for.

Cheers
Ian

drive To CD and pick it up, then drive home with AC on 10.

camw wrote:There is always more great wine just around the corner.

Oh, absolutely, but when you're after a specific vintage... (and there should be more if it elsewhere, just have to find it)

ticklenow1 wrote:Having said that, some good retailers and wineries will hold back deliveries until the weather has cooled somewhat and are happy to hold stock that has been payed for.

This is what I do.

But the delays can be frustrating sometimes, especially when shipping wines from SA to VIC. Getting a few consecutive days where both states are under 30 degrees can potentially take 2-3 weeks. I'd imagine shipping to QLD under a "hold if hot" policy would be even more difficult.

Ozzie W wrote:

ticklenow1 wrote:Having said that, some good retailers and wineries will hold back deliveries until the weather has cooled somewhat and are happy to hold stock that has been payed for.

This is what I do.

But the delays can be frustrating sometimes, especially when shipping wines from SA to VIC. Getting a few consecutive days where both states are under 30 degrees can potentially take 2-3 weeks. I'd imagine shipping to QLD under a "hold if hot" policy would be even more difficult.

It is. I once had a corked bottle of John Duval Plexus. I contacted the winery and they said "no problems, we'll send you a replacement as soon as the weather cools". To their credit I recieved a bottle about 3 or 4 months later. I'd actually forgotten about it. That's service.

Most good retailers and cellar doors will wait and I guess it is up to the customer to be patient (and remember that you've actually ordered it!). For the northern states there is probably only a 6 month window for cooler deliveries. The rest of the time I guess you are always taking a chance. Especially if you order from WA.

Cheers
Ian

I avoid delivery to Brisbane from about start of Oct until May/June. Just can't get comfortable thinking about my wine sitting in a shed or van.

I'm another who holds off until the cooler months. The notable exception is Rockford or wines I buy in person.

I'm also in Brisbane, and get edgy about deliveries in the summer months.

Most credible retailers and cellar doors will hold off delivery during periods of extreme heat, but there is still the risk of wine being left in a warehouse over a weekend, or sitting in a boiling van for half a day, even if the temperature is mild - which in a Brisbane summer can still mean 28 degrees!

OP is right to be worried, a day of 30+ will do bad things to a case of wine, if not immediately, in the long term,

Some good articles out there

Excessive storage temperatures will have a marked effect on the shelf life of bottled wine. Marais (1986) observed the development of faulty flavours and decreasing overall quality after 12 months’ storage of wine at 30C. Temperatures in excess of 40°C will induce visual and sensory changes to a wine in only a matter of days (Ough 1986). In general, any storage place where the temperature exceeds 25°C for long periods and 40°C for short periods can affect wine quality (Ough 1992).

Reading this, the land component is right up there with the worst offender

‘COOL OR HOT’: A STUDY OF CONTAINER TEMPERATURES IN AUSTRALIAN WINE SHIPMENTS'
http://anzrsai.org/assets/Uploads/Publi ... lfinal.pdf

For example, the results showed that the great majority of the daily temperature fluctuations considered unacceptable occurred during the land transport stages, with the OZ leg exceeding or at least equalling the US leg.

Although Imported wines will suffer if not shipped in reefers.

I've had a case of wine cooked on the way to brissy - half the bottles had their corks pushed partway out of bottle necks. The winery was very generous in replacing the case (many thanks to Lazy Ballerina folk!) But I have always felt bad for them having to bear the cost of my bad decision. I simply don't order wine in the summer now.
Its hard not to sometimes, but I keep telling myself that there will always be more wine

Umm bit like when Australia Post delivered a carton of wine from the Yarra Valley to Adelaide and left in in my carport , where it baked for 10 hours on a low 40s day.
Said wine was bubbling with capsules that had left the top of the bottles.

Full replacement with a couple of bonus bottles.

Cheers Craig.

I'm going to Perth for a holiday/catch up towards the end of November and to save me the problem of buying wine there I thought I'd have a dozen couriered over from my cellar (which already has a substantial WA component). I looked at a number of courier sites and they all said they won't insure liquids against spoilage, and that packing to avoid damage, including from heat, was the owner's responsibility. So unless you want to pay through the nose for an express service, the quoted time for Canberra - Perth was usually listed at anywhere between 5 to 7 working days and with temperatures at this time of the year it is just too much of a risk.

I solved the issue by simply purchasing extra baggage for my flight at the grand total of $35, which is less than half the cost of the cheapest courier.