Wine Storage Advice...

Soooo....I'm a ways off from completing my temperature controlled cellar, but I'm out of space in my rather modestly sized stand alone unit. I have 2 options, and I'm hoping you all can help me choose between the lesser of 2 evils since it is in the lower 80's in my house right now...

Option 1) Keep the extra wine in my basement, where the temp stays in the mid 70's
Option 2) I have a small fridge, but the temp is consistenly 46-48, which is on the cool side

what say you? mid 70's or upper 40's?

thanks!

[Robin Garr]

what say you? mid 70's or upper 40's?

Living in the exact same climate you do, Jeremy, I'd say basement, or even a cool corner in an air-conditioned room. I've got some wines here that I've stored in the mid-70s for five years or more without any evidence of damage.

Unless you're storing very high-end collectibles for the long haul, I'd just take 'em to the basement.

[Jenise]

what say you? mid 70's or upper 40's?

Living in the exact same climate you do, Jeremy, I'd say basement, or even a cool corner in an air-conditioned room. I've got some wines here that I've stored in the mid-70s for five years or more without any evidence of damage.

Unless you're storing very high-end collectibles for the long haul, I'd just take 'em to the basement.

Jeremy, were I in your predicamnet, I'd put any wines that are fragile (already aged, but at the 'hold' stage) in that cold fridge, and the rest in the basement presuming mid-70's is your summer temperature and the average year-round is a bit cooler than that. Otherwise, I'd buy another storage unit, and resell it when I no longer needed it (which, in fact, is what I did when I was between solutions).

Jeremy,

There may be a third option for you. Since your situation is temporary, do you have a friend or acquaintance locally that has some room in their cellar? I borrowed room in a friend's cellar several years ago and it worked out well. They had the extra room and I insisted on paying them "rent" with some of my wine being the currency.

Since you have a temp controlled option to keep your better bottles in, I say just use your basement for the overflow. I have stored wine short term (<2yrs) in conditions much worse than mid-70's without significant degredation.

awesome everyone! Thanks for the advice!