I bought a 7 year old used 500 bottle Vinotemp cellar for $150. So far its keeping the temp at an average of 59.6 degrees and I’ve gotten the humidity up to an average of 49.7% over the last couple of months (in Denver, started at about 34% and have been using a sponge and bowl of water to get it up).
My question is, what are the long term effects of the wine being at 60 degrees vs 55 degrees and humidity that isn’t quite up to par? This is obviously better than just sticking it in my basement, but is this going to seriously effect the longevity of the wine if I have it stored in this cellar for a few years?
What are your thoughts on longer term, 10 to 20 years?
The reason I ask is that I have 3 different thermometers in my built in cellar all ranging from 55 to 59 degrees. I am a steadfast believer that most people don’t have calibrated measuring equipment to know exactly what the temperature of their cellar is. Thus people who preach 55* might really have cellars at 57* which could be sacrilege. Anything under 60* makes me happy, but again, that’s my opinion.
There are a lot of people that will come here and preach that it is variation in your temperature rather than the actual number that is most important. But the counter point to that is the nature of passive cellars and the fact that they will fluctuate over the course of the year as the seasons change. So what about all those amazing bottles and vintages from before modern HVAC was standard in residential homes and producer’s wine cellars?
Anyway, to answer the original poster’s question - what Jason said - a few years, don’t worry about it.
In my opinion, the short answer is you have nothing to worry about. For the obsessive among us, the only potential concern is the 49% humidity level, as it may impact the corks and dry them out a bit. I don’t think this would be an issue until the wines had been stored for at least 15+ years. So when you open that 2016 Grand Puy Lacoste in 2035, use an ah-so or Durand instead of a corkscrew. The humidity level is close to 100% on the bottom / inside of the cork!