Protecting your $$$$$ wines

[Benjamin_H]

I keep the wrapping until I drink it.

[YLee]

My home fridge has a pretty high humidity level. Some labels seem particularly affected by the humidity - the adhesive seems to weaken and I get crinkles on the labels. Obviously it doesn’t matter for wine quality but some of these I do intend to keep for many years and may try wrapping them in siran. I recently purchased an offsite locker where the humidity is lower and have moved those long term bottles there. Thanks to the OP for starting the discussion. Any tips to regulate humidity inside a fridge?

What’s causing the high humidity? Do you have water in a dish in the refrigerator?

[J.Vizuete]

My home fridge has a pretty high humidity level. Some labels seem particularly affected by the humidity - the adhesive seems to weaken and I get crinkles on the labels. Obviously it doesn’t matter for wine quality but some of these I do intend to keep for many years and may try wrapping them in siran. I recently purchased an offsite locker where the humidity is lower and have moved those long term bottles there. Thanks to the OP for starting the discussion. Any tips to regulate humidity inside a fridge?

What’s causing the high humidity? Do you have water in a dish in the refrigerator?

You know I’m honestly not sure. It is a standard 160 bottle fridge in a built-in with what I think is appropriate ventilation particularly in the front and back. No surreptitious water dishes…

[YLee]

My home fridge has a pretty high humidity level. Some labels seem particularly affected by the humidity - the adhesive seems to weaken and I get crinkles on the labels. Obviously it doesn’t matter for wine quality but some of these I do intend to keep for many years and may try wrapping them in siran. I recently purchased an offsite locker where the humidity is lower and have moved those long term bottles there. Thanks to the OP for starting the discussion. Any tips to regulate humidity inside a fridge?

What’s causing the high humidity? Do you have water in a dish in the refrigerator?

You know I’m honestly not sure. It is a standard 160 bottle fridge in a built-in with what I think is appropriate ventilation particularly in the front and back. No surreptitious water dishes…

Do you have a humidity monitor? Collect some data. I never tried this method and I am not sure if it’s safe either but you can try those beads that absorbs moisture in the air.

[lleichtman]

I usually protect my wines with a Remington 870, cheap and highly effective.

I neither add nor remove additional wrapping. I’m lucky if my wines make it out of the shipping box at this point. Inertia is a hell of a drug.

TW

Are you expecting wine robbers?

[Howard_Cooper]

I rack em like they arrive. I don’t hold them long enough for the labels to degrade.

I wouldn’t be bragging about that

[dsimmons]

I rack em like they arrive. I don’t hold them long enough for the labels to degrade.

I wouldn’t be bragging about that

Not sure labels would ever degrade in my passive cellar since the humidity is low. The oldest I have drunk were ~ 30 years old with no label degradation.

[julianseersmartin]

I’ve given the saran wrap idea a little bit of thought but decided against it. I think if any moisture gets wrapped in with the label, it will cause mold / mildew to grow faster as the moisture can’t leave the surface of the label. Probably good for short term protection (shipping?) but not so great for long term storage?

This is why you wrap before they go into storage.

All of my better bottles in my passive cellar are wrapped, and it works. The stuff I don’t care about loses labels within 5 years or so, as it’s pretty damp down there. The wrapped bottles are fine.

[Richard_Albert]

The “craze” I was referring to for perfect labels in the US, was not folks preferring perfect labels, it was referencing the demand by Asian buyers for perfection in label conditions. Exporters I dealt with refused to buy well stored bottles because of minor imperfections rendering them unsalable to their clientele which in my mind is a bit crazy. For example, wines from a natural cellar with an earthen floor which developed dust/dirt stains, or a wrinkled label due to humidity were rejected. Would you refuse to buy a bottle in otherwise excellent condition because of a minor label flaw?
Hope that is clear now.

[Mike_Davila]

Just unpacked my 2016 Greer, they ship with a plastic covering over the label portion of the bottle. I take it off, but I also don’t plan on resale. Agree with those who have posted about avoiding bottles with label stains, although you still don’t know the source of the stain. I had a wine cooler where one bottle seeped and stained the ones below though it’s label was fine.

[Andy_Sc]

The “craze” I was referring to for perfect labels in the US, was not folks preferring perfect labels, it was referencing the demand by Asian buyers for perfection in label conditions. Exporters I dealt with refused to buy well stored bottles because of minor imperfections rendering them unsalable to their clientele which in my mind is a bit crazy. For example, wines from a natural cellar with an earthen floor which developed dust/dirt stains, or a wrinkled label due to humidity were rejected. Would you refuse to buy a bottle in otherwise excellent condition because of a minor label flaw?
Hope that is clear now.

And that’s exactly why you wrap your bottles… that’s just the smart thing to do (when you’re a serious collector of fine wines with a secondary market).

To answer your question: I would buy (and bought) a bottle in excellent condition with label flaws. When I can choose between two (nearly) identical bottles (in terms of the important stuff: provenance, fill level, capsule/cork), I will always go for the one with the better label.

[A_Rubin_Stein]

I transfer title to a trustee in Liechtenstein and store the wines in a bank vault in the Alps.

[YLee]

I transfer title to a trustee in Liechtenstein and store the wines in a bank vault in the Alps.

But is it wrapped? At least bubble wrapped?

[p_raghib]

I plastic wrap some bottles, the biggest reason is to stop bottles from sliding. If you ever use bin storage of any kind it is great to wrap some of them. Same goes with champagne and Germans. I bought some rolls that have half the carboard tube exposed for a handle, the wrap is probably 4-5inches. It also protects some old Madeira from having the vintage paint chip off from racks.