How to keep the correct wine cellar temperature
According to the ChatGPT AI chatbot on “What is the best temperature for a wine cellar?”
The ideal temperature for storing wine in a wine cellar is between 50-55°F (10-13°C) with a relative humidity of 60-70%. These conditions help to preserve the wine’s flavors and aromas, as well as prevent the cork from drying out, which can lead to spoilage.
It’s important to note that red wines are typically stored at slightly warmer temperatures (around 55-58°F or 13-14°C) than white wines (around 50-55°F or 10-13°C) and sparkling wines (around 45-50°F or 7-10°C) as red wine can benefit from a bit of warmth to soften the tannins, while white wines and sparkling wines are more delicate and can be damaged by warmth.
It’s also important to keep a stable temperature, sudden changes in temperature can cause the wine to expand and contract, which can push cork out or suck air into the bottle, exposing the wine to oxygen, which can cause it to spoil.
It’s highly recommended to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the wine cellar and a hygrometer to check the humidity levels and make adjustments as needed.
Here is our original post on how to keep a wine cellar at the correct temperature
Although climate control is recommended, in many environments it is by all means not essential. There are many old basements in the UK that offer a passive environment (one where the temperature sits in the ideal wine range and that fluctuates very slowly), perfect for wine, predominantly in Victorian and Georgian houses. Many wine experts actually believe that a passive wine cellar environment helps the wine develop complexity that artificial environments just cannot match.
You would have to monitor the temperature and humidity of the cellar over a decent amount of time to decide whether it is fit for wine storage so if you wanted it as a cellar in the short term then you may need to install a wine cellar cooling unit. These units are not the same as air conditioning systems and are built to maintain the temperature of the wine cellar in a range of 10-14% generally and a humidity of 50-80%.
What are the different types of cellar cooling systems?
There are two main types of wine cellar units that you can choose from Monobloc systems and Split systems.
The Monobloc systems are predominantly the cheaper option but do need specific room conditions to be in place before you use them. They for instance have requirements on floor, ceiling and wall insulation as well as certain venting, wall placement needs etc.
Split systems may be slightly more expensive but have the advantage of normally being quieter and also they are less intrusive as they don’t have such high room requirements.
The two main suppliers are Koolspace and Fondis and both can be found on our website, so for any advice or if you have any queries please give us a call or email.