At what temperature should I be aging my wines?
The recommended cellaring temperature is between 12 and 14 degrees depending on your personal preference. Whichever temperature you choose, the key is to remember that the temperature must be constant.
If I have a single temperature wine cabinet for the storing and aging of my wines, does this mean I cannot take wines out to drink?
You can take out your wines to drink, however you would need to put white wine into a fridge or an ice bucket to cool down to your required serving temperature. Your red wines would need to be left out to come to “European” room temperature for drinking.
Do I need humidity control when cellaring and storing my wines?
Yes, humidity is important in ensuring that corks do not dry out and shrink. This would allow air enter the wine and cause the wine to oxidize. Another symptom of low humidity is corks breaking when being removed.
How does the humidity control happen in a wine cabinet?
Wine cabinets create condensation water due to temperature difference. The condensation water forms on the back panel of the unit, and flows down to the bottom where it is collected in a dish. The compressor heats the water and redistributes it as warm vapour back into the wine cabinet when it operates. It is maintained by the “thermal pump”.
There is water on the back inside wall of my cabinet, is there anything wrong?
It is normal and is necessary for the maintenance of humidity. Just keep your bottles away from the wall so you do not block the water flow.
What else should I consider regarding the humidity control in my wine cabinet?
Remember to ensure your wine bottles do not touch the back panel of your wine cabinet. If the bottles touch the back panel, the wine labels will be affected by the condensation water running from the back wall on to the bottle. This would also allow less condensation water pooling in the tray to be reheated and redistributed through the cabinet as warm vapour, and thus affecting the humidity in your wine cabinet.