WineLovers Discussion Group

If I don't have a cellar is it best to store my wines in the fridge?

I am looking at some of the 11 bottle cuisinarts cellars on ebay. Does anyone have an opinion of this model?

Ronica, I do not know this exact same cooler, and I suspect that you can find just as good but larger capacity as that one for less money. In the first place by the time you get the 11 bottle one and plug it in, you will have 25 bottles. If it were me, I would get a 25-30 bottle unit to start with. They are available for under $300 at Sam's or Costco or Home Depot or Lowe's or many other places. BTW, welcome to the forum!

Yeah, Bob H is spot on. Go for something bigger `cos once you start buying and cellaring, there is no end in sight. My first big year of cellaring, I went from 18 bottles to 80!! Mind you, I still have bottles in the kitchen fridge! Wanna a list?!!!!!

Do you all plan on drinking all of this wine you are cellaring? I can't imagine my husband allowing me to buy that much cellar worthy wine. He thinks the 2 buck chuck is just as good as the good stuff. But I can certainly see how it is addictive. My "to buy" list is getting longer and longer.

RonicaJM wrote:If I don't have a cellar is it best to store my wines in the fridge?

I am looking at some of the 11 bottle cuisinarts cellars on ebay. Does anyone have an opinion of this model?

Whites, yes...Reds, no.


My two cents...

Ronica-

We need to get your husband and my wife together. She thinks ALL wine tastes & smells like Mogen David As to the storage issue, I started just about a year ago with a little 6-bottle wine rack on the kitchen table. A few months later, I purchased a very nice Magic Chef 52 bottle fridge on eBay for slightly over $300. The problem now is my current bottle count is well in excess of 100. (with more on the way) As you can see, we have indeed embarked upon a very "addictive" journey.

My suggestion is to buy as large a capacity as your budget permits and grow into it gradually.

CHEERS !

Art

Now that we're heading into the fall I'm going to check out the temp of our storm cellar. That may have to work until I find a good deal on a "larger than I thought I needed cellar."

Ronica, where do you live and do you have a cool basement? Lets start from here!!!!!!


oooops see you live in Texas!! So much for Plan B.

RonicaJM wrote:If I don't have a cellar is it best to store my wines in the fridge?

I am looking at some of the 11 bottle cuisinarts cellars on ebay. Does anyone have an opinion of this model?

Hello Ronica,
I haven't experimented enough to know for myself, but "wine experts" (whatever that means) say that cellaring wine in a refrigerator is detrimental to wine- #1 Because vibration from the fridge compressor agitates the wine enough to negatively change the profile of the wine regardless of wine color- red or white, and #2 Because refrigerators keep the temp of wine at about 35F; far below the optimal cellaring temp of 45-55F. Oh, and um, everyones right on about getting a bigger cellar than you "think" you need. CYA

If you can believe it, the storm cellar was 80 degrees last week! My husband couldn't believe it. It's been sooooo hot here the ground has been holding heat. It's usually in the 60s down there. That's why I said since we're heading into fall. Maybe by October it will be cool enough.

Ronica, a 30-35 bottle wine fridge can be had for less than $150 if you shop around and wait for sales. I started with one this size, added a much larger one, and just picked up another 34 bottle wine fridge at Target for $129 a few weeks ago. Living in an apartment that was the way to go until we move and build a regular cellar.

And to answer your other question, when we got the first 33 bottle fridge I never thought I'd fill it. Well, it was stuffed within 3 months. Buy the largest cooler you can afford.

Hi Tim,

I am thinking that I would add one caveat to your advice of "Whites, yes...Reds, no." to allow for unfined and unfiltered whites. I am thinking that the vibrations of a regular fridge these unfiltered wines will be in a constant murky cloudy state. My real thoughts are that it is better if avoidable to not do more than chill wine in a regular fridge at all. Just MO, not written in stone.

Does anybody know if there is any real evidence that storage of wine in a refrigerator is bad? I know that is the gospel, and it is said to be related to vibration when the refrigerator cycles on, but I have kept white wine in our garage refrigerator, sometimes unintentionally, for several years, with no noticeable effect. Now this is an old refrigerator, solid as a tank, sitting on concrete, with the temp turned up to around 50 degrees, but is there anything more than an old-wives-tale as basis for the theory that wine should not be kept in a refrigerator? Any studies?

I am not sure this would be considered evidence OW, but I have a case in point. This summer I bought 2 cases of Travis Monterey County unwooded chardonnay which was not filtered. When I take it from the case I can see quite a layer of very fine sediment in the bottom of the bottle. This sediment is very fine and reminds me of powder rather than crystals or something like that. Never the less I do keep a bottle or two in my garage fridge for convenience sake and it is always cloudy when I take it from the fridge to open. As I said to Tim C. in this thread, this is not set in stone, but rather one case in point. I do believe though that the fine sediment is set in motion and suspended in the wine by the vibrations of the fridge as it will settle back to the bottom if I just take it out of the fridge and stand it upright on the counter. BTW, the bottle is standing upright in the garage fridge. Also, the sediment only detracts from appearance and not from flavor or aromas.

Hmmm, Bob. I haven't noticed cloudiness or crystals or floating sediment in any of the wines stored in my fridge, but a) perhaps I am just not that observant, b) all my whites are filtered (possible, but unlikely) or c) this refrigerator just doesn't have that much vibration. I have, however, observed that in white wine left in our kitchen refrigerator, which is colder, newer, on wood floors, etc... But like you, that cloudiness leaves quicly, and it doesn't seem to affect the taste.
I usually only put bottles in the garage refrigerator I intend to drink within the next month - the rest go to the cellar. I am going to check tonight to see if I have any that have been there for a couple of years, and the same wine is in the cellar. And do a little test.