On 5-Sep-2005, Steve Slatcher > wrote:

> >Thanks for the reply. I have A/C and keep it around 78F. I think that
> >might
> >be too warm for wines. I think that I might want to keep some wines for
> >several months; perhaps for special occassions. I'd prefer not to keep
> >them
> >in my fridge. Do you think that I should just store them at room temp?
>
> For several months? Yes, personally I would just store at room
> temperature.
>
> Keep the bottles in a dark place. And cooler if possible, but I would
> not worry too much about that. You implied that you have not had
> problems with reds, so your white wines should be OK too.
>
> Just one proviso. As you mentiioed a tight budget, I presume you are
> not talking about wines that typically cost 100s of dollars per bottle
> here. If you have a high value cellar it might be reasonable to spend
> a few more hundreds of dollars on a wine-fridge as an insurance
> against A/C failure.
>
> Let's see what others think. At least we have more facts to work with
> now.

For less than six months, storing wine in the back of a closet should be
fine. You want to have a dark space, and as cool as possible while fairly
regular in temperature (you don't want it to be 65 one day and 80 the next).
I'd go to Radio Shack and buy a digital thermometer with memory (should be
less than $15) and check out a seldom used closet to make sure it stays
consistent.

You do not want to store wine (red or white) in the refrigerator for any
length of time.... white wines maybe a couple of days and reds less than an
hour. If storing wine in an un-regulated space (i.e. closet), I'd put the
reds in the fridge to get them down to cellar temperature before drinking
(about 10-15 minutes).

I managed to keep several good bottles this way for more than a year without
any problems.

Good luck,
Gary