Hello all,

I'm relatively new to wine collecting (been throwing money at it for about two years) and have been researching the best ways to store wine. One point I have noted in several publications is that if the wine is not stored under ideal conditions, the wine may age prematurely.

My question is whether or not this is truly a bad thing to have happen? My initial thought was that if I can have a wine peak in five years that was suppose to be ready in ten, so much the better(granted it may be harder to determine the peak under less than ideal conditions)!

I know I am missing something here, but nothing I have read has mentioned any lack of quality that will happen if a wine is prematurely aged.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I apologize if this topic has been discussed in a previous post.

Sounds like you have some reading to do. It's easy to destroy a wine rather than bring it to maturity. Keeping the wine at a consistent temperature is most important, and certainly not to cold or hot!

Do a search of the forums to see what books have been recommended and read some, there's lots to learn and it's fun!

Nancy

If you boil it that '00 Lafite will be ready in 15 seconds!!

Some terminology needs to be cleared up to get to the meaning of things.

In storing wine under less-than-ideal conditions, this means storing them too hot.

In premature aging, this means the wines get cooked and oxidized. This isn't so much premature aging, is it's more like way way overaged and totally over the hill.

I've 'prematurely aged' my fair share of wine, living in Lodi, CA, where the summers can get pretty hot during the hottest part of the day, and leaving the bottles in cases in my living room. The corks push out, the bottles leak, and I've turned some nice Pinots and Zins into balsamic vinegar. So, I'd closer equate 'premature aging' with balsamic vinegar, moreso than with added bottle age qualities earlier.

-Vitis Vinifera

______________________________
Member #19

Thanks for the feedback. I certainly need to do more research and agree that extreme temperatures can destroy a wine, but consider a less extreme scenario:

If a wine is stored at a constant 65 degrees, will it mature sooner and if so, will the wine be flawed because it was stored 10 degrees above the ideal temperature? If not flawed, why not store a little warmer and drink a little sooner?

www.progeriaresearch.org

if you have the ability to keep a wine at a constant 65, you probably have the ability to keep it at a constant 55

many wines that really are ageable need a certain amount of time to develop into what has earned them their acclaim (Bordeaux and Italian wines and high-end Napa Cabs come to mind). Aging really is a succession of reactions, and many of these are dependant upon both temperature and time, not just temperature (second-order reactions, third-order, and so on).

-Vitis Vinifera

______________________________
Member #19

Wine aged at 65 will age just as well but slightly faster than wine at 56.

How's that for controversy. I have a passive cellar that is 60 - 65 year round, but my statement is more than just wishful thinking. I think Wine Spectator had an article on this a few years back.

i understand the reason 56 is ideal temp, because it slows down negative processes inside the bottle to the max without compromising positive side effects of ageing. you will not get to the same point by raising the temp.

Free Martha!

If you are holding onto agable bottles, they should be stored at 'proper conditions' to allow for full matutiry. However, if you are talking about stuff to be consumed within a few years, don't worry about the temp.

Personally, I have a passive cellar for 'most' of my everyday wines. I have my good stuff in a small wine fridge.

100bottles & mwagner

I have been following your philosophy of a 'passive' cellar for near term wines and a small frig. for longer term holds. It seems to be the best approach when you have limited storage space.

I guess I was just looking to see if there was a way to possibly cheat father time!

BTW - I checked RMP's guide after my 1st post and it states that "Wine kept at temperatures above 65 degrees will age faster, but unless the temperature exceeds 70 degrees, will not age badly." So, maybe there is a window, but then again what does "will not age badly" imply!