Mini Wine Rack Placement

I am not a wine connoseur (?) , but I have 6 bottles of wine that I have collected over the years which are now sitting in a mini-wine rack on the kitchen counter of my apartment. I have about a foot of space inbetween the top of my cabinets and the ceiling of the kitchen and I am thinking of getting a wide wine rack and displaying my bottles up there to save on counter space. Considering that heat rises, will the wine be okay up there? My vents are in the ceiling.

Thanks
Quasi

Most wine should be stored at approx 55 degrees F, so chances are your room temp is generally too warm for the wine. Also, reccommed relative humdity for wine storage is %70, which is likely to be a probem, especially under a forced-air vent, which will typically dry things out. Best bet is to keep your wine somehwere cool and dark, or failing that drink it. :slight_smile: If you don’t plan on keeping wine for it’s eventual value, or your own pleasure in a well-aged wine, you might as well drink it and not be dissappointed down the road.

Cheers

I’d say it’s not too great a place for the wine, if it’s actually rare and/or valuable. Wine should probably be stored at cellar temperature, which is 50-60 degrees, and out of the light. Your typical basement is probably a better storage space, but not so good if you’ve got the wine around more for decoration than potential drinking.

Well, that_darn_cat posted while I was waiting for my incredibly slow system to put up the window, but I’m gonna post the quote from Epicurious anyway, I spent too much time on it to throw it away.

“Ideally, a wine cellar should be dry (but not overly, since a modicum of moisture helps keep the corks from drying out), well ventilated, vibration free, and cool. The ideal temperature is 50° to 55°F, but a reasonably consistent temperature between 45° and 70°F is acceptable. What’s important is that the temperature remain constant-if it changes, the change shouldn’t be drastic. Although wines age faster in warmer temperatures, they shouldn’t be damaged unless the temperature is excessively hot. Bottles should be stored on their sides so that the wine is in contact with the cork to keep it moist and airtight. A cork that shrinks can expose the wine to oxygen snip which can ruin a wine.”

We keep our wine in a rack in a cupboard in the back room/pantry, which used to be a porch, so it’s quite cool out there. I would guess near the ceiling in a kitchen would be too warm for it, but if you’re still in doubt, why don’t you put a thermometer up there and keep track of it.
::thinking guiltily about the bottle of wine he left sitting on top of the refrigerator::

Aside from the question of storage conditions, you should probably consider the fact that most wines aren’t made to be aged very long after they are bottled. Apart from some very select vintage wines, most are made to be consumed right away. So unless you are holding onto some classic Bordeaux or something there, you should probably start cycling it out.