Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler. One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Ccm

Hi Chad,

Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting
over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler.
One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a
good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if
this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Ccm


I was wondering the same thing, asking a similar question here about a month
ago. Despite buying a 47-bottle plug-in wine cooler (and I only had 2
bottles), I eventually gave in and am now renting a locker in a
temperature/humidity controlled storage company nearby. I had thought about
the wet cloth too, but my "babies" are just too precious to experiment with,
and now I'm up to 53 bottles, so it was either that or buy more plug-ins.


....or build a wine cellar, which I promise myself to do within the next two
years (but not an option for an apartment dweller though).

\/

Hi Chad,

Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting
over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler.
One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a
good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if
this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Ccm


I was wondering the same thing, asking a similar question here about a month
ago. Despite buying a 47-bottle plug-in wine cooler (and I only had 2
bottles), I eventually gave in and am now renting a locker in a
temperature/humidity controlled storage company nearby. I had thought about
the wet cloth too, but my "babies" are just too precious to experiment with,
and now I'm up to 53 bottles, so it was either that or buy more plug-ins.


....or build a wine cellar, which I promise myself to do within the next two
years (but not an option for an apartment dweller though).

\/

Chad Marsh wrote:
Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler. One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Chad,
The vibrations are unlikely to be a problem. The humidity problem
is a bit moe thorny. You can put more moisture in the air by placing a
dish of water in the cooler, preferably with a wick such as a washcloth
or towel to accelerate the evaporation of the water. The problem is
that your cooler's refrigeration unit is also functioning as a
dehumidification unit (as it cools the air, moisture condenses out as
water and is collected) so it's basically a footrace between your
ability to evaporate water and the compressor's ability to draw it off.
OTOH, you don't need some ideal humidity of 70% (or whatever) to store
wine long term. If you can keep a constant 45% you'll probably not see
cork shrinkage, though the fill levels of your bottles will decline.

HTH
Mark Lipton

Chad Marsh wrote:
Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler. One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Chad,
The vibrations are unlikely to be a problem. The humidity problem
is a bit moe thorny. You can put more moisture in the air by placing a
dish of water in the cooler, preferably with a wick such as a washcloth
or towel to accelerate the evaporation of the water. The problem is
that your cooler's refrigeration unit is also functioning as a
dehumidification unit (as it cools the air, moisture condenses out as
water and is collected) so it's basically a footrace between your
ability to evaporate water and the compressor's ability to draw it off.
OTOH, you don't need some ideal humidity of 70% (or whatever) to store
wine long term. If you can keep a constant 45% you'll probably not see
cork shrinkage, though the fill levels of your bottles will decline.

HTH
Mark Lipton

In article , says
....

Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler. One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Ccm

I have some of the same concerns in my walk-in cellar in PHX, AZ where the
humidity is usually VERY low. I added a fountain for my purposes, after
looking into several humidifying decives. Now, obviously, that is not a
solution for you, but a pyrex pie-plate with a sponge might fit in the bottom
of your unit. You would have to fill the plate, but then I have to fill my
fountain. In the small, closed environment, the sponge should work. Barring
that, you might stop by a good cigar shop and look at some of the larger
humidistat products. These can be replenished with a fluid designed for them
that should work and take up less space. You might need more than one, even of
the larger units, but they can be attached to the walls, or door with either
Velcro (tm), or double-sided foam tape. They too will require re-filling, but
less often and the fluids are much more efficient, than plain water.

Just thinking,
Hunt

In article , says
....

Hello, All:

I'm relatively new to the world of wine, and have only begun collecting over
the last ten months. I've been slow in building my collection, in part,
because I live in an apartment and do not have access to good storage
facilities. Currently, I'm storing my collectibles in a small wine cooler
which is not humidity controlled. Typically, the humidity in the cooler
ranges between 30% and 50%. Since I would like to hold on to some of the
wine I currently have for 20 years or longer, I know that I do not want to
store them over the long term in this environment. I'm wondering, though,
if there is an effective way to increase the humidity in a wine cooler. One
wine merchant suggested that I wrap my bottles in a wet cloth. Since I
don't want to ruin the labels on the bottles, this doesn't seem like a good
idea to me, but I have considered wrapping just the tops of the bottles in
order to protect the corks from drying. Does this sound like an effective
way to counteract the effects of a low-humidity environment? Also, if this
is effective, I still have other concerns with the environment inside the
wine cooler. Namely, I'm wondering if the vibration from the cooler's
motor, slight as it may be, might damage the wine over time. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

Ccm

I have some of the same concerns in my walk-in cellar in PHX, AZ where the
humidity is usually VERY low. I added a fountain for my purposes, after
looking into several humidifying decives. Now, obviously, that is not a
solution for you, but a pyrex pie-plate with a sponge might fit in the bottom
of your unit. You would have to fill the plate, but then I have to fill my
fountain. In the small, closed environment, the sponge should work. Barring
that, you might stop by a good cigar shop and look at some of the larger
humidistat products. These can be replenished with a fluid designed for them
that should work and take up less space. You might need more than one, even of
the larger units, but they can be attached to the walls, or door with either
Velcro (tm), or double-sided foam tape. They too will require re-filling, but
less often and the fluids are much more efficient, than plain water.

Just thinking,
Hunt

.. Any thoughts
would be apprecciated.

I have the same problem, having moved from a Victorian pile with wine
cellar, we have downsized to a 70's box.

Apart from buying a vinocave,( lots of dosh), I am using the old kitchen
units, stripped out and fitted with racks. Outside I have put builders foam
slabs, stuck with PVA. They are in the garage. Humidity this summer is not a
problem in the UK.....raining again today. You can buy wireless max/min and
humidity gauges in Maplins ( UK), and have the read out in the kitchen.

HTH

--
John Taverner
Solihull UK
134m a.m.s.l
"et in arcadia ego?"