Just a suggestion -- if you are going to go to the trouble of taking
readings. You may see some temperature swings, day to night, but the wine
may not experience these. It takes a while for a large vat of liquid to
adjust to changing surroundings. You might have a temperature range of
70-80 degrees in the room but only 73 to 75 degrees in the liquid. You
might put a one gal jug of water and a 5 gal jug or pail of water into the
area you are concerned about. Give them a couple of days to adjust. Then
measure the temp. in the room and each of the jugs several times a day for a
few days and see what the temperature range really is.

Let us know what you end up with. Then make your wine. I have no doubt
that it will come out great but it would be interesting to know what the
range is.

Ray


"Jack" > wrote in message
om...
> Thanks for all the info. I guess I'm getting a little ahead of
> myself. As long as I can produce a variety of reds with good quality
> at the temperatures I have, I can always worry about refining that
> later.
>
> I'm estimating the temperatures in this closet anyway, though I think
> I'm pretty close. I'm going to take some readings with a thermometer
> to see what I've really got. I went in there this morning and it was
> noticeably cooler than the rooms outside the closet. Who knows, it
> might even be a little cool in the winter, which would mean I would
> ferment in another room during the cold months.
>
> (Jack) wrote in message
. com>...
> > As posted earlier, I'm interested in the hobby. However, the best
> > temperature I can muster will range from around 70 deg. F in the
> > winter to around 76 deg F in the summer; unless there is a relatively
> > simple, inexpensive way to get the temperature lower. I've read a bit
> > about temperature in winemaking, but haven't been able to get anything
> > definitive (the temperatures are all over the place).
> >
> > I'm really much more interested in reds than whites (I rarely drink
> > white wines). I don't want to jump into the hobby, only to find out
> > that I have very limited options as to what I can make and that the
> > quality of whatever I make will always be subpar. Is it worth