Wine Cooler

[toddabod]

I have a question. Is is bad to stick bottles of wine into a wine cooler after they have been sitting in room temperature for 6 months? I guess the wine cooler will be at 55 degrees or so. Let me know, thanks.

[Innkeeper]

Depends on the wine. White wine would be fine with me (though there are others that make issue). Red wine is different. Would drop them into the cooler an hour before serving. That is, if you kept the red at the same temperature that you left home with. You can insure this by putting them in an insulated pack or vessel.

[toddabod]

I guess I am still confused. I want to buy a 42 bottle wine cooler to put my bottles of wine in. I am storing them on their side in a cabinett now. I was wondering about the long term implications for the bottles if I hang onto them for awhile.

[Innkeeper]

OK, you're talking about a temperature control unit, not taking wine to the beach. You can keep all your wines at 55 degrees, but I would recommend 60 or 65 degrees. If you keep them at 55, you would have to let the reds warm up for awhile before serving.
As far as how long to keep them, only slightly longer than you did before. Most white wine starts to go after two or three years. Light reds don't last much longer. Medium to full bodied reds last much longer, and, indeed some must be aged before drinking. You have to make individual decisions on each bottle. The knowledge to do this comes from experiance and learning as much as you can about each wine you are storing.

[toddabod]

Thanks a lot. I have a couple of German Spaelase's and Auslese's that I will keep for awhile. I have a couple of Spanish Riojas as well. Some wines will be consumed sooner than later.