Another Storage Conundrum

[pergamum]

Help! Still looking for a good storage facility in DC (I'm moving there next week) to no avail. I am curious: is there any way to store a small collection of fine wine in an apartment without risking the "vinegar factor"? Perhaps I should buy a small temperature control device? Drop me a line if you have any idea.
Thank You,
Sean

[hotwine]

Sounds like a job for a small, free-standing wine cabinet with integral temperature & humidity control. There are several brands available. Suggest you check out some of the wine accessories Web sites, such as wineenthusiast.com (summer 2000 hard copy catalog has them on pages 10, 21, 28, 51 and 58) and International Wine Accessories online catalog at iwawine.com.

[pergamum]

Hotwine, thanks for the response. However, forgot to add an essential detail--I'm a poor law student living off student loans (feel free to click on my profile if you don't believe me) [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] . I know that these "wine cabinets," such as the one you suggested, are inordinately expensive. I just may need a cheaper solution. Any ideas?

[This message has been edited by pergamum (edited 08-13-2000).]

[hotwine]

Agree, they are usually expensive. But you can sometimes find a used one in the classified ads of newspapers. Our local paper carried such an ad only yesterday, for a unit that will hold 168 bottles, for only $200. There was no mention of the brand or condition.
I think I would lean toward a dorm-style refrigerator, if I were in your shoes. Best Buy today is listing one from Sanyo for $74.99 that's a 1.7 cu ft, or a 2.5 cu ft for $149.99. We use one of the larger types for what I call our "ready whites" - a small stock of Rieslings, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc that have been moved from the cellar to the house, to be ready at the right temperature for serving with chicken, pasta and seafood dishes. We don't use that for long-term storage, just for short-term: it would be unusual for a given bottle to remain there for even a couple of weeks.

Otherwise, suggest you simply keep your collection in a closet in your apartment. That will do just fine, until you can hang out your shingle and start making those big bucks.

Good luck.
Gil

[tomstevenson]

The simple rule for those without good storage conditions and lacking the cash to buy even a used wine storage cabinet as Hotwine suggests is to buy as you drink or, at most, no more wine than you will get through in a couple of weeks. With limited means is there any reason why you would want to keep a larger collection? And if there is and you can afford it, then you can afford a used wine storage cabinet.
Tom

[winoweenie]

Per me` man, you`ve gotten some good advice. Being poor is no crime, just darned inconvienent! If you find a storage unit with a small cellar it will likely cost at least 2-bucks-per-case-per-month.You can probably get a used appliance store to sell you something on payments to do the trick. GOOD LUCK. winoweenie

[Wallace]

I know this is a tad tardy but temperature fluctuation is what you really want to avoid. Being a poor law student means you need to put your wines on the floor in a closet as close to the center of the apartment as you can. As close to constant temperature as you're going to get under the circumstances.

[pergamum]

Hey tomstevenson--do you think that people every receive wine as a gratuity? In that case, they can both afford to have a wine collection and not afford to buy a storage facility. Good insight though.