Ideal Wine Cellar Humidity

Keeping the rest of the world s wine cellars at the same 55 57 degrees f 14 degrees c and with an average of 60 relative humidity generally requires some form of dedicated wine cooling system.

Ideal wine cellar humidity.

Proper humidity levels are often overlooked during the wine cellar building process but their importance is paramount for proper wine preservation. At a minimum to test the humidity inside your wine cellar you will need a humidity gauge. Your perfect humidity level will vary depending on the climate conditions of your cellar such as whether you have windows and how tightly your cellar is sealed off from the rest of. Fulvio mattivis a food scientist at fondazione edmund mach gathered 400 bottles of tuscan wine and placed half of them in a professional cellar and the other half in a dark room designed to mimic the.

The ideal humidity will keep the corks moist but will not cause mold on the bottles or racks and will not cause damage to the wine labels. Light bodied white wines run the greatest risk from light exposure and for that reason they are often packaged in tinted wine. The ideal wine storage temperature is 55 59 f 12 15 c and 55 75 humidity. Humidity is affected by temperature so keep both numbers in mind because if you tinker with the temperature you have to tinker with the humidity.

Typically your basement serves one of three functions. The ideal humidity for a wine cellar is around 70 percent and the ideal storage temperature for wine is around 55 degrees f. Without ideal humidity wine quality may be affected in a number of ways. The ideal temperature and humidity of any wine cellar would do well to mimic the natural conditions of france s legendary wine caves.

Humidity is a critical yet often overlooked feature in wine cellar design. Wine ages 4 times faster at room temperature dr. The three factors that have the most pronounced effect on wine in storage are light humidity and temperature. Yes this does happen but unless you live in a desert or in arctic conditions it probably won t happen to you.

Humidity refers to the concentration of water vapor in the air. Wine experts still aren t sure what the ideal humidity level is for wine but jancis robinson says 75 percent humidity is a good starting point for most cellars. A relative humidity rh of 50 to 70 is recognized as an adequate wine cellar humidity level with 60 the ideal. The theory goes that dry air will dry out the corks which would let air into the bottle and spoil the wine.

Depending upon the purpose your relative humidity levels fit into slightly different ranges. Understanding these ranges will allow you to reduce the risk of health risks and structural damage. A proper humidity gauge will tell you the exact reading of your cellar. Humidification is the process of adding moisture into the air.

Don t sweat the humidity. Direct sunlight or incandescent light can adversely react with phenolic compounds in wine and create wine faults.