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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
I just built a new home with a wine cellar for more than a thousand bottles. My cellar is not temperature-controlled, but is in the basement on the north side of the house, insulated on all sides. I anticipated the cellar would stay around 62 to 65 degrees F, but since March it has ranged from 64 to 69. I don't plan on keeping wines for more than 10 to 15 years. (As George Burns said, "At my age, I don't buy green bananas.") Do you think it would be worthwhile adding temperature and humidity control to my cellar?
—George R., Loveland, Colo.
Dear George,
A five-degree temperature variance isn't very much, so I think that your current cellar conditions certainly address what would be my biggest concern, temperature variation. Sure, 64 to 69 degrees F is definitely warmer than an ideal 55-degree standard, but whether or not you should spend the money on temperature and humidity control is really up to you and your budget. Look at it this way: if the upgrades represent less than 10 percent of your current cellar's worth, then maybe you should look into it. And may you have many more years of buying green bananas!
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away!
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