Whats considered too warm

[Wild Duk]

I've got 1 batch bottled and 2 batches ageing. I've just started this hobby last nov. and up till now my makeshift wine cellar has been fairly cool...With the recent warm snap in georgia, not sure how cool i'm going to be able too keep it....So at what temp will my wines start to be damaged, and to what extent.....I would love to start another kit, but if my storage space is not cutting it, not sure that I do...

 

[Tusch]

Aging is often best in the 50's, fermentation in the mid 50-high 60's. But, as long as you aren't going any higher then the low 70's for any part of the process and you should be fine. I ferment and age in room temp which is between 68-72 generally for my apt.

 

[Texron]

I wonder what you guys in the south do. Here in Texas where I live it get hotter than, well it gets pretty hot! Most people have their thermostats set to about 78 to 80 while they are at work and then it goes down to the low 70's for when they come home. Even with that bit of conservation my eletricity bills run better than $400.00 during the summer months.

What do you guys in the south do? Bite the bullet and pay the big bucks or what?

 

[summersolstice]

I consider anything over 75 as pushing "too hot". There's a number of things you can do to keep things cooler. One suggestion is to place the primary or secondary in a tub of water and wrap a towel (t-shirt, etc) around the primary/secondary and keep the lower part in the water to keep it moist and then point an electric fan at it to promote evaporation and cooling.

I've also seen a large cardboard box placed over the primary/secondary that's sitting next to a central air floor vent.

I have a basement so I don't really worry.

 

[Texron]

I've thought about making a styrofoam box that would set over a primary fermentor or carboy and have an easy/access compartment in the top that would hold a couple of frozen two-liter coke bottles. But then I still have the problem with the bottled wines that are aging.

I may just have to buy stock in the utility companies and start writing bigger checks.

 

[Freezeblade]

Well, except for red wines, I read somewhere that red wine yeasts ferment quite high (like 90) in order to get a good peppery flavor going (in zinfindel at least)