I have recently gotten an 8 bottle wine cellar for my counter top. I read that the ideal temperature for it to be set on would be 55 degrees F. Is this true? Also, am I able to store rose, red, and white wines all in the same cellar?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
You've made a good decision in buying a refrigerated wine cabinet, since assuring proper conditions is critical to long-term storage. If your purpose is simply to have a practical place to keep wines for short periods, and you do not intend to keep bottles for years, I wouldn't be concerned about the nuances. By all means, keep all your wines regardless of color in the cabinet. With regard to the temperature setting, there is nothing magical about 55 F, which may have become common wisdom owing to the old, below-ground wine cellars in parts of Europe. A lower temperature, say 50 F, will slow the wines' evolution while a higher one, perhaps 60 F, will facilitate faster aging. Again, this only matters if you keep wines for years, not months.
