What would be more detrimental to the long term storage of my wine? A 55° compressor driven wine refrigerator with some mild vibration or 63° +/- 3° closet with no vibration. Thank you!
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
It is a commonly held belief that vibration has a deleterious effect on the quality of wine due to chemical changes which the "shaking" supposedly induces. There is little scientific research to confirm or dispute this view. Determining the potential impact would be a challenging process. To do so, a study would have to evaluate the type of vibration as well as its intensity and frequency given varying distances from the source using many types of wines, followed and analyzed chemically over varying periods of time (years, that is), together with a controlled tasting at each stage. Identical wines would have to be stored under the same conditions, but totally free of vibration, as a control group. Quite an undertaking! My guess is that the results would lack certitude. Hence my first answer to your question is that, unless you intend to keep your wines for many years, you should not be overly concerned about very slight vibration. In my experience, temperature is more fundamental, and - for long-term cellaring - I would opt for a constant lower temperature. However, the difference in terms of effect on the wine's eventual quality of temperatures in the mid-50s F as opposed to the low 60s F is not likely to be dramatic. A lower temperature will slow the wine's maturation and would be preferred if you want to keep a powerful Hermitage or majestic Barolo for 30 or 40 years. By the way, I've enjoyed some stellar old vintages stored entirely in my own wine refrigerators for decades. If the vibration did any harm, I certainly couldn't tell!
