I store my wine in an underground storage facility next to an underground parking lot. The same air is conveyed and the place is not really well ventilated. So, lots of C02. What kind of impact will there be on my bottles? (Around 40)
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Your storage situation sounds somewhat unusual, and I am not entirely sure I fully understand the conditions. Are you saying that openings between the storage facility and the parking garage permit passage of air between the two spaces, or that they are both parts of the same closed ventilation system? Clearly, automobile exhaust fumes should be vented to the exterior and not circulated to other interior spaces. I would worry more about breathing the noxious air when you visit the storage area rather than the effect on the wine. Rather than trying to assess the theoretical impact of the fumes, I recommend you find another location to store your wine, since it will be easy to transfer 40 bottles. A relatively small number of bottles can be kept in a temperature-controlled cabinet in your home, for example. A small unit is not very expensive, and you will no longer have storage charges. Moreover, you will have immediate access to your wines, at any time of day or night, whenever you feel like opening a particular bottle rather than making a trip to the storage facility. If you intend on adding to your collection, invest in a somewhat larger cabinet to allow for new wines.
