If away for six months (hot climate ) is it better to store red wines in a frig
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
You'll find many answers on the forum to questions about storage including quite a few on the pros and (mainly) cons of keeping wine for extended periods in a refrigerator. However, although as a rule I would recommend considering one of several alternatives for storage, your situation may be the exception. The key questions involve, first, how "hot" your home will be. Are we speaking of the Tropics, with high temperatures day and night, or desert-like peaks during the day, and no air conditioning, at least not while you're away? If so, I would say that a refrigerator is the better option if you do not have another "cool" alternative. Also, since the door of the refrigerator will not be opened during your absence, this addresses the wide swings of temperature, humidity and light which occur with a kitchen refrigerator in daily use - the main reasons a fridge is not a good cellar. Since you'll be away for six months, you'll be emptying your refrigerator to a large extent, so there certainly will be space for a number of bottles. I would suggest you set the temperature a bit higher than usual so it is not as cold as needed for eggs, meat and other perishables. You could buy a cheap refrigerator thermometer and test the settings before you go away. When you return, it might be worth considering buying a temperature-controlled wine cabinet. There are many smaller ones which are not very expensive, and you would not need to move your wines when you travel.
