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What happens to a red wine if it is cellared at a temperature below the recommended 55 °F?
Q: What happens to a red wine if it is cellared at a temperature below the recommended 55 °F?—Randy
A: I know of many seasoned collectors who store their finest red wine at 50 °F or less in the belief that colder temperatures retard the aging process. Whether this actually makes a wine taste better is difficult to ascertain. However, in 2008 a magnum of Château Lafite Rothschild 1870 originally from the famed Scottish cellars of Glamis Castle (where temperatures never rose much above 48 °F), sold for a record $35,850 at Sotheby's New York -- which suggests that from a monetary standpoint, colder conditions yield sizzling results.
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