Wine cellar climate: temperature and humidity in view.
Wine is best stored cool, dark and undisturbed. But what does cool mean, and how humid may a cellar be? This guide shows what wine institutes, education bodies and research institutions say about temperature and humidity, where they differ and why summer is a tricky season for cellars. The values are recommendations, not legal requirements.
- Temperature: the German Wine Institute names an average of 10 to 12 °C, the WSET 10 to 15 °C, Purdue University 10 to 16 °C. According to the German Wine Institute, temperatures permanently above 20 °C are unsuitable.
- Stability: according to Purdue, fluctuations put strain on the closure and can let air into the wine. The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) advises keeping fluctuations in temperature and humidity low.
- Humidity: air that is too dry can dry out natural corks. The wine bodies checked give no figure; the insurer Chubb names 60 per cent, plus or minus 10.
- Summer: warm, humid air condenses on cool cellar walls. The German Environment Agency and the Swiss BAG advise against airing cellars during the day in summer.
- No regulation: we found no legal requirement on temperature or humidity for private wine storage.
- Frigo during a power cut: the connectivity unit keeps running for about four hours on its built-in battery.
Who this guide is for
- Private wine owners with a natural cellar, a cellar storage room or a wine cabinet
- Anyone who ages wine for years and does not check the cellar every day
- Restaurants and hotels that store wine
Recommendations, not regulations
No law tells you how to store your wine at home. We found no legal requirement on temperature or humidity for private wine storage. The values in this guide come from wine institutes, a wine school, universities and research institutions, and an insurer. In some cases they differ. We therefore show them side by side rather than picking one value. Advice from the winery on a particular wine takes precedence.
Temperature: what the bodies say
| Body | Storage temperature | Further notes |
|---|---|---|
| German Wine Institute (DE) | 10 to 12 °C on average | Permanently above 20 °C is unsuitable. A cool place in the home where the temperature does not fluctuate too much will also do. |
| WSET (UK) | 10 to 15 °C, below room temperature | For long-term storage the temperature must be controlled and regulated. The kitchen is one of the worst places to store wine. |
| Purdue University (US) | 10 to 16 °C for long-term storage | Above 16 °C maturation speeds up. Above 24 °C most wines age greatly and untypically. |
| AWRI (AU) | Quotes an older recommendation of 15 to 20 °C | Longer periods above 25 °C or short periods above 40 °C can affect quality. |
| Chubb, insurer (CA) | A constant temperature of about 12 °C | Recommends sensors that alert you to temperature fluctuations around the clock. |
The ranges overlap between about 10 and 16 °C. The German Wine Institute's lower figure refers to an average over the year; the other bodies give ranges.
Why warmth and fluctuations do harm
Warmth speeds up maturation. The German Wine Institute and Purdue University agree on this. According to a summary of a Diploma thesis at the Weinakademie Österreich, temperature is the dominant factor because it controls the speed of most reactions in wine.
Small differences count too. The AWRI stored the same Cabernet Sauvignon for twelve months at about 15 °C in a cellar and at about 21.5 °C in an office. Afterwards, free sulphur dioxide in the warmer wine was 22 per cent lower and total sulphur dioxide 16 per cent lower. Sulphur dioxide protects the wine. The researchers conclude that the wine stored warmer is likely to have a significantly shorter shelf life.
Fluctuations are a risk of their own. According to Purdue, elevated temperatures and temperature fluctuations are among the greatest storage hazards. Fluctuations test the seal of the closure, especially corks, and can let air into the wine. Purdue gives a constant temperature of plus or minus 1 to 1.5 °C as a frame. The AWRI advises avoiding large swings between day and night.
And too cold?
According to Purdue, wines stored permanently below 10 °C may not develop their full aroma. As little as one hour at 0 °C or below can cause tartrate crystals to form. Purdue considers this a visual defect. The WSET points out that corks can lose their elasticity and become hard if wine is kept in the fridge for too long.
Would you notice if your wine cellar slowly warmed up during a heatwave?
Get your setup →Humidity: between dry corks and mould
Humidity is mainly about the closure and the packaging. If the air is too dry, wines under natural corks can dry out, according to the AWRI, and wine can leak. If it is too humid, the risk of mould in the cellar rises. The sources give no common figure:
| Body | What it says about humidity |
|---|---|
| German Wine Institute (DE) | A cool, humid, dark cellar suits wine best. The page gives no figure. |
| AWRI (AU) | Keep fluctuations in temperature and humidity low. Also quotes an older recommendation to store bottles in a cool, dry place with the cork in contact with the wine. |
| Chubb, insurer (CA) | Monitor relative humidity to keep it at 60 per cent, plus or minus 10. |
| German Environment Agency (DE) | For living spaces 40 to 60 per cent. If humidity stays above 60 per cent for days and weeks, this can encourage mould growth. |
| BAG (CH) | Moisture-sensitive items do not belong in the cellar. For cellars that are too damp, measures include building work, keeping the cellar at about 10 to 15 °C and dehumidifiers. |
The values from the German Environment Agency and the BAG apply to living spaces and buildings, not specifically to wine. The summary of the Diploma thesis at the Weinakademie Österreich rates humidity, bottle position and vibration as often secondary compared with temperature and light, with partly inconsistent evidence. Purdue names a further source of moisture: if bottles from very cold storage are moved into a warmer room, water condenses on the bottle, label and cork. This can easily lead to mould.
Light, vibration and lying bottles
- Light: strong light exposure is unsuitable, according to the German Wine Institute. According to the WSET, lighting can also warm the wine. In trials summarised by the AWRI, white wines in clear glass under fluorescent lamps developed a measurable light-struck fault after about 3.3 hours, in green glass after about 31 hours. The AWRI considers direct sunlight more harmful than electric light.
- Vibration: according to the WSET, it disturbs the sediment and causes chemical reactions. The AWRI mentions the view that vibration from a fridge compressor is harmful, but found no literature on it.
- Lying down: store cork-sealed wine for long-term storage lying down so the cork does not dry out and shrink (German Wine Institute). Such wines intended for drinking soon can stand for 1 to 2 years, according to the German Wine Institute. Wines with screwcaps, synthetic corks, crown caps or glass closures can stand.
- Odours: strong odours are also unsuitable, according to the German Wine Institute.
Cellars in summer: do not air during the day
According to the BAG, summer is an unfavourable season for cellars. If warm, humid summer air gets into a cool cellar during airing, it cools down and becomes even more humid. The risk of mould on the cool walls rises. The German Environment Agency describes the same effect.
- German Environment Agency: do not air cellars during the day in summer, but preferably at night or in the cool early morning.
- BAG: keep cellar windows and doors closed most of the time in summer without giving up airing altogether, and use cooler periods for it. In winter, frequent airing dries the cellar out.
For a wine cellar, this means: an open cellar window on a hot afternoon can raise temperature and humidity at the same time. A sensor shows how both develop over days and weeks. How to keep an eye on a cellar in a holiday home is covered in the guide to holiday home monitoring.
Wine cabinet or natural cellar
Not every cellar is cool and evenly tempered. A wine cabinet has its own cooling. A natural cellar does not; its temperature depends on the building and the season. The conditions the bodies name apply to both: cool, as constant as possible, dark and undisturbed.
How to set your wine cabinet is explained in the manufacturer's instructions. According to the WSET, an ordinary kitchen fridge is unsuitable for long storage because corks can become hard there. If a wine cabinet fails or the power goes out, nobody notices until someone opens the door. A sensor in the cabinet measures the air in the cabinet, not the temperature of the wine.
Restaurants and hotels
If your business stores wine in a cellar, wine cabinet and cold room, the page on gastronomy and hospitality explains how Frigo monitors several areas at one site.
Where checks on site leave gaps
- Heatwave. A natural cellar warms up slowly. A short visit hardly shows it.
- Airing at the wrong time. An open window on a warm day brings warmth and moisture into the cellar.
- The wine cabinet fails. A fault or a power cut goes unnoticed as long as the door stays closed.
- Holidays. Nobody checks the cellar for weeks.
- Water on the floor. A small leak in the cellar goes unnoticed until the next visit.
- The hygrometer shows only the moment. A reading shows no history and no fluctuations at night.
What a sensor adds
A sensor measures air temperature and relative humidity around the clock, in the cellar or in the wine cabinet. You set an upper and a lower limit per sensor. If a value leaves this range, Frigo alerts all the people you have named by app and email, with SMS as an additional option. Every deviation is written with start, end and duration to a continuous, time-stamped record. For water on the floor, Frigo offers dedicated leak sensors. A door contact can also be used.
The sensors stick on, with no drilling and no cables. They run on their own battery and do not store readings. Frigo replaces a sensor before its battery runs out and informs you beforehand. One connectivity unit per site plugs into a power socket and has its own mobile connection, so no Wi-Fi is needed in the cellar. If a sensor or the connectivity unit stops sending data, Frigo alerts the named people.
Important: Frigo measures the air at the sensor's location, not the temperature of the wine in the bottle. It does not cool, heat, humidify or control anything. Monitoring is not climate control. Frigo alerts you earlier so that someone can respond.
If power fails, the connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours. During that time Frigo keeps measuring and alerts you when a value leaves your limit, as long as the mobile network is available. Once the battery is empty, Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. The sensors do not store readings, so there is no data for that period. New readings arrive once the connectivity unit has power again.
How the system is built is explained under How does Frigo work?.
Four things to set per storage place
- the sensor location, for example at the height of the wine rack rather than right next to the door or window
- the temperature and humidity limits at which an alert is sent
- who is notified, including at night, at weekends and during holidays
- who has a key, checks on site and what to do then
Frequently asked questions
What temperature is right for a wine cellar?
The bodies give different values. The German Wine Institute names an average of 10 to 12 °C, the WSET 10 to 15 °C and Purdue University 10 to 16 °C for long-term storage. According to the German Wine Institute, temperatures permanently above 20 °C are unsuitable. Advice from the winery on a particular wine takes precedence.
How harmful are temperature fluctuations?
According to Purdue, elevated temperatures and fluctuations are among the greatest storage hazards. Fluctuations test the seal of the closure, especially corks, and can let air into the wine. The AWRI advises keeping fluctuations in temperature and humidity low.
What humidity does a wine cellar need?
The sources checked give no common figure. The German Wine Institute recommends a cool, humid, dark cellar. According to the AWRI, air that is too dry can dry out natural corks. The insurer Chubb names 60 per cent, plus or minus 10. For living spaces, the German Environment Agency names 40 to 60 per cent, because persistently higher values can encourage mould.
Should I air my wine cellar in summer?
Not during the day. Warm, humid summer air cools down in the cellar and the moisture condenses on the walls. The German Environment Agency advises airing cellars in summer preferably at night or in the cool early morning. The BAG recommends keeping cellar windows and doors closed most of the time in summer and using cooler periods for airing.
Do wine bottles have to lie down?
Cork-sealed bottles for long-term storage should, so the cork does not dry out. The German Wine Institute and the WSET recommend this. Such wines intended for drinking soon can stand for 1 to 2 years, according to the German Wine Institute. Wines with screwcaps, synthetic corks, crown caps or glass closures can stand.
Are there legal requirements for storing wine at home?
We found none. The values for temperature and humidity are recommendations from wine institutes, education bodies and research institutions. In some cases they differ. What counts is the advice of the winery and the instructions from the manufacturer of your wine cabinet.
Does Frigo work during a power cut?
Yes, for a limited time. The connectivity unit has a built-in battery and keeps running for about four hours during a power cut. During that time Frigo keeps measuring and alerts you when a value leaves your limit, as long as the mobile network is available. Once the battery is empty, Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. The sensors do not store readings, so there is no data for that period. New readings arrive once the connectivity unit has power again.
Sources
- German Wine Institute (DWI): Wine storage (undated, Germany, in German)
- Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET): Ideal serving temperatures and top tips for wine storage (26 Apr 2022, United Kingdom)
- Purdue University, Purdue Extension, Christian Butzke: Wine Storage Guidelines, FS-58-W (March 2010, USA)
- The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI): Technical Note TN09, The effects of heat and light on wine during storage (undated, Australia)
- The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI): Transport and storage (undated, Australia)
- AWRI, Wilkes, Newell and Johnson: Wine storage temperature, investigating the impact of small differences, Wine & Viticulture Journal (Winter 2019, Australia)
- Weinakademie Österreich: Summary of the Diploma thesis “Weinlagerung im Fokus” by Maurus Barandun (9 Jan 2026, Austria, in German)
- Chubb: 5 things that can go wrong when cellaring wine and how to prevent them (undated, Canada)
- German Environment Agency (UBA): How do I ventilate correctly? (as of 13 Dec 2024, Germany, in German)
- Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG): Beware of mould, guide to damp and mould in living spaces (August 2023, Switzerland, in German)
Your wine cellar in view
Find out when temperature or humidity in the cellar leaves your limits, even when you are not there, and have the record automatically.
To private use →This article is guidance, not advice. It reproduces recommendations from wine institutes, education and research bodies, authorities and an insurer, which differ. What counts is the information from the wine producers and from the manufacturers of your appliances. Frigo measures air temperature and humidity at the sensor's location, does not control the climate and does not prevent damage. Alerts require a working connection. During a power cut the connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours, after that Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. Sources as of: October 2026.