Wine Storing Advise

Wine Cellaring Advise

Wine cellaring is an useful skill to have in order to ensure the integrity and longevity of your wine. Proper storage facilities, climate, temperature and type of wine are important factors to consider when thinking about cellaring. Wine Look are experts in the selection and storage of wine that you will be able to keep for years to come.

In gathering wine to cellar it is worth evaluating a number of factors. Firstly, one must know whether the wine has undergone any rapid changes in climate, temperature or environment. It is also vital to know which wine varieties possess cellaring potential and which wines cannot.

If wine is bought from an auction or from a dealer, it would be prudent to inspect the surroundings in which the wine was kept, and to inquire into the storage facilities that were used to maintain ideal conditions for the wine. It is also important to sample several bottles of the wine before committing to purchasing large amounts. Good storage facilities and auctioneers provide customers with a certificate of “provenance”, which is meant to guarantee an ideal cellaring environment for your wine before sale. However, it is necessary to be weary and check.

The next most valuable tool to have when purchasing wine to cellar is knowing which wines can last several years, and which wines are better consumed when young.
Many younger styles of wine such as sparkling wine, Rose, lighter red are ready to drink within the first years of harvesting.
Serious and expensive Champagnes can prove their quality for many years. Well bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Semillon, Vintage Port could last decades and many more, in the case of Vintage Port.
Blends such as Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon can cellar for up to 7 years.
Botrytis dessert wine can last up to ten years or greater.
Some of Australia’s best Shiraz can be cellared for around ten years.
Cabernet Blends can also enjoy prolonged periods of rest.
GSM (Grenache- Shiraz- Mourvedre) can be easily kept from 6 to 12 years in proper conditions.
Unfortunately, Chardonnay does not benefit from cellaring as this wine mature very rapidly. However, Chardonnay from cooler regions can be maintained for up to 3 years for the proper festivities.
As mentioned before, Vintage Port is one of the best wines to cellar, as it can keep in the family cellar for up to and sometimes over 50 years!
Some wines such as Riesling and Semillon are perfect when fresh. However, after a year of cellaring they lose their fruity integrity and should be left for another 3 to 5 years to develop their unrepeatable aged characters with flavours of marmalade and minerals for Riesling and a honey and buttered flavour for Semillon.

When deciding upon a wine cellar, it is essential to reflect on the condition of the cellar – a space where wine can be stored conveniently to rest, mature and to improve drinking benefits.

Some wine authors suggest not to trouble yourself with expenses and effort associated with cellaring wine. This may be true for those occasional wine drinkers who purchase wine on the spur of the moment. However, those true wine lovers or people who invest within wine know that storing wine properly is almost a sacred action. In order for you to maintain an effective environment for your wine, certain conditions must be adhered. Generally speaking the temperature of the wine cellar should not exceed 15º C, many argue that even 12º C is optimum for the longevity of wine. It can be noted that this temperature must not fluctuate. The next issue to consider in cellaring wine is humidity. Humidity is key to keeping the corks moist (70-75% humidity). This is crucial to stop the corks from rupturing and the wine leaking out, and leading to a speedy oxidation. Darkness must also be generally maintained.

The next significant factor to take into account is the position of the wine bottles. It is recommended that wines lay on their sides, undisturbed by movement or vibration. Hanging a tag on the bottle neck with vital information such as the Vintage, wine name, region and producer can help. This simple tag can even serve as a trigger for memories of travels where you had acquired this wine specimen.
In terms of vibrations and traffic, it is wise to chose areas of low traffic such as the basement. If you are pondering air conditioning the cellar, it is advisable to install the air conditioner in the right position so that its vibrations do not affect the peace of the wine. Should you go with the alternative of purchasing a wine cooler, it would be prudent to test the wine cooler for vibrations and to buy from reputable brands.
Often, people recommend cellaring under stair cases. In this case, it is imperitive to acknowledge the high traffic area and unstable temperature.

Lastly, storing wine within the presence of other impacting odors or aromas can sometimes be detected within the taste and nose of the wine. Some authors suggest keeping wine in the closet. However, this is not always the best choice as these places are not completely odor free and may lack the romantic associations of a personal cellar.

For many wine lovers the cellar is often an sacred place of tranquility, peace and relaxation, not simply a place to store alcohol. If wine is a religion, then the cellar is the chapel.