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A Guide to Wine Cellars and How to Cellar Your Wine
by Jennifer de Jong A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. Wine cellars are usually located completely underground, and often have direct contact to the surrounding soil via a gap in the foundations.
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PURPOSE
Wine cellars offer the opportunity to protect alcoholic beverages from potentially harmful external influences, providing darkness and a constant temperature. Wine is a natural, perishable food product. Left exposed to heat, light, vibration or fluctuations in temperature and humidity, all types of wine, including red, white, sparkling, and fortified, can spoil. When properly stored, wines not only maintain their quality but many actually improve in aroma, flavor, and complexity as they mature.
CONDITIONS
Wine can be stored satisfactorily between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, provided any variations are very gradual. Temperature centered around 55 degrees Fahrenheit or 13 degrees Celsius, much like the cool caves used to store wine in France, is ideal for both short-term storage and long-term aging for all types of wines. Note that wine generally matures differently and more slowly at the lower temperatures than it does at the higher temperatures.
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE
Residential wine cellars can be either active or passively cooled. Actively cooled wine cellars are highly insulated and need to be properly constructed. These types of wine cellars utilize specific wine cellar conditioning and cooling systems to maintain the desired temperature and humidity. Many systems only control the temperature and not the humidity so it is important to look for a system that actively controls both with temperature and humidification integrated into the unit. Passively cooled wine cellars take advantage of naturally cool and damp areas (such as basements with uninsulated outside walls in cool and temperate climates) when minor seasonal and diurnal temperature variations can be tolerated. Passive wine cellars may be less predictable, but cost nothing to operate and aren't affected by power outages.
DEBATE ON HUMIDITY
Some wine experts debate the attention given to humidity in the storage of glass wine bottle. For Wine Spectator, writer Matt Kramer noted a French study by Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2 University that the relative humidity within a bottle is maintained 100% regardless of the wine closure used and if the bottle is stored upright or on its side.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CELLARING WINE
Why cellar wines?
Simply, most quality wines improve with age. Aged wine develops greater complexity, as the chemical reactions that occur during ageing add new aromas and flavours to the wine. Ideally, buy a reasonable quantity so that you can regularly assess the development of the wine over several years.
Do all wines benefit from cellaring?
Depending on the style of wine, some wines are best consumed when young and fresh, while others may benefit from cellaring. Early drinking styles are usually best consumed within 1 to 2 years of production. For example, sparkling wine is ready to drink when it is released onto the market, as it is at this stage when the winemaker considers it to be at its best. This also applies to tawny port. Because the ageing (maturation) process has been carried out in oak, further ageing is not required once the port has been bottled.
Most white wines and light-bodied reds are best consumed when young (1 to 3 years), as it is during this time that the primary fruit characters are at their most appealing. However, some wines are not at their best until they have had some years in the bottle. These are generally full-bodied quality reds, although some of our Rieslings, full-bodied Chardonnays and classic Hunter Valley Semillons may develop wonderfully well in the bottle. Of course, the potential for these wines to mature gracefully lies in the character of the fruit.
Before investing in wines for cellaring, check the back label prior to purchase. Most table wines will have an indication of cellaring potential on the back label. However, if you are unsure or have any enquiries, contact the wine company for further clarification.
How long will a wine improve in the bottle?
It is difficult to predict when a wine will be at its best. Do you enjoy a wine with the vibrant flavours of youth or the more mellow, softer complexity of a fully mature wine? Is your preference for a red wine with predominant primary fruit characters, or a more mature red, which gives impressions of coffee, cedar or tobacco and less tannic astringency? It is very much a case of individual taste.
It is important to remember that smaller bottles will mature more quickly than standard bottles or magnums, as the proportion of air in the ullage space to the volume of wine is higher.
Where is the best place to store my wines?
Wine is best stored under cool, dark, airy conditions, free from vibration, odours anddampness. A cellar need not be under the house. The single most important factor istemperature stability. Wines stored where the temperature varies gradually with the seasons are better off than wines stored in a room which is heated during the day and then allowed to cool to winter temperatures at night.
The ideal cellar temperature is 12-15oC with a relative humidity of 65-75%. It is worthwhile using a thermometer to monitor summer temperatures. It may be a cause for concern if the cellar temperature goes much over 18oC, as warm conditions will accelerate the development of your wines, possibly reducing the pleasure to be had from them.
Store wine on its side, ideally with the neck sloping slightly upwards so that the cork remains wet, the bubble of air is in the shoulder and any sediment will collect at the bottom of the bottle. This will make the wine easier to decant. Place the bottle with the label facing up or use written neck tags so you do not disturb a wine to identify it. Align the bottles so that the corks are visible - this will allow easy inspection for problems such as leakage.
Depending on the size of your cellar and your budget, your wines can be stored in either racks or boxes. Free standing wine cellars
 . There are various racking and storage systems available ranging from metal individual bottle storage racks through to custom-built wooden systems. Cardboard cartons in which wines are packed provide efficient insulation and also protect the wine from light. Another alternative, albeit an expensive one, is specially designed styrene boxes, which provide excellent insulation and double as wine racks.
Air conditioning and refrigeration may effectively reduce temperatures but will also reduce humidity causing cork shrinkage. Buckets filled with water and regularly topped up will usually solve this problem. Alternatively, several companies now offer cellaring cabinets of varying sizes, that are, effectively, modified refrigerators with humidity control and these same companies can also supply humidity control units for rooms.
It is important to note that your wines will mature more quickly if your cellaring conditions are not ideal.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
The longest-lived wines are kept in subterranean caves that have fairly high humidity and a constant temperature of roughly 50 degrees.
A wine must have the right characteristics to enable it to improve with bottle age. The three most important characteristics, in no particular order, are tannin, sugar and acid. Both red and white wines can have one or more of these characteristics, but red wines generally improve more from aging.
You may have noticed that a lot of sauvignon blanc bottles are made of clear glass. This is because few, if any, sauvignon blancs are made to be aged.
TYPES OF WINE THAT AGE WELL
Note: In general, more expensive wines are designed to become better with age. Most inexpensive wines do not benefit from aging.
Types of Red Wine
* Cabernet Sauvignon e.g. Bordeaux in the Medoc Region of France
* Merlot e.g. St. Emilion and Pomerol in Bordeaux France
* Pinot Noir e.g. Grand Cru Burgundies of France
* Syrah / Shiraz e.g. Hermitage and Cotè Rotiè districts of the Rhone, France
Types of White Wine
* Chardonnay e.g. French Chablis and White Burgundy
* Riesling e.g. German Spatlese, Auslese and Beerenauslese
* Sauvignon Blanc / Semillion e.g. White Bordeaux in the Graves Region of France
Types of Dessert Wine
* Hungarian Tokaji / Tokay
* Riesling e.g. German Trockenbeerenauslese
* Semillon / Sauvignon Blanc e.g. Sauternes the sweet wine region of Bordeaux France
* Portugese Vintage Port
* Madeira
Types of Sparkling Wine
* Prestige Cuvèe Champagne e.g. Dom Pèrignon, France
AGING SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMON TYPES OF WINE
* Beaujolais - 0 to 3 years
* Beaujolais Nouveau - drink as soon as possible
* Bordeaux, Red - 5 to 20 years
* Bordeaux, White - 4 to 10 years
* Cabernet Sauvignon - 5 to 15 years
* Champagne, non-Vintage - 0 to 2 years
* Champagne, Vintage - 5 to 10 years
* Chianti - 0 to 7 years
* Chardonnay - 0 to 5 years
* Merlot - 2 to 8 years
* Gewurztraminer - 0 to 4 years
* Pinot Noir - 0 to 5 years
* Port, non-vintage, tawny, etc. - 0 to 5 years
* Port, Vintage - 10-20+ years
* Rioja - 4 to 10 years
* Riesling - 3 to 20 years
* Sangiovese and Barolo - 5 to 10 years
* Sauternes and other sweet whites - 5 to 15 years
* Sauvignon Blanc - 0 to 2 years
* Shiraz - 5 to 12 years
* Vouvray - 0 to 5 years
* Zinfandel, Red - 5 to 10 years
* Zinfandel, White - 0 to 1 years
TOP BOTTLES FOR THE CELLAR
1 - 1999 Taurino Notarpanaro Rosso del Salento ($17) This wildly fruity Italian wine, made mostly from Puglia's muscular Negroamaro grape, becomes refined as it ages. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to eight years.
2 - 2003 Foppiano Vineyards Bacigalupi Vineyard Petite Sirah ($18) Sonoma Valley Petite Sirah specialist Foppiano Vineyards produces one of the great bargains in ageable reds. Its spicy 2003 Bacigalupi Vineyard is loaded with blueberry fruit. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 10 years.
3 - 2002 Château des Tours Vacqueyras ($33) This violet-scented, silky Grenache-based wine, made by Emmanuel Reynaud of legendary Château Rayas, transcends the difficult 2002 Rhône harvest. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 12 years.
4 - 2003 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Spätlese Riesling ($32) Zilliken is a great name in German Riesling, and this '03 shows why, joining vibrant lime-peach flavors to thrilling acidity. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 15 years.
5 - 1999 Giuseppe Rainoldi Fruttaio Ca'Rizzieri Sfursat di Valtellina ($75) Flamboyantly aromatic, with notes of coffee and roasted nuts, this Nebbiolo from Lombardian producer Rainoldi is made from grapes that are air-dried, then pressed and fermented. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 15 years.
6 - 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert ($30) This inky, peppery Syrah from one of the Rhône's greatest producers has been a value since its first vintage, in 1953. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 15 years.
7 - 2001 Yalumba the Octavius Old Vine Shiraz ($100) Yalumba, Australia's oldest family-owned winery, makes this blackberry-rich, seductive Shiraz from the intense fruit of ancient Barossa vines.
DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 17 years.
8 - 2001 Fisher Vineyards Wedding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($125) In the terrific 2001 vintage, winemaker Whitney Fisher made a powerful, red currant…#34;driven Cabernet from the fruit of this terraced Sonoma vineyard. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 17 years.
9 - 2001 Château Palmer ($130) The red-fruited '01 Palmer, from one of Margaux's most famous châteaus, is deceptively open at first, then its wire-taut tannins clamp down. CELLAR for five years, then drink for the next 12.
10 - 2001 Poderi Colla Barolo Bussia Dardi Le Rose ($60) The 2001 vintage produced amazing Barolos, like this imposingly tannic wine from Poderi Colla, a family that's been making top wines in the Langhe hills since 1703. CELLAR for five years, then drink for the next 15.
11 - 1996 Dom Pérignon ($150) As top Champagnes like this firm, layered one, age, their acidity mellows and they gain complex aromas of nuts, brioche, even roasted coffee beans. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 20 years.
12 - 2003 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port ($60) This famous quinta's spicy, wild-berry-flavored '03 vintage gets some of its exotic character from the unusual Sousão grape. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 30 years.
STAR SELECTIONS
13 - 1996 Contino Gran Reserva ($65) One of the first single-vineyard Riojas, this velvety, cherry-vanilla-scented wine is very long-lived; vintages from the '60s are still drinking gorgeously. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 20 years.
14 - 1995 Royal Tokaji Aszú Mézes Mály ($115/500ml) This gold-colored sweet wine, full of honey-apricot flavor, is a six-puttonyos Tokay, the highest quality level. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 30 years.
15 - 1997 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Hunter Valley Sémillon ($40) Great Australian Hunter Valley Sémillons like this 1997, the current vintage, are lemony and tart when young, but over time gain a distinctive, waxy, nutty depth. DRINK NOW, OR CELLAR for up to 15 years.
About the Author
Jennifer de Jong is a long time wine drinker, enjoyer of wine, and non-wine-snob. She is the founder of VinoVixenz a snob free zone to learn wine tasting. From how to pronounce difficult wine names to learning about world wine regions.
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