Creating a Cellar

Storing wine can be an enjoyable and beneficial activity as wine tends to change and develop over time. Creating a wine cellar is not the preserve of privilege – anyone can create a wine cellar. However, to ensure the wines you choose for your cellar will age well, there are some aspects to consider. 

Which wines to cellar?

Many wines on the market are commercial “drink now” styles, more suited to immediate consumption, while other wines are designed with cellaring in mind.  This is not to say a “drink now” wine will not settle down after bottling.  In fact, these commercial wines may also develop over a six month period, yielding a more integrated and balanced wine.

One way to gauge how a wine will age is to go by the grape variety. Generally red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz) and Pinot Noir age well. Likewise, white wines varieties such as Chardonnay, Riesling and Chenin Blanc tend also favor cellaring.

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Gamay are best consumed early.

Desert wines, and Sparkling and Champagne wines, are also best consumed early as these styles tend to loose their freshness and character over time.  However, to every rule there are exceptions!  For instance, a bottle of 1978 Dom Perignon opened in 2006 was in a superb and delicious condition.  Part of the fun is experimentation.

Ideal Cellaring Conditions

Location
It goes without saying that most New Zealand homes are not designed with wine cellaring in mind.  And modern open plan home designs emphasizing sunlight and heat retention are about as far from the original underground cave cellars of Europe as you can get!

However with a little thought and ingenuity anyone can create a wine cellar in their own home. It may mean finding a cool dark corner of the house or the purchase of a temperature controlled wine cabinet which today are very affordable and come in a range of sizes. When considering important cellaring aspects we get a better idea of where to store wine.  Aspects to consider include:

Temperature
The optimum temperature range for a wine cellar is between 10 degrees Celsius to 13 degrees Celsius and ideally you want the temperature to remain constant over time.

The temperature in modern homes tends to fluctuate with the season so you need to look for a location where the temperature is more-or-less constant and as close to the optimum range as possible.  You definitely would want to keep your cellar away from home heating systems or your kitchen.  If you are serious about cellaring you could always invest in a temperature and humidity controlled wine cabinet or wine fridge.  The upshot of having a wine cabinet or wine fridge is that you can easily display your prized collection for people to see while ensuring the wines are kept at their best.  

Remember, temperature is important as this determines the rate at which wines age and develop over time. Therefore, having a good thermometer is incredibly useful to track the temperature of your cellar. Higher than optimum temperatures will advance development in wines and age them quicker, though not always gracefully. Temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius will damage wines. Conversely, very cold temperatures will slow a wines development.  Moreover, cold temperatures may also cause wines to “cold stabilize” resulting in a deposit in the bottle of “wine crystals” which are harmless but rather unsightly.

 
Humidity
Maintaining relatively high humidity levels of between 55 to 75 percent relative humidity within your cellar is important as this assists in preventing the cork from drying out.  However, when a cellar becomes too damp or humid (at about 80 percent relative humidity) rot and mould may start to form on the wine labels and any packaging. 

The easiest way of preventing corks from drying out is achieved by simply keeping bottles in a horizontal position, so that the wine is always kept in contact with the cork.

Light
A dark cellar is ideal. Although many wine bottles have colored glass, ultraviolet light can gradually destroy a wine. Avoid exposing wine to direct sunlight or high intensity lighting.

Vibration
Try to locate your wine cellar where the wine can rest. Avoid areas where agitation will occur frequently, by foot traffic or door closing for example.

Further tips to consider when cellaring wine

Record Keeping
Keep a record of all the wines stored in your cellar. It is easy to forget what wines you have cellared and when you should consume them. Have a plan. Buy more than just a couple of bottles if you can and be aware of the winemakers cellaring recommendations.
A cellar record can be a written "Cellar Book" or a computer spreadsheet – there’s even wine cellaring software out there. Having six or more bottles means you can appraise the wine as it ages and develops over time. If the size of your cellar allows tag the location of every wine, and allow for more bottles than you plan.

Bottle Closure
Bottle closure is an important aspect to consider. Some people fall in love with the look and tradition of the cork. But corks have a couple of draw backs. Firstly, corks can dry out and leak, so keep an eye on the humidity of your cellar and lie your bottles on their side. Secondly, somewhere between 3 and 7 percent of wines become contaminated with Trichloroanisole or “TCA” for short.  Such contamination is largely imparted by contaminated corks (wine casks can also impart TCA contamination as well).  While TCA presence in a wine is not a health risk, it results in a wine where the aroma and taste comes across as being dull and “musty”.  TCA contamination is commonly known as “cork taint” or a “corked wine.”

Screwcap and synthetic cork is king when it comes to closures and cannot result in a wine becoming corked.  Very occasionally, you may find a screwcap which hasn’t sealed properly.  Also screwcaps can damage easily so be careful not to knock the cap when moving wines around.  When a screwcap (or cork) loses its seal, the wine becomes “oxidized”, leaving the wine flat and reminiscent of vinagre. 

Cellaring Magnums?
Cellaring magnums (containing 2 standard bottles) of wine is definitely ok. In fact recent tastings of the same wine in a magnum as opposed to the same wine in a regular 750mL bottle have revealed a difference in wine development. Magnum-aged wine has tended to develop slightly slower and show a better eventual development over time. Such claims are the result of subjective observation rather than any scientific study and the jury is still out as to why magnums may yield better aged-wines over time. Also, when having a dinner party with guests having a magnum can be impressive feature!
 

Wine Racks
When considering wine-racking take into account the size and number of bottles it will take. Bigger is best.  Generally all wine bottles hold 750mL.  That said wine bottles often vary in both diameter and height.  Pinot Gris and Riesling bottles tend to be taller and slimmer than Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay bottles, while some Pinot Noir or specialty bottles can be bigger in both diameter and height.