Why Cellar?
Starting a wine cellar will add to your enjoyment, knowledge and appreciation of wine.
Wines develop and change as they get older. Some wines even require age to develop complexity and soften tannins. Others may be fine to drink from the day of purchase, but become more complex and interesting as they age.
- By putting a few bottles away in your cellar, you can follow this evolution and discover the new flavours of your favourite wines.
- You can also save money, by purchasing wine as it is released instead of paying a premium for older vintages in the future.
- You will always have a suitable bottle on hand for any occasion.
How to set up a Cellar?
Things to consider when setting up a cellar; A cellar does not have to be a fancy purpose built facility, it can be anything from a few bottles tucked in a cupboard in cool dark corner of your house, through to a state of the art, temperature controlled unit.
Temperature: Wine should be stored at a constant temperature of around 12 – 13 degrees.
Humidity: Moderately high humidity is best for long-term cellaring as it helps to stop corks from drying out and losing their seal. Too high and the wine labels may be damaged by mould and mildew though this won't affect the wine inside the bottle and is not such a problem if the wine is for your personal consumption.
Bottle Positioning: Cork sealed wine should be stored on their side, so the wine is in constant contact with the cork, keeping the cork moist. Screw cap sealed wines can be stored either on their side or upright.
Light: Constant exposure to light can damage wine so wine should be stored in the dark or at the very least out of any direct light.
Vibration: Do not place your wine near sources of vibration, ie under the stairs.
What to Cellar?
Over 90% of wine purchased in New Zealand is consumed within 24 hours. Most wine today is intended to be consumed quickly, and may not benefit from cellaring.
Good varieties to Cellar
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Syrah
- Pinot Noir
- Riesling
- Chardonnay
Hints:
- Buy by the case (6 or 12 bottles) of a wine you want to cellar. Not only do you usually get a discount in price when buying a case, you also can try the wine over time and see how it changes.
- Keep a note of what you cellar, so you remember what you have tucked away.
- Cellaring advise on a wine label usually assumes perfect cellaring conditions, so if your cellar isn’t perfect, then it is usually better to open these wines on the early side.
- Don’t have your cellar in a kitchen, as the temperature fluctuates with cooking, etc.
- Have two cellars. One for everyday drinking, and one for the better serious wines that you want to leave for a few years.
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