Cellaring Tips

Wine Cellar Calculator

Conditions in Your Cellar

To give wine time to achieve its full potential of maturity the basic rules to follow are to cellar or store it in a cool, dark, dry, place that is also rigid.

To be more precise, think temperature, light, humidity and vibration.

Temperature consistently held at around 15 degrees or marginally less is crucial to enable wine to age steadily. Variations in temperature can accelerate oxidation or premature ageing.

Darkness is important because light causes wine to deteriorate from chemical reactions and premature ageing.

Humidity should be held at around 65 to 70 per cent to avoid corks drying out letting air into the bottle that will affect the taste.

Vibration should be avoided. Storing wine near machinery or anything that vibrates because it will cause sediment to float and prevent it from naturally settling.

Organising Your Cellar

A well organised cellar is one that has been properly planned before the first bottles are racked.

Prepare a layout of where you will locate your reds and whites and how you will classify them. For example you might elect to classify them as ready-to-drink, mature, aged or ready in one, two or three years.

Store by variety, region or vintage, but know where to put your hands on it when you need it to impress unexpected guests!

Some collectors like to tag necks with the date of purchase and the price they paid just to see how much their collection has appreciated in value.

And finally, diarise your collection on computer. You will be surprised with what you have amassed.

Classic Cellars' professional staff can advise you how best to plan your cellaring requirements.