Why A Cellar?
Wine is a living organism, and like all living organisms, and like all living
things, it requires a specific type of environment in order to age properly.
Aging is a term for the biochemical change that happens within the wine.
Whether that change is for the better or for the worse, relies on the storage
conditions of the wine. There are four main factors to consider when planning
your cellar: temperature, humidity, darkness, and lack of vibration. Please
NO odors from food or paint in the cellar, it will penetrate through the
cork and spoil the wine as well. Stability is the key to proper wine storage.
It is imperative that the temperature of the cellar stay constant. Experts
vary in their beliefs of the ideal cellar temperature. Recommendations range
from 55 - 60° F. The cooler the temperature, the slower the aging process.
A cool constant temperature (we recommend 55° F) insures the wine will
age slowly and predictably, enhancing all the desirable characteristics of
age while protecting the fragile elements such as fruitiness.
In addition to maintaining a cool constant temperature, refrigeration is needed
to maintain both temperature and proper humidity level (somewhere between 50
percent to a maximum of 70 percent). The corks need the dampness in order to
stay wet and keep the wine properly sealed. Normal air conditioning will extract
the moisture from the cellar. This will cause the corks to dry and will allow
liquid to escape from the bottle and air to enter. On the flip side, you do
not want a dripping wet cellar. This will cause the labels to rot and fall
off the bottles. Without those precious labels, the wine is virtually worthless
at auction.
Again, the key to proper wine storage is stability. Temperature and humidity
have to be kept at a constant level. Proper refrigeration is the best way to
insure this. A refrigerated cellar is called an active cellar, while a natural
cellar is often referred to as a passive cellar. Depending on where you live
you may opt for a passive cellar and have very good storage conditions but
this is very uncommon in this country. But if you are a serious collector and
and want the best aging conditions or intend to auction your collection, you
may not want to take the risk. Auction catalogs will demand proof of storage
in a wine cellar so that buyers may take this important factor into account.
This brings us to the final two elements, darkness and stillness. Wine should
always be kept from direct sunlight because ultraviolet radiation destroys
its color and flavor. The ideal wine cellar should be softly lit when occupied
by the wine enthusiast and otherwise left in complete darkness. Vibration can,
at least temporarily, rob many wines of flavor and bouquet. There should be
no vibration from traffic on the street above, the subway below, or from a
motor running the refrigeration. Also be aware that a wine cellar should not
have odor from food, stain or oil based paint.
If you are interested in a cellar and would like to learn more about the importance
of proper storage, please contact us.
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