Cellaring & Storing Wine

In the cellar door we are often asked about cellaring and storing wine, so I wanted to answer some of your questions….

Cellaring wines has lots of advantages, the main one being that you’ll always have something to drink and it ought to be at its optimum drinking. However not all wines improve with age, if its not good when young, it isn’t going to miraculously transform into a great wine with age!

As your wine palate matures, the benefit of giving some wines even just two or three years bottle age, can open up a whole new world of wine!

If you’ve stashed some wine away and years later you discover a treasure, don’t be afraid to call the winery for guidance, they’ll be delighted to hear from you.

Aging wines is a hobby, so don’t get too caught up in the technicalities, just enjoy!

What wines should I age?

Cellaring wines will change (and generally) improve a well-chosen wine, and this is where buying at the Cellar Door is perfect, as the person will be able to give you the very best advice about the aging potential of that specific wine.

White Wines
I’d suggest only ageing oaked Chardonnays and white wines with higher acidity, such as Verdelho, Riesling and Semillon

Red Wines
The wine ought to have a solid structure, tannins, good acid and oak, plus great fruit! Generally the less expensive wines don’t cellar for as long, the fruit may be less intensely flavoured, and hence the wine will have less oak, so the structure, essential for aging will not be as complex. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are the best aging option.

How to Store the Wines?

The two most important factors for cellaring wine at home, are the stability of temperature (don’t worry too much about the actual temperature, its more important that there aren’t wild fluctuations) and the physical stability of the wine, so try not to move it too much.

The level of humidity was more important when wine was sealed with corks, as you didn’t want them to dry out, and no longer be airtight.

 Do ensure that the wines are kept in the dark, as light will lead to more variation in the temperature and can trigger chemical reactions.

 When can I open them?

As a general rule of thumb, if you find a wine that you like (budget permitting) buy a dozen, put 6 bottles within easy reach, and then squirrel away the other six to be enjoyed over x years.

 When buying wine, you probably have a plan as to how long you’d like to keep it for, I’d suggest that you put a sticker with the year that you plan to drink the wine in, on the top of the bottle.

 If your wine is an investment, do ensure that you cellar it at the appropriate temperature, about 18 degrees.

 Any other questions, just drop into the Cellar Door and we’ll do our best to help you!