The wine cellar

For many people, their relationship with wine will always be short term. Others will have the patience, the space, or perhaps just the curiosity, to explore cellaring wine, and the magic that can happen as wine ages in the bottle.

Practicalities

Cellaring wine can quickly grow into an expensive proposition without proper planning. Start with setting a budget for setting up your cellar and a monthly wine budget, and be realistic.

Space will be the biggest issue when setting up the cellar. How many bottles do you plan to have? Always plan for more space than you think you will need.

Ideally, you should buy three bottles of each wine you put in your cellar: one to taste and to evaluate and determine its potential for aging (and to see if you should buy more than three bottles) and the two others to enjoy at different points in its aging curve.

As a general rule, buy 2/3 of your wine for current consumption and 1/3 to keep for the medium (3-5 years) and long terms (5 years +).

The wine cellar - physical aspects

A cellar does not need to be a fancy affair. A simple closet that meets the recommended conditions described below will do.

Temperature and humidity:Between 10 C and 14 C a wine evolves at an ideal rhythm. Any colder and the wine ages more slowly, any warmer and its evolution is too rapid. However, consistency is more important than a particular temperature. Consider first the north side or the side of the basement that is entirely underground.   Ideally, the humidity should be between 60 and 70 per cent. Make sure that refrigerated wine cabinets have a humidity control.

Air quality:Wine should not be stored where there are strong odors - root cellar, heating oil, etc. These odors will quickly transfer to the wine. In general, the area where you store your wine should be well ventilated.

Light: Wine, especially white wine, is sensitive to direct light. A cellar should be in shadow or even darkness. Turning on the light to find a bottle isn't a problem, but you shouldn't leave it on for several days. Neon lighting should not be used. If your refrigerated wine cabinet has glass doors, make sure they protect against UV rays.

Bottle position:Most wines should be lying down to ensure permanent contact of the liquid with the cork, keeping the seal completely tight. Certain types of wine can be stored standing up: ports and sherries (where a composite closure of plastic-natural cork is used); wines with screw cap closures.

Vibration:On the chemical level, wine ages by the creation of long chains of molecules. This process is disrupted by any sudden movement, so avoid handling your bottles roughly or unnecessarily and don't put your cellar under the stairs or near the compressor, furnace or washer. Make sure that refrigerated wine cabinets have a mechanism to isolate the wine from the compressor vibrations.

Physical structure

Depending on whether your cellar is a piece of furniture or a space, bottles can be stored on racks, in individual compartments or even piled on top of each other in cubbyholes.

All of these solutions are appropriate if the arrangement is solid and allows the bottles to be handled carefully, preserving the quality of their label. Don't forget compartments for large bottles.

Do not leave your bottles in their packaging. Over time cardboard boxes will take on an odor of old damp cardboard and transmit it to the wine. Get rid of the tissue paper that some bottles are wrapped in as well.

Organization of the cellar

You can organize your cellar by:

• grape variety
• country/region
• style of wine: light, medium-bodied, etc.
• desired date of consumption

Once you have 50 bottles or so create a cellar log, either on paper or using a spreadsheet or a computer program. Whatever system you choose, record the following information for each bottle before you put it in the cellar:

• Vintage
• Producer
• Name of the wine
• Vineyard/appellation/region/country
• Red, white, sparkling, dessert, etc.
• Quantity
• Purchase price
• Size of the bottle
• Ideal period for consumption: i.e., drink around 2012-2014
• Choice of wines

Wine selection

Red wines with excellent potential for aging (15+ years)

• Port
• Barolo
• Barbaresco
• Brunello di Montalcino
• Hermitage
• Great red wines from Bordeaux
• Bairrada
• Anglianico
• Madiran
• Côte Rôtie
• Great red wines from Burgundy
• Châteauneuf du pape
• Chianti Classico Riserva
• Ribera del Duero
• Dao

Red wines with good potential for aging (3-10 years)

• Cabernet sauvignon (Australia, California)
• Rioja Reserva
• Malbec (Argentina)
• Merlot (New World)
• Pinot noir (New World)

White wines having a good potential for aging (3-10 years)

• Tokaji
• Sauternes
• Chenin blanc (Loire)
• Riesling (Germany)
• Chablis
• Sémillon (Hunter Valley, Australia)
• Jurançon moelleux
• White Burgundy (Côte d'or)
• White Bordeaux