Home Cellaring

See what WINE magazine recommends when it comes to buying, storing and caring for your wine over the weeks, months and years to come. I don’t have a wine a wine cellar at home, and I want one. Sure there’s a place in the house where I keep my bottles – there’s even some order to the way I store them, and, depending on who’s going to share one or more of them with me at or between mealtimes, I know where the better stuff is hidden in the pile of quaffers bought for everyday, anytime enjoyment. But things are far from ideal. I’d be loathe to hold onto anything in my little collection for very long for fear of spoilage, and whereas once upon a time I used to “liquidate” stocks as fast as I replenished them I now face the problem of spill-over, insufficient space. Until recently I relied on friends, wineries and retailers to help me out, if they would, by holding onto the odd case here and there until I was ready to dip into them, or until the wine was ready – or when I was cash-strapped, thirsty and desperate. But why should they? Sooner or later one’s got to take full responsibility for one’s investments. In my situation it’s not a case of expecting a financial return down the line; for me it’s about buying some of the wines I do for enjoyment later – the enjoyment of having what I want to drink when I want it, and the pleasure of experiencing wine when it’s in its prime, being able to savour the complexity that comes with time in the bottle, exploring the character changes that develop during the lifespan of a wine. There’s a time for young, fresh wine, particularly those meant for early-drinking. But for the rest, especially those special bottlings made for consumption years after they have long since sold out, your options are to forgo the privilege, pay for somebody else to do the maturation for you, pay dearly for “oldies” sold at auctions, for example, or to do it yourself. So join me – even if you already have a cellar and simply want to compare notes – as we review what WINE magazine recommends when it comes to buying, storing and caring for your wine over the weeks, months and years to come. Happy collecting –

Why would you want a cellar?

• If your wine cupboard is overflowing. If you buy wine by the case rather than bottle by bottle, possibly to benefit from volume discounts offered in the trade… If you simply need more wine storage space.
  
• If you store wines for more than a year before drinking them, perhaps because your favourite labels sell out quickly after release and you choose to buy a year's supply at a time.
  
• If you are interested in wine, passionate even, and would like to explore more, be more adventurous, learn more. If you want to mature wine to drink at it's peak, or at different stages of its development… If you like to drink older, mellowed wines with more complexity or just different characteristics to the younger versions.
  
• Because wine is a 'living' thing, evolving in the bottle over time, it's development and lifespan dependent on how well it's cared for - and it's fairly sensitive stuff. It's one thing buying a bottle to open later in the day, week or month (put it on a shelf, in a cupboard or in the fridge for a while and there's no harm done). But storing it for any length of time is quite a different matter - especially if you wish to mature it properly.

Investing in wine, or a hobby?

• Buying wine for enjoyment later is an investment in itself, with returns realised in pleasurable terms when the wine's in its prime and you savour the complexity that comes with time in the bottle.
  
• Financial investment implies a monetary return on your outlay, which means reselling your treasures. It's challenging enough predicting which wines will mature well, but even more difficult forecasting whether a wine will be in demand if and when it does - leave it too late and all is lost.
  
• For most people, maintaining a wine cellar at home is purely a hobby, a very enjoyable one - and it can be costly, considering everything involved besides the wine itself (purchase and maintenance of equipment, racking and other cellar fittings, electricity, etc).
  
• Financially, best returns are often on modest reds rather than blockbusters at premium prices, and some cellar owners endeavor to make their collections self-funding to a point - collectors occasionally like to trade some of their old stocks for more recent bottlings of their favourite labels.
  
• Be wary about buying a lot more than you can comfortably consume yourself or among friends over whatever period of time - so as to at least be able to liquidate your assets if the market crashes…

What are your cellar options?

• Much depends on how much wine (how many bottles) you plan to store or mature, for how long, how much attention you wish to devote to the collection, and how much you're prepared to spend in money terms over-and-above the cost of the wine.
  
• You could convert some (more) cupboard or shelving space into an area suitable for wine storage. This is how most wine lovers start their collections, and thing grow from there.
  
• You could store all but your short-term wine requirements elsewhere, e.g. in the cellar of a reliable, trustworthy friend or relative, or at one of several commercial enterprises where cellar space can be rented (see listing in WINE's Pocket Guide to Wines & Cellars of South Africa for details of local options).
  
• You could buy a free-standing unit (or several of them), as in the type of fridge purpose-built especially for storing wine. They're imported and can be pricey, but they look good and they do the job (brands and stockists advertised in WINE magazine).
  
• Or you could turn an existing room into a cellar, e.g. a bedroom that's no longer required, or a pantry that's underutilised - or better still, a basement, if you have one that's suitable.
  
• Or you could build a 'proper' cellar, or buy a house that has one - a dedicated room custom-made for wine storage and maturation. (Some people design their house around one when building from scratch).

Where in the house to put it?

• If you're using or converting a cupboard or existing room, keep away from windows and perimeter walls subjected to a lot of sunlight; choose a place that is naturally cooler than elsewhere in the home - the south side is usually best (if you're in the southern hemisphere), or somewhere near the centre of the building.
  
• There needs to be enough space to accommodate your medium-term requirements, at least - and if you're just starting a wine collection, it's better to plan for more space than you think you'll need.
  
• Kitchens and garages are not suitable (too much human activity, odors, big temperature fluctuations), and neither are lofts (most are too hot).
  
• If there's a basement of some sort, or space inside one, it's probably your best bet.
  
• Stay clear of washing machines, hi-fi sound systems and appliances in general.
  
• And wherever you choose, it should be dark - or you'll need to make it so, when you're not putting wine in or taking it out.

Ideal conditions for a cellar?

• For a wine to develop properly en route to maturity, protection is essential. Chemical changes occur throughout its life, until you pull the cork, as tannins, acids and wood components soften, the fruit mellows and colour changes as complexity increases. These processes should be slow and gentle for the wine to peak at its best.
  
• Temperature… Between 10º and 15º centigrade is ideal, and just as important is the consistency - daily and seasonal highs and lows shouldn't vary by much, if at all. Big temperature swings and extreme heat are detrimental to both proper development and longevity, usually resulting in premature ageing.
  
• Light… Wine is best kept in the dark for most of its life, to keep out rays that can prove damaging after a time, in excess. Extended exposure to direct sunlight, in particular, but also to bright artificial lighting, can spell doom for a wine or affect the complexity at least (the green and amber glass of the bottles only offers limited protection).
  
• Position… Wine bottles sealed with a cork should be kept lying down, with bottles on their sides or at least at sufficient angle to keep the cork in contact with the wine - if the cork dries out inside the bottle, the seal becomes less effective, the risk of oxidation increases and the wine will turn to vinegar, at best.
  
• Humidity… Between 70% and 75% humidity (moisture in the air) is ideal - less than this and there's a chance that the cork will dry out beneath the foil or plastic closure (with a consequence similar to that of the cork drying out inside the bottle), whereas very high humidity will result in unwanted mould, spoilt labels, etc.
  
• Movement… Ideally, wine bottles should be left lying still and undisturbed as much and as long as possible or as is practical before opening and the contents enjoyed - particularly in the case of red wines that develop a sediment, best left to settle at the bottom or on the side of the bottle. Simply put: wine prefers to evolve naturally, without shaking things up - it can take the odd 'body blow' during transport, for instance, but it objects to

  being treated like a punching bag (avoid vibrations, and keep health inspections to occasional check-ups - once or twice a year, say).

What about building a cellar?

• If you are renovating or building a new home, instruct the architect to go underground if you can (water table level permitting), as temperature and humidity control in such a cellar will be much easier.
  
• Above-ground, the cellar should preferably be on the south of the house (for those in the southern hemisphere), otherwise the cost of electricity for the units controlling temperature and humidity could be a lot higher.
  
• Retaining walls (underground) or exterior walls (above ground) should be adequate - the thicker the better, with the waterproofing done by professionals.
  
• It should be big enough, bearing in mind not only the volume of wine (number of bottles and cases) to be stored in the cellar, but also whether or not you plan to entertain in it - wine tastings and dinner parties are attended by people who generate some heat and move about a bit, at least (tables and chairs shouldn't be closer than a couple of meters away from bottles you don't want to disturb, let alone break).
  
• And you'll need some sort of wine racks, of course. Galvanised steel racks and the like are most space efficient, and some of them look pretty good. Wood and other materials can be smart in appearance, but such racks tend to hold fewer bottles per square/cubic meter. Avoid those that might result in scratched bottles or scuffed labels. DIY can be cheaper, but the experts who advertise in WINE magazine are familiar with potential pitfalls, and the importance of not wasting any space. (You could keep new purchases in their cartons until it's time for a taste-test to monitor maturation progress, but once you've cracked open a box it's best to remove the contents and transfer them to racks - stock management could become problematic otherwise, and good cellar minders know to keep things orderly).

What to ensure for it to work?

• Windows, doors and ceilings should be well sealed and insulated. If you're DIY-ing then Polystyrene sheets, 5cm thick and wrapped in heavy-duty aluminium foil (shiny side out) will do the trick - cut to fit, with each recess covered again with more 'styrene sheeting (2cm thick) stuck to the walls with double-sided tape.
  
• If the ceiling isn't already insulated from above, fiberglass or alternative insulation should be fitted before securing the polystyrene to the ceiling inside the room.
  
• Gaps around and under the doors can be closed with draught excluders. And don't forget to cover the keyholes!
  
• The inside surface of walls exposed to sun on the outside can be covered with sheets of polystyrene (2cm thick will suffice).
  
• Cooling equipment can be costly, but a suitable, constant temperature MUST be maintained. A straight-forward air-conditioner might do, but this is unlikely in warm-climate countries.
  
• A humidifier is advisable, though unless the air is very dry you could simply keep a bowl of water next to a blower, also recommended for air circulation (to prevent mustiness, protect labels, etc).

Which wines age with benefit?

• For longer-keeping, look for wines with deep colour, bundles of fruit, brisk acid and a fair dose of tannin. Barrel fermentation can also enhance the longevity of a wine. But for wine to keep or improve, it must be made with that in mind - which most wines are not. While there are some really great old wines cosseted away in nooks and crannies of cellars around the world that will outlive us, most top quality modern-day reds can be expected to peak between eight and 12 years after the vintage date - still a darn site longer than most people get to appreciate at the dinner table.
  
• The tannins are phenolic substances - chemical compounds that impart colour and flavour - that come from the grape skins, pips and stems, as well as from the wood of the barrels in which some wines are fermented or matured. Tannins manifest on the palate as a dryness (and a slight bitterness in wines of lower quality), which, through interaction with the fruit acids and minute amounts of oxygen dissolved in the wine at the time of bottling, soften naturally over time and combine into larger compounds which can then precipitate to form the sediment sometimes found in older wines (particularly if the wine's unfiltered, less fined, less stabilised). Tannins also have a preservative function, however, that slows down the oxidation process - but oxidise it does, resulting in different components developing (minute quantities but powerful enough to influence the aroma and taste of a wine).
  
• The brick colour of ageing red wines (the
• browning
• ) is due to the gradual combining of tannins with colour compounds in the wine, whereas whites will gradually develop yellow tints and eventually the golds of age. Whites with longer skin contact during fermentation can develop deep yellows more quickly, even turning orange or tan within four of five years in some cases, and continuing to evolve in character even after there is little further colour change.
  
• That said, it is the quality of a wine rather than the amount of tannins that will determine how well it will soften with time - wines with soft tannins when still young are often considered to be of higher quality, promising greatness in their prime.

So what wines to cellar then?

• Certain varieties are more likely to produce wines that will develop well. For reds, mostly the darkest, small-berried grapes, notably Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Shiraz. Good quality Bordeaux-style red blends are also a good bet, and some Pinotages have proved wonderful after long stints in a cellar, as have some Pinot Noirs. For whites, acidity plays a major role (as it does for reds), with Riesling and Chenin Blanc standing out as varieties with proven longevity potential (10, 20 years or longer), while Chardonnay can be matured for shorter periods of time (generally up to eight years, sometimes longer). And as with most things, rules are there to be broken: very occasionally, Sauvignon Blanc can develop with great interest, and Semillon and Sylvaner can surprise too.
  
• Most white wines should be drunk young, particularly the unwooded versions - their producers are usually quick to point this out, though many a cellarmaster has been dumbfounded at the positive showings by one or other vintage in a vertical tasting. Some Sauvignon Blancs for instance, after a dip in quality a year or two after bottling, can bounce back, even becoming marvelous up to 10 years later (or longer in very exceptional cases).
  
• Dessert wines, especially botrytised (Noble Late Harvest) versions should have good ageing potential, and fortified wines with higher alcohol strengths such as Ports and Muscadels can mature well too - Vintage Port is particularly well worth waiting for.
  
• Sparkling wine made by the traditional Champagne method, including Cap Classique, can be delightful with some bottle age to it - some wine lovers prefer their bubbly this way, rather than fresh and youthful. 10 years subsequent to disgorgement is considered the maximum lifespan of the vast majority of Méthode Champenoise type sparklers before they start going downhill - though these wines are seldom kept for more than three years or so after release (character development takes place mostly on the lees before degorgement).
  
• The variation from vintage to vintage (the year the grapes were harvested) is less crucial in South Africa than in France, for example, where weather fluctuations are more extreme. The winemaker should know best, but be wary of advice pertaining to current vintages - whatever's just been released tends to be touted as the best in ages by whoever gains to benefit from another sale.
  
• Track records of specific cellars are among the best indicators when it comes to longevity, though many South African wineries (including many regular award winners in the modern era) haven't been around for very long.

What other bottles to put in it?

• Even if you specialise, try to minimise inevitable buying errors or let-downs/disappointments by including as much variety as possible.
  
• Cater for different moods. Stocking an array of styles is part of the adventure.
  
• Lay down some different bottle sizes - a small percentage of halves for aperitifs, say, whereas magnums and a few larger bottles can make for very different, special dinner party experiences.
  
• Stock sufficient
• house wine
• for anytime drinking - not even connoisseurs open great bottles every day of the week.
  
• Encourage friends and family to give you wine for your birthday or at Christmas time, say - it's another way to be exposed to something different, or to get them to help you find scarce ticket items.
  
• Particularly when considering the purchase of pricey wines, read as much as you can about them, listen to what fellow wine lovers have to say, and taste, taste, taste… It pays to plan the occasional foray into the winelands, and to attend public WINE tastings or those held by Fairbairn Capital Trophy Wine Show, Veritas, WineX and specialist retailers. And it's fun.

When to buy, what and where?

• The best times to buy wines are when they're released by the producers, before sell-outs at the wineries which lead to increasing rarity at retail shops and rising prices or complete unavailability of popular or high-image labels. Release dates vary tremendously from winery to winery, and some don't keep to the same dates every year - the last quarter is when a lot of vintages come onto the market for the first time, with the third quarter generally when unwooded whites intended for early-drinking are released.
  
• Trophy and medal hunters and folks wanting top-rated wines should keep an eye on WINE magazine - anything scoring 4 Stars moves off shelves a lot quicker, with 5 Star wines selling out within days of publication.
  
• How much to buy is entirely up to you. A suggestion is to aim for roughly 20% more than your annual turnover, and that 20% to 25% of what you cellar should comprise of white wine.
  
• Red wine wise, perhaps 50% could amount to honest, easy-drinking, relatively inexpensive wines, 25% comprising more full-bodied versions, with 25% of your space devoted to serious reds that you might wish to splash out for here and there, wines that you hope will reward after a few (or many) years' maturation.
  
• Balance novelty with loyalty when it comes to buying in. Joining a commercial wine club or social tasting circle of wine enthusiasts can expose you to selections you might not consider otherwise. On the other hand, learn to know what you can trust for the long haul (every vintage of a particular wine or wines from certain cellars can make for wonderful vertical tastings), buying the tried-and-tested by the case-load versus new discoveries in six-packs to begin with.
  
• Virtual vendors present mail-order options that might suit if you know exactly what you want, don't need to taste first, and if you can rely on the operators' storage and transport arrangements.
  
• And, of course, there are the specialist wine shops. The good ones are managed or staffed by fellow wine lovers, knowledgeable folks who are happy to advise, recommend, let you taste the latest releases or new products on the shelf and help you to source anything they don't have in store. The best merchants can also arrange to purchase auction wines on behalf of their customers, such as at the Nederburg Auction which is closed to the public.

How and why to manage it all?

• You want to avoid exhausting stocks that deserve more rest before offering their best, and to avoid leaving things cellared for too long - naturally it's better to enjoy wine on its way to full maturity than when it's well on the road downhill. Whichever way you look at it, you want to keep wastage to a minimum.
  
• You need to track details of what's in the cellar, and where, noting when and what bottles come out and what goes in - otherwise you'll be continually fiddling, searching for wines you think you have but might not, disturbing other wines' slumber in the process.
  
• Controlled turnover is key to building up and maintaining a good stock of mature wines. Begin by checking bottles annually, and then on a six-monthly basis as the wine approaches full maturity.
  
• Wines need checking not just to monitor development, but also to inspect the closures. A
• bleeding
• cork or seepage would suggest leakage, and if the wine is getting out it stands to reason that oxygen is getting in, hasting development or spoiling it altogether. (Modern screw caps, by the way, might well suffice for the life of a wine, so long as the seal remains air-tight throughout the maturation period).
  
• Some collectors track their cellar contents on computer, while many simply make hand-written notes in a catalogue or ledger book. It's your call as to how detailed your note-taking is, but the basics would include: producer, specific name of wine, variety or blend, vintage, when acquired, price and quantity. Some cellar minders also record information such as special features (e.g. auction bottling, or unusual bottle size), make tasting notes and include longevity predictions, auction prices and
• other
• - and there are those who go to the lengths of making vintage comparisons and sorting stocks according to wine styles, blend components, wood treatment, lees contact, etc.
  
• A number of experienced cellar owners recommend simply keeping pen and notepad at the cellar door to record arrivals and departures as they occur, and to then update one's stockholdings on a monthly basis.
  
• Nevertheless, even the most diligent cellar minder can be overwhelmed - by volume, or the variety, style changes or personal preferences - and you may want to rationalise occasionally (get some friends around to share some of your treasures and have one of the best kinds of party there is).

What else will come in handy?

• A thermometer and a humidity gauge to double-check your wine storage conditions (refrigeration units and other machines can break down, and there are such things as power outages that can also result in electronic meter downtime).
  
• Bottle neck-tags, or some means to flag where things are - if not for every bottle in stock, then placed selectively here and there to indicate what's in a particular rack or on this or that shelf. It's all part of good cellar management, a roadmap if you will, considering that once the bottles are in their racks the labels can be difficult to read without using a periscope, standing on a ladder, etc.
  
• A decent corkscrew, plus a spare one, and implements for dealing with crumbling stoppers in bottles of old wines. Obvious to some, learnt the hard way by others.
  
• A good decanter… If a mature red wine includes a sediment deposit, you'll need to slowly, carefully pour the wine from its bottle into another container such as a glass jug or decanter, leaving the sediment behind - and best done after the bottle has been left standing upright for a day or two prior to opening, so that the sediment settles in the bottom. Decanters are also useful for aerating wine - a mild form of oxidation used to help soften tannic young reds or to get rid of the
• bottle stink
• that some (usually older) wines exhibit for a short while after opening.

Wine serving temperatures?

• As a rough guide, red wines (including port) should be served at between 16º and 18º C, with all other wines chilled to between 8º and 10º C.
  
• Ideally, though, the following temperatures should apply: sweet sparkling wine to be served at 5º to 8º C; dry sparkling wine at 8º to 10º C; unwooded white, sweet white and rosé at 8º to 14º C; wooded white wine at 13º to 16º C; light red and nouveau wines at 10º to 14º C; full-bodied red wine at 16º to 18º C; dessert wine and white port at 8º to 10º C; dry sherry at 5º to 8º C; medium and full cream sherry at 8º to 10º C; red port at 16º to 18º C.