Keen to have a crack at cellaring wine?
You’ve cruised into the right cul de sac, my friend. If you’re already a seasoned cellaring pro, then by all means skip ahead. However, if you’re new and simply have a bunch of bottles stashed in a cupboard or under your bed, then we’ve got some tips to keep those bottles in perfect nick. Read on!
FIRSTLY, CAN I CELLAR MY WINEFRIEND WINES?
Great question. Generally our wines
are ready to enjoy now but our Icons & Innovators wines always carry a cellaring recommendation to help guide you on longevity. It’s worthwhile switching it up a tier or two every now and again to grab some wines designed to be tucked away for longer. An Icons 3 bottle case every six months would be a great place to start.
BALANCE IS BEST
How do you know if a wine will age
well? It’s all about balance when all of a wine’s elements are in harmony. If anyone character is too obvious in a young wine
– oak, alcohol, and tannins are common culprits – the ageing process can make this trait more pronounced, not better.
BUY MULTIPLES
It’s not always realistic to buy wine by the dozen, but where possible, try to stock up on at least three bottles of the same wine. Sampling each one at various points will provide insights into their development, as well as help you understand at which point you enjoy them the most.
THE HEAT IS ON
Temperature matters ok. Red wines prefer to sleep at 12°- 19° and white wines between 8° - 12°and champagne between 5°- 8°. But if you can’t separate your wines into different areas, then try to keep the spot they’re all in at a constant (12–14°C). And I mean constant.
THE DARK SIDE
Store your wines somewhere darkish because light can damage bottles as badly
as heat. So don’t store your wine anywhere you can see it basically. Also, you don’t need a fancy wine fridge to get started, under a bed or at the bottom of a wardrobe can work just as well.
GET DOWN
Try to store your bottles lying down. If they’re sealed with cork, this keeps it in contact with the liquid which helps it stay fully expanded in the neck of the bottle, avoiding evil oxygen from sneaking in. Lie your screwcapped bottles down too if you have space.
GET IN FORMATION
Grouping your wines by type (i.e. white, red, rosé, sparkling or sweet styles) is a great place to start.Then you can refine that by variety.
If your collection numbers 100 bottles-plus, there are excellent, online cellar organising apps that you can subscribe to in order to keep your burgeoning bottle addiction tidy, like CellarTracker.
CREATE THE OCCASION
Knowing when to drink a wine can be fraught, but waiting for the perfect moment to open a special bottle can mean missing
it altogether. It’s easy to think an occasion isn’t special enough for a significant bottle, but drinking a wine too early – when it’s still drinking well – is always better than too late.
So there you have it, my top tips for cellaring your wine. Get started or add to your collection HERE
