Lifestyles

A Rich Pour - Debut Column: A Beginner's Guide to Starting and Stocking a Wine Cellar

Wine has played an integral role as a liquid beverage in civilizations for many millennia. This gift of the grapevine has graced the tables of the 'well-to-do' and 'common-folk' alike, providing a natural digestive adjunct as well as being a pleasurable drink in its own right.

Today, wine occupies an increasingly prominent place in the consumer marketplace. As more and more people have taken to drinking wine with their meals, so too has the interest in wine cellars risen.

In the following article, I explain the advantages of setting up a personal wine cellar, and then provide a step-by-step guide for those contemplating creating one for themselves.

Introduction: Why bother?

What exactly is the advantage in creating and maintaining a personal wine cellar? Perhaps my own story provides the answer.

I began to purchase bottles of wine on a fairly regular basis more than 25 years ago, after becoming aware of the great enjoyment to be had in leisurely sharing with friends and family a decent home-cooked meal accompanied by good wine.

Unfortunately, as often as not, my little wine cupboard was embarrassingly bare. "Oh well," I would say to my guests. "Excuse me for a few moments while I run over to the corner store and grab something. I'll be right back."

Very quickly, the idea of having a few reserved bottles of wine on hand gained an enormous attraction. Not only did this ingenious plan of action mean not having to trek outside at the last instant, sometimes into inclement weather. I also realized I would no longer be stuck with whatever limited variety of wines was available that day at the local liquor outlet or, worse yet, at the nearest all-purpose store. I could now be much more deliberate in my choices, buying only those wines I knew to be good values, along with the odd experimental or extravagant purchase.

How rapidly that small cache of stashed-away-bottles grew! The 'cupboard' transformed into an entire basement. And the selection acquired - no doubt about it - a greater air of quality. One essential aspect didn't change, however - the pure sense of pleasure and anticipation in picking a bottle, or bottles, for the evening's festivities.

If you enjoy wine and haven't yet taken the plunge, I hope my short story will incite you to action. Guaranteed that your own cellar, be it 10 bottles, 100 bottles or more, will reward you with the same satisfaction.
 
Is the wine worth the cost? That's something only you can decide.
 

Step 1: How to start

How do you start? The most important principle, assuming you do not wish to make your own wine, is a very simple one - buy more than you drink. This may be difficult at first. It requires some money, to be sure. And you must cultivate the habit of not wanting to immediately open every bottle you lay your hands on. Take note of how frequently you pour wine during the week, as well as of what sorts of wines you prefer, and plan your purchases around these factors. Try to lay at least one bottle away for every one you open.
 
      
Wines from Burgundy, whether of the Pinot Noir or Chardonnay variety, constitute classic choices. 
 
Once you have been able to set aside a small stock, you can then begin to rotate your bottles. Drink those you can't wait to try. If they are indeed good and to your liking, buy some more. If not, well now you know! And don't be afraid to experiment. No one else's words can convey to you what a wine really smells and tastes like... to you. As in most of life, discovery provides a pathway to knowledge and happiness. But enough of this eloquent nonsense. Let's continue on to some detailed yet quite straightforward suggestions.
 

Step 2: In the store

You really want to be careful about where you buy your wine, as this choice will affect everything which follows. How hot is it in the store? Little or no air-conditioning in summer and winter heating warm enough to soothe an arthritis sufferer are enough to tire wines to the point of lifelessness. Stay away! Chances are there is another store not too far away where you won't receive a free sauna.

How is the wine set on the shelf? Generally, all non-fortified wines are best laid on their sides, so that the contents are able to slightly permeate and swell the inner surface of the cork, thereby forming a reasonable seal from the outside atmosphere. Alas, such is rarely the case.

If a bottle you're interested in is standing up, only purchase it if the vintage is a recent one and you can be assured it has not been there for too long a time. Stores with high turnovers of stock are a good bet. This advice applies only to those wine bottles which are stoppered with natural corks, and not to those with synthetic corks or screw caps. More about this later.

How is the lighting in the store? Piercingly strong light, be it from fixtures or direct sunlight, can reek havoc with many wines, especially delicate whites. If the brightness level inside the store is excessive, then a bottle hidden away in the dark at the rear of the shelf is usually the safer bet. Reputable wine purveyors will take care to address this issue by minimizing direct exposure of their wines to high light levels.

How much is that 'puppy in the window'? The cost of wine can vary substantially from store to store and region to region. Differing levels of markup and taxation translate into different price tags. As well, stores which provide specialized selections along with informed and helpful staff may charge a premium for such services.

It's very difficult to generalize, except to say that comparison shopping never hurt a consumer. On-line vendors offer an alternative, convenient and oftentimes price-competitive method of procuring wine, but there's nothing like being able to hold the bottle you're considering before opening your wallet or purse.
 
Vintage Port always makes for a sage cellar selection.
 

Step 3: Examining the bottle

Is there a lot of airspace between the bottom of the cork and the top level of the liquid? You will find, despite the advent of computerized bottling lines, that some bottles of wine are fuller than others, and that some producers are more conscientious in this respect than others.

Unless the wine is from an older vintage, the liquid contents should reach well into the neck of the bottle. In some cases, the air-gap will be practically non-existent. This is the ideal bottle you should be searching for.

How long is the cork? The length of the cork can be hard to determine if hidden by a long capsule which covers the top of the bottle. Higher quality wines intended for further bottle ageing should, and usually do, have longer corks for better safeguarding of the contents. Most distinguished wineries - the top properties of Bordeaux are industry leaders in this respect - are justly renowned for using only the most closely-grained and flawless corks available.

Synthetic corks, while increasingly prevalent in the marketplace, have yet to prove their long-term efficacy, and are as yet generally present in lower price range products. They can also be a 'tough pull' at times, causing faster erosion of the Teflon coating on many contemporary corkscrews. Screw-top closures provide a very effective means of sealing the contents, but still lack that 'romantic factor' for many. However, they are gaining and will continue to gain prominence in the marketplace.

Another advantage of traditional, natural corks is the ecological spin-off. Cork trees, which have very long life spans, provide habitats for a wide variety of butterflies and birds, many of them endangered.

How is the cork positioned in the bottle? Avoid those which protrude from the top of the bottle's neck, as well as those which are forced too far down into the neck. Ideally, the top of the cork should be level - or thereabouts - with the top of the neck. If it is not, problems in seepage or mold development could emerge down the road.

Is the lead, aluminium or plastic protective capsule damaged? This is not a critical matter, and may be considered by many more an aesthetic than a practical issue. Nonetheless, over an extended period of storage in your cellar, an intact and tightly-fitting capsule can aid the cork in retarding oxidation of the bottle's contents.

Is there any seepage (ullaging) of wine through the top or edges of the capsule? This indicates a faulty cork or a wine which has experienced too many temperature fluctuations. It is to be avoided at all costs.

How does the wine appear in the light? Fluorescent lighting makes this task next to impossible, providing insufficient true light levels for penetrating the bottle's contents, and therefore creating false hues. An incandescent or halogen light is far superior. Check the contents for clarity and brilliance by holding the bottle toward the light. Take care to avoid wines that display dullness, cloudiness or solid matter floating about.

There are two important exceptions, however. Very rich white wines can, over time, throw tartrate crystals in the bottle. These resemble slivers of glass, but are not harmful. On the contrary, they are merely an indication of a wine's high natural grape sugar level, breed and state of evolution. As well, most good red wines will, again over a period of time, throw a sedimentary deposit composed of a fine residue of solid grape extract from the skins. In the case of both white and red, these deposits will - the wine having been properly stored - fall to the bottom or side of the bottle, depending on how it has been stored.

Where was the wine bottled? The more specific the information on the label regarding this matter is, the better. You should look for wines which have been bottled in the country of origin. It's even better if the wines have been bottled in the precise region of demarcation. The finest wines will invariably be bottled by individual proprietors.

In the case of Bordeaux and some other French wines, you will encounter "mis en bouteille au chateau", while the labels of the top German wines will read "erzeugerabfullung" (ouch!) or "gutsabfullung" (that's a little better).
 
                    
Pomerol and Graves represent but two areas in Bordeaux where superb, age-worthy wines are produced.
 

Germany's Mosel region is home to some of the most captivating sweet wines in the world.
 

Riesling rules in the Rheingau.
 

Occupying the 'middle ground', wines bottled by cooperative cellars provide an oftentimes cost-effective option, as they pool the harvests from many individual growers. Wine that has been shipped in bulk and bottled domestically may be less expensive, but it is wine for immediate drinking and not for cellaring.

When am I going to drink this wine? Try not to purchase any fine bottle of wine, especially an expensive one, for drinking tonight. Wine is notorious for suffering short-term maladies from transportation, which involves temperature fluctuations and vigorous movement. Lay the good bottle away for awhile, and pick another somewhat less refined - and hopefully less expensive - one for tonight's affair. Better yet, see what's stashed away in your cellar!
 
Argentina is rapidly emerging as a reliable source of a wide variety of interesting and excellent red table wines.
 

Step 4: Cellaring your wines at home

All of your wines, including Vintage Port, should be stored horizontally. The only exceptions are fortified wines such as non-Vintage Port, Madeira and Sherry. White wines can be set down at any angle approaching level. Red wines should be absolutely horizontal or, if you can manage it, with their necks ever-so-slightly raised. This will cause any sediment to fall to the bottom and/or rear of the bottle.

Be aware that many small-capacity wine racks tend to raise the rears of the bottles they hold. These should only be used for white wines and red wines of a non-tannic nature. High-quality red wines possessing a tannic constitution will, if stored in such racks, throw their sedimentary deposits near the cork, a less than ideal situation.

Avoid areas near heat sources. The ambient temperature should definitely be below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and preferably around 60 degrees Fahrenheit or even a bit less. It should not fluctuate drastically or rapidly, as from day to night. However, very gradual seasonal temperature changes are not a cause for great worry. The principle factor of importance is overall stability. Most household basements contain areas which, with minimal modification, can fulfill these requirements.
 
Beer in a wine cellar? Why not?
Bottle-conditioned British ales such
as this one from George Gale can
indeed gain complexity with age.
 

There should be a reasonable level of humidity. Excessive dryness will tend to dry out the corks in your bottles, thereby increasing the likelihood of premature oxidation of the wine. Chances are that if you feel comfortable, so do your wines.

Light should be minimal. Strong continuous sunlight or artificial light can alter a wine's constitution for the worse. Delicate white wines are most susceptible. But even robust reds can suffer if overly exposed to light. If you must have bright lights for temporary display purposes, then adjustable spotlights are a functional alternative.

Make sure that there are no foul natural or chemical odors in the vicinity. Don't place your wine next to the oil-furnace tank or the kitty litter. And don't leave any bottles in the kitchen where they can be affected by whatever is cooking on the stove that day. No Lysol, Raid or other potentially dangerous household products either, please!

Try to store your wines in a quiet area. Vibration can disturb a wine's balance and character. Don't place bottles near mechanical devices or heavy traffic routes. And once you have stored them in a suitable place, try not to disturb them unnecessarily. With this in mind, arrange your bottles in the following fashion:
 
Position those for long-term ageing at the bottom or in those relatively inaccessible spots.
 
Position those for immediate or impending consumption on top or in a place where they can be removed without jostling the other bottles about.
 
Custom-designed wine storage systems provide an elegant, albeit expensive, solution. But you can easily create a functional cellar by using a simple brick and wood shelving approach, ceramic tubing, or by collecting used pine shipping crates from wineries. Old Champagne crates are especially versatile.

Place bottles with their neck capsules facing forward. It's next to impossible to identify a wine bottle from its bottom. This sounds ridiculously obvious. Yet I've stared countless bottle bottoms in the face in peoples' cellars. And if the wines are stashed away in sealed crates and are no longer visible, tag the boxes with pieces of paper or cards identifying the contents.

If domestic circumstances preclude the possibility of finding a wine-friendly location such as a basement or 'cool room', then you may want to consider investing in a commercial wine cooling unit. These can range from the size and price of a small fridge, through a sophisticated large cabinet affair, all the way up to a full-blown, climate-controlled room-size custom installation.
 

Select-harvest German Gewurztraminers, though relatively rare, can be absolutely delicious.
 

Step 5: Keeping track

Try to remember what you have drunk. Avoid at all costs searching for a fabulous wine which is no longer there. A simple written record or computer log, along with an accurate memory of tastes gone by, will enable you to restock any wines you have really enjoyed, and avoid those that didn't live up to expectations. Comprehensive wine data software is readily available these days.

Become a label collector. Through the power of association, a label can often evoke memories of just what it was like to drink a particular wine. At the very least, it reminds you that the wine was actually drunk! Besides, many labels are quite attractive, and some are veritable works of art. If you wish, you can combine your label collection with pertinent tasting notes in an appropriate format. Alternatively, you may wish to take digital photographs of your broached bottles prior to tossing them in the recycling bin.

Take a peek at your collection periodically. Check to see that your wines are 'happy'. Be on the lookout for bottles that should have been drunk last year or that exhibit signs of ullaging. If warranted, examine them more closely.

You can also visually ascertain, to a degree, how your wines are maturing by carefully holding them up to a light (not too often, of course). An older red wine will begin to display a more amber-orange-garnet range of color in the upper shoulder and neck area of the bottle, often much lighter in appearance than the main portion of the contents. This is often (though not always) a sign that the wine has matured significantly and can/should be consumed. Likewise, white wines that may have started out life with a greenish or pale yellow hue frequently transform with time to richer shades of buttery yellow, gold or even deep amber.
 
It's not only red wines that can benefit from extended cellar maturation.
 

Step 6: Beginning the selection process

The critical question to ask yourself is: "When is this wine going to be drunk?"

Now or in the near future... Be sure to purchase a wine which is ready to drink. How many people spend a goodly sum for a bottle of fine red wine, only to open it and complain of an unpleasantly bitter and tannic taste, or of the wine seeming 'closed' and not as good as hoped for? Some wines need time in the bottle to be at their best, while others are ready to drink the moment they hit the shelves. Most of the wines you will run into fall into the latter category.

But how can you be sure? Read some good periodicals such as Wine Spectator or Decanter Magazine, learn from experience, and never hesitate to ask the store personnel. Remember that everyone's preferences are different. Some like them young and some like them, well, not so young.

Over the next year or two... Don't buy a wine that has reached or passed its peak and is headed 'over the hill'. There's no point in purchasing a bottle of Liebfraumilch for drinking three years from now! Stick to wines that will hold their own or even improve marginally.

In a few years... Only a small proportion of the bottles you're likely to encounter will fall into this category. They are usually red wines, though some white wines vinified from noble grape varieties are equally worthy of laying down. These wines tend to be at the mid to upper end of the price scale.
 
                          
Vinous treasures from Tuscany.
 

In quite a few years, or a decade or more from now... For most people, this would be considered thinking too far ahead. Be assured that foresight and patience create their own rewards! Such wines - predominantly red and only a few of the very greatest whites - may be rather pricey. In time, they can become scarce while attaining absurd values. The few old wines commercially available are astronomically expensive. If you think you may appreciate the incomparable aroma and taste of such fine wines, purchase the most recent vintage on sale and then simply wait. When fully mature, such bottles can be a revelation in their richness, complexity and vibrancy.

Step 7: Determining a wine's capacity for bottle ageing

What determines a wine's capacity for improving with ageing in the bottle?

Region... Although only a general guide, the region from which a wine originates is a good starting point. The greatest wines from areas such as Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, Piedmont in Italy and Napa in California may last decades. There are, of course, countless other regions of equal renown. Soil, climate, tradition and a willingness on the part of the vintner to cultivate for low yields - hence greater concentration of extracts in the final wine - are key factors, not to mention dedication to the production of such wines.

Grape varieties... The very best wines made from certain grape varieties often require a longer time in bottle to reach their peaks. For instance, some Cabernet, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Syrah (or Shiraz as it's known in Australia and South Africa) wines mature ever so slowly. In time, their youthful tannic structures give way to softer and more complex tastes. Likewise, certain white wines with firm acidic foundations - such as the top Sauternes, Rieslings or Chardonnays - need years to achieve a proper balance and harmony.
 
A venerable Tokaji Aszu Essencia dessert wine from Hungary
 

Vintage... In many years, it requires all of a winemaker's skills simply to produce a palatable result. In other years, the weather is so perfect as to practically guarantee great wines. Invariably, the latter wines are those destined to be the longer-lived.

The style of the wine... Some producers are only interested in producing 'vin nouveau' (one to drink now). Others are willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to create a 'vin de garde' (one to drink later). Many famous and oftentimes historic properties have a tradition to uphold which demands producing wines capable of ageing gracefully. One interesting facet of the vinous world is that a new generation of wines worthy of cellaring is emerging. This is where a little research and your local specialist can provide the key to a whole new range of delicious delights worthy of your cellar.

A wine is not unlike a cigar, in that it usually undergoes a reductive process and mellows with age. At a certain point in its evolutionary improvement, a wine tends to 'level off'. Experts say that such a wine has reached its plateau of maturity. From this moment, the wine - while it may exhibit further minor changes in style - basically stabilizes before longer ageing causes it to start declining. From a cellaring standpoint, wines which exhibit lengthier plateaus of maturity are preferable.
 
            
New World classics that have stood the test of time.
 

Step 8: Time to lay them away

Now that we've covered all of the basic requirements for starting up a cellar, it's time to figure out exactly how you're going to divvy up your hard-earned bucks. I would recommend that...

  1. You have a variety of wines capable of accompanying various foods on different occasions. Try to match the style, consistency and structure of the wine to that of the food you intend to serve it with. Wine journals and newpaper columns provide helpful information in this regard, but be sure to let your own tastes have the final word.
  2. You have a selection of wines which will reach their individual peaks of maturity at different times. In this manner, you can have wines both for tonight's meal and for next year's feast. And you won't have to worry about all of your bottles being ready to drink at the same time - what a nightmare that would be!
  3. You have a high proportion of wines which possess longer peak periods of maturation. It is comforting to know that a particular bottle should taste just as good next year or the year after. A well-made, top-quality wine should be capable of holding together, within reason, until you are ready to broach it. Conversely, many wines may be at their best for only a few months, then decline rapidly.
  4. You have a majority of wines from good or excellent vintages. Indeed, I would recommend you purchase a bottle from a relatively poor harvest only when you plan to drink it sooner, when the reputation of the winemaker in question for good wines in 'off' vintages warrants it, or when the price is too attractive to pass over. Even the most skilled of vintners will concede that Nature is the ultimate winemaker. That said, recent advances in winemaking technology have certainly impacted the issue of consistency, and you are now more likely to find decent bottles from supposedly substandard years.  
  5. You have more (preferably much more) than one bottle of any wine you really like. It's fun to have multiple bottles of a favorite wine, so that you can follow its evolution over a period of time and be able to enjoy it more frequently.
  6. You buy only what you can afford. Don't invest any more in your cellar's contents than you anticipate enjoying from it. In one important respect, all bottles of wine are alike - they can only be opened and savored once. And wines, like most consumer items, follow the 'law-of-diminishing-returns'. Just because a bottle of wine is twice as expensive as another doesn't mean it's twice as good. And the name of a world-famous vintner on the label of a bottle of wine is sure to add dramatically to the wine's price. That's when you have to ask yourself if the product is truly worth its cost - to you!

 

                            
Top-flight Alsatian Gewurztraminer and Italian Brunello are always worthy options for the cellar.
 

A few classic choices to consider

O.K. You've finally figured out where your wine cellar will be and set aside some funds for a few good wines. But which wines will best repay such careful planning? The wine world is constantly evolving, and every day a new star comes to light - not to mention the emergence or rediscovery of 'new' winegrowing regions. From Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru through Canada, the United States of America and Spain to China, the search for land suitable to the cultivation of the grapevine has yielded many pleasant surprises. Nevertheless, there are quite a few well-established classics which have stood the test of time in terms of cellaring potential.
 
Single vineyard Barolo can be singularly superb.
 
From Italy, Barolo, Chianti Riserva and Brunello di Montalcino come to mind. France has a wealth of choices, including Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux, Sauterne, Burgundy, Hermitage and Cote Rotie as well as Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris from Alsace and Chenin Blanc from the Loire. German Auslesen, Beerenauslesen, Trockenbeerenauslesen and Eiswein rank in the top echelon of age-worthy white wines. And then there are the refined reds from Rioja in Spain, the famous Cabernets from California's Napa Valley and the Vintage Ports from the Douro in Portugal. My mouth is watering just from mentioning these!
 
Rioja is a region steeped in tradition but looking to the future.
 
 

So venture out and whet your palate, anticipating the enjoyable prospect of every bottle brought from your very own cellar to the table, to be shared with friends and family.

 
jazznut

Doug Kuebler (Jazznut) is an inveterate aficionado and collector of wines and whiskies from around the world. Doug has organized wine and food seminars, and written extensively on wines and liquors. His latest book set, The Tumbler's Guide to Single Malt Scotch Whisky: Desk Reference and Field Guide, is available from Topeda Hill Publishing.