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Cellaring Tips
Cellaring your wine allows all the elements in a wine (fruit, acid, oak and tannins) to integrate and develop a delicate balance, and optimize the wine’s ageing potential. Cellaring is significantly more important for wine made from kits. Commercial wines are already aged when purchased, and most are ready to drink. Kit wines need to be cellared to develop some of the aged characteristics of commercial wines.
Basic factors that affect ageing
Humidity: A relative humidity of 50–70% is the acceptable range. Insufficient humidity may cause corks to dry out, lose their elasticity and thereby allow air to get into the bottle. Too much humidity (over 70%) can cause mould to grow on corks. At its extreme, this can destroy a wine.
Temperature: A temperature of 12–15°C is ideal for allowing the wine to age steadily without risking premature ageing or oxidation. A constant temperature is key to steady ageing.
Light: Constant exposure to light produces chemical reactions in wine that cause it to deteriorate. Ultraviolet light has the greatest effect, and white wines and champagnes are the most vulnerable. Try to keep the cellar dark when not in use.
Movement: It is natural for wines (especially high-end heavy reds) to shed some tannin during ageing. Vibrations can cause bottle sediment to stay suspended, creating either a haze or “floaties”.
Sulphites: Sulphites help to preserve the wine from spoilage and oxidation. If ageing beyond 6 months, add 1/4 tsp of extra sulphites (sulphite dissipates with age and is important for the long-term health of the wine).
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