Your Cart is Empty
Get 10% off 6 still wines. Enter code SAVE10 during checkout. Excludes some fine wine and Sparkling.
Get 10% off 6 still wines. Enter code SAVE10 during checkout. Excludes some fine wine and Sparkling.
Plenty of people like the idea of a wine cellar but assume it means a basement, a builder and a big budget. It doesn't. A cupboard, the space under the stairs or a quiet corner of a spare room can do the job perfectly well, as long as you get a few basics right.
This matters more than anything else. Aim for somewhere between 10 and 15°C, with around 12°C being the classic cellar temperature.
The sweet spot: 10 to 15°C, ideally around 12°C
Consistency is just as important as the number itself. A wine kept at a steady 16°C will fare better than one swinging between 8°C and 20°C, because repeated warming and cooling makes the wine expand and contract, which can push it past the cork and draw air back in. A gradual shift of a few degrees between summer and winter is fine.
Keep bottles away from radiators, ovens and sunny windows, and check that your understairs cupboard isn't sharing space with the boiler or hot water pipes. An internal wall, or a cupboard in a room you rarely heat, is often the best bet.
A cheap digital thermometer that records highs and lows will tell you within a week or two whether a space is up to the job.
The kitchen fridge is fine for a few days, but it's too cold and too dry for long-term storage.
Ideally, humidity should sit between 55 and 75%. In very dry conditions corks can shrink and let air in; in very damp ones, labels go mouldy. The wine itself will be fine in a damp space, but a ruined label matters if you ever want to give the bottle as a gift or sell it on.
Store cork-sealed bottles on their side so the wine stays in contact with the cork. Screwcaps and synthetic closures can happily stand upright. Central heating tends to dry the air in winter, so if your space feels parched, a bowl of water nearby can help. If it feels damp, a small dehumidifier will sort it out.
Light, and particularly UV, triggers reactions in wine that cause a fault known as lightstrike. Whites, rosés and sparkling wines in clear or pale glass are the most vulnerable, and strong sunlight or fluorescent tubes can do the damage surprisingly quickly.
A light-struck wine smells of cooked cabbage or wet cardboard, and the fruit tastes dull. It can't be fixed, so prevention is everything.
Keep your wine in the dark: a cupboard door, the original box or even a cloth draped over the rack all work.
Constant vibration is thought to disturb sediment and may affect how a wine develops, although the evidence is less clear-cut than it is for temperature and light. Either way, it's easy to avoid. Keep bottles away from washing machines, tumble dryers and speakers, and use a sturdy rack that holds them securely.
Try not to shuffle bottles around too often either, as older reds throw a sediment that needs time to settle.
For many of us, this is the hardest part. Most wine is made to be enjoyed within a few years of release, so not everything benefits from time in the cupboard. The wines that reward waiting are those with plenty of structure (acidity, tannin and concentration), such as classed growth Bordeaux, Barolo, vintage Port and top-quality Riesling.
Producer notes, critics' drinking windows and vintage charts will help you judge when a wine is likely to be at its best. It also pays to keep a simple record of what you have, when you bought it and when you plan to open it. A spreadsheet or a cellar app is plenty.
Tick these off before you move your bottles in.
None of this needs a big budget. A dark, cool, steady spot, a decent rack and a little record-keeping will look after your wines for years. The hardest part is leaving them alone.
Website by Pale Blue Dot
