By: Michael Gordon, Hamilton Magazine's Interiors, Spring 2006
CERTAIN WORDS SEEM TO HAVE a Pavlovian power, calling up primal responses of want and lust. For wine lovers, "cellar" often does the trick. It summons up something abstract yet concrete. The oenophile intuits immediately the prospect of what lies within: fine wines slumbering in the cool darkness until they age to their fullest expression, almost-forgotten vintages long since off the market, dusty bottles that speak vividly to their owner's tastes. There's also a bit of trepidation mixed in, for even the most meticulously curated cellar can decant disappointment. Wines intended to be aged over a long period can still be undone by poor cellaring.
Much of what we now know about wine storage was gleaned from centuries of trial-and-error beginning in the caves of Europe, where wines could be aged elegantly or maintained at a relatively consistent character for years. While collecting wine was originally a pastime common chiefly to the rich, who could afford the space and resources needed to maintain sprawling cellars, recent decades have seen that change dramatically. Keeping pace with the evolution of North American palates, the growing sophistication of consumers and the relatively recent awareness of wine's value as an investment, wine collecting has become increasingly commonplace. The benefits are many.
THERE'S A SENSE OF SATISFACTION THAT
DEEPENS ONE'S LOVE OF WINE. BUT
TOO MANY PEOPLE SEEM UNAWARE OF
THE SCIENCE OF PROPER STORAGE
Having a ready and varied cache of wine inhouse means that you can improvise in style, hosting impromptu get-togethers or uncorking a choice vintage on a happy occasion. Limited-run vintages are available to you when they have long since left the market or are commanding exorbitant sums. On an related note, cellaring wine provides the homeowner with a distinguished store of wine that comes with a ground-floor price tag. And of course there's the rewarding feeling that comes with nurturing a collection, a sense of satisfaction that immeasurably deepens one's love of wine. That said, too many people seem unaware of the science of proper storage.
The Basics
Wine, simply put, is a living thing. Like us, it breathes, it oxidizes, in doing so it ages - and if not cared for, it grows increasingly bitter with age. On an unromantic level, wine is made up of organic esters and biochemical compounds; their delicate interaction gives rise to the rich experience in each glass. This is particularly true of highly tannic reds, which may only reveal their fullest character after a number of years. Left unchecked, however, that organic interaction changes the character of the wine over time. Proper cellar management encourages the minimum number of reactions between those organic esters and biochemical compounds - oxidization which creates acids, spoiling bottles.
You cannot stop a wine from aging, but you can regulate the conditions under which it ages in order to effect the best possible result. Cooler temperatures slow the process, while warmer temperatures accelerate it. Consistency is critical to this endeavour, as was illustrated in a particularly vivid manner in the fall when Hurricane Katrina tore New Orleans apart. Among the tales in that almost Biblical cataclysm, one was particularly resonant among oenophiles: The award-winning two-storey wine cellar at Brennan's Restaurant, one of the top facilities in the world, was laid low when the electricity died in the storm's wake. Some 35,000 bottles, among them a coveted 1870 Lafite Rothschild, were at the mercy of the savage southern climate; normally kept at a consistent 13.5 Celsius year-round, the cellar was suddenly hit with temperatures double that, simmering the wine in its bottles. Insured for $1 million, the collection's value is now essentially sentimental.
SETTING UP A CELLAR CALLS FOR A BIT
OF PLANNING. BUT DON'T SKIMP ON
RESEARCH AND PREPARATION: FINE
WINES DESERVE A GOOD HOME
Needless to say, a level temperature is the most critical component to cellaring wine properly, whether you're doing so for the short or long term. Too cold and the wine can freeze; too hot and it will cook. The ideal temperature for long-term wine storage tends to lie between 10C and 15C (13.5C, say sticklers); whatever temperature you opt for in that range, be sure to keep it constant in order to minimize impacts on aging. Relative humidity is another key consideration, as it affects corks - wood, after all and prone to shrink under arid conditions, compromising the bottle's seal. Readings of 55 to 75 percent relative humidity are viable; many experts have settled on 70 percent relative humidity as perfect for keeping a lid on things while discouraging the growth of moulds.
A much more basic consideration is placement. Though sometimes stored commercially in an inverted position, bottles are generally cellared horizontally so that the wine remains in contact with the cork, stopping it from drying out, thereby bringing oxygen into contact with the wine. Horizontal storage will also allow you to gauge ullage, the gap between wine and cork. If ullage is minimal, the wine is likely new or one that has been cellared well. The level of wine should be equivalent to the bottle's upper shoulder. If the wine falls below that mark, significant oxidation has likely taken place and the wine is likely undrinkable. Finally, you'll want to avoid vibration, which can disrupt the aging process and stir up sediment and exposure to ultraviolet light, which in turn can corrupt the wine's flavour. (The confluence of ideal conditions - cool, quiet, dark - is one of the reasons why bottles discovered in shipwrecks on the ocean floor tend to remain eminently drinkable.)
Construction
Having established all of that, it's clear that setting up a cellar calls for a bit of planning. Think about the size of cellaryou need or are willing to commit to and build (and stock) a cellar reflective of your lifestyle, personality and interests. Don't skimp on research and preparation: Fine wines deserve a good home. When buying wine to cellar, a good rule of thumb is to treat the cellar like an ark, picking up product in pairs. This way, you're able to sample your stock and find out not only what you like (helpful in shaping future purchases and integral to the evolution and education of a wine lover's palate) but also determine whether a bottle could stand to age a while longer. This again is part of the educative enjoyment offered by an in-home cellar. Another good guideline for cellar owners is to pick up two bottles for each that you drink, thereby filling out your range of vintages and protecting your investment against enthusiastic bon vivants who might otherwise exhaust your stock before the wine reaches maturity.
PRICE TAGS ASIDE, HIGH-TECH GLEAM
HAS ITS LIMITS. FOR THE WINE LOVER OF
MEANS, THERE CAN BE NO SUBSTITUTE
FOR A HAND-BUILT WINE CELLAR
You'll have to choose the type of cellar best suited for you, based in part on available space (do you live in a condo or a country manor?) and your consumption habits. Do you buy wine by the case or by the bottle? Are you a bon vivant living in the moment or a conservative investor content to sit on acquisitions for years until they fully mature?
Next you must consider whether you're looking for a passive or active facility. The former is, as its name suggests, simply a dark, cool area where you can bed your bottles with minimal disturbance, free from disruptive W radiation, temperature spikes or vibration. The latter is increasingly common: a climate-controlled facility wherein temperature and humidity can be held constant or with minimal fluctuation. Because of our seasonal climate, most oenophiles may find the latter option to be the most favourable. Even then, a number of options exist to please almost every denomination of wine enthusiast. Compact appliance options, whether stand-alone or built-in, are increasingly popular and available with varied capacities, some as compact as a bar fridge, others as large as a refrigerator-freezer. Even the smallest entries now offer independent customizable controls so that you can treat vintages with the respect they deserve. Sub-Zero offers a half-dozen models, built-in and freestanding, that accommodate anywhere from 26 to 147 bottles of wine. Liebherr has competitive models in that range and GE offers one model whose glass doors turn from clear to opaque at the touch of a button. Custom woodworkers have also begun to dabble in wine cabinets, armoires or wardrobes, furniture-style pieces modified to store wine safely and discreetly. At the upper end of the readymade spectrum is the GE Monogram Wine Vault, a self-contained storage unit that stores an upper capacity of over 1,000 bottles on red wood racks and optional tasting alcove in an eight-foot R-33 insulated cube. The unit boasts an electronic Cellar Management System with inventory software that tracks wines by barcode labels, identifying hold time and peak drinkability, tracks consumption patterns and suggests food and wine pairings. Not surprisingly, it costs about as much as a Lexus sedan.
EACH CELLAR IS AS UNIQUE AS THE
TASTES OF ITS OWNER. COMMON TO ALL
IS THE REWARD THAT COMES FROM
COLLECTING AND ENJOYING GREAT WINE
Price tags aside, that high-tech gleam has its limits. For the wine lover of means, there can be no substitute for a bona fide, hand-built wine cellar. As in centuries past, the ideal location for such a cellar is underground. For homeowners, this often means placement in a basement below grade, though modern airconditioning systems have made it possible to locate them on main floors. In the latter case, a dedicated electrical supply and independent air conditioning unit is the preferred route. In the former, proper insulation and construction is critical to ensuring a successful cellar. Toronto's Rosehill Wine Cellars Inc. recommends that walls (and, in certain cases, floors) be professionally framed and insulated, with a vapour barrier in place as well. A refrigeration unit calibrated to the intended space is a must; it should be capable of maintaining constant temperature and humidity.
If you're tempted to splash out on elegant wood fittings, it's recommended that non-aromatic wood species such as Western Cedar, California Redwood or Mahogany be used. Similarly, non-organic water-based stains are encouraged as they will prevent ugly vapours from tainting your wine. The access door and jamb should be of exterior grade, primarily for insulative qualities, although the additional security may be welcomed by those with serious investments bunked within. These measures will lock cold in, seal heat out and allow precise control of moisture levels. If you want to showcase your prized collection with a decoratively paned door, opt for thermal glass as thick as you can obtain and offset diminished R value by installing a high BTU output cooling unit.
Ultimately, there's no single best way of constructing a wine cellar. Each site is as unique as the tastes of the respective homeowners. Common to all is the reward that comes from collecting and enjoying great wine. Whatever solutions you opt for, remember that the work you put into developing and maintaining your cellar will comeback to you many times over.
By: Michael Gordon, Hamilton Magazine's Interiors, Spring 2006, Volume 23 , Issue 1, reprinted with permission from Townmedia , a division of Osprey Media group.