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The Wine Cellar

Cellaring Tips
There are many reasons to age wine in a cellar. Cellaring time 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. Successfully ageing wine depends on many factors such as sterilizing procedures & sulphites, corks, temperature, humidity, light, motion, etc. It's impossible to give an absolute, accurate time frame due to all of these variables. With this in mind and based on years of experience we have created the following guideline on ageing your wines.

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 mold to grow on corks. At it's extreme this can destroy your 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 the key to steady ageing.

Movement
It"s natural for wines (especially high-end heavy reds) to shed some tannin during ageing. Vibrations can cause bottle precipitate to stay suspended, creating either a haze or "floaties".

Sulphites
Sulphites help to preserve the wine from spoilage and oxidation. They dissipate with age and are very important for the long-term health of your wine. Oxidation in wine is similar to what you see on the edge of a cut apple, wine turns brown and takes on a flat "cardboard" taste. Some people think they may be allergic to sulphites. True sulphite allergies are very rare. It is more likely that they have a histamine reaction to red wine, or that they have been over exposed to sulphites in the past.

Corks
Cork is a natural material, and like so many other natural materials, it has inherent variability and a tendency to deteriorate with time. The corks most often used by home winemakers are agglomerated corks. These are made from chipped cork pieces ground to specific size and bonded together with non-reactive glue. These corks are designed for storing wine for 2 years or more depending on storage conditions. Occasionally a wine develops an unpleasant flavor and bouquet. This is known as "corkiness" and happens because of a reaction between the wine and a defective cork. This phenomenon occurs in a small percentage of all wines produced (both at home and in professional wineries) and is one of the reasons some are phasing in the use of synthetic corks and closures. It's also important that the bottles be stored on their sides while ageing. This keeps the wine in contact with the cork and keeps it moist, preventing the drying of the cork.

Light
Constant exposure to light produces chemical reactions in wine that cause it to deteriorate. Ultraviolet light has the greatest effect and white wines are the most vulnerable. Try to keep the cellar dark when not in use.

Tartrate Crystals in Wine "Wine Diamonds"
The wine is perfectly clear when bottled, but after ageing, crystals form and settle at the
bottom of the bottles. This natural phenomenon is a part of wine making that cannot be controlled and doesn't always occur. When it does the product you end up with is more mellow and superior in taste. Thus you should not be worried if this occurs. It happens because the tartrate acid found in grape juice (the wine kit) is less soluble in an alcoholic solution (the finished wine ) and it crystallizes and drops out. Simply decant the wine off the crystals and enjoy.

Precipitate
Once again the wine is perfectly clear when bottled, but after ageing, a smoky, dark layer, almost like candle soot, has formed on the bottom of the bottle (or on it's side if the bottle has been aged laying down). This too is a natural phenomenon that occurs in some red wines that have been allowed to age a longer period of time. It occurs because as the wine ages, it goes through chemical changes that produce heavier
proteins that settle out and stick to the inside of the bottle. This precipitate is usually difficult to get out of the bottle because it sticks and will not let go. The reason many wines cellars turn their bottles on a regular basis is to distribute this precipitate evenly around the entire bottle, making it less noticeable.

Sediment
Neither wine diamonds or precipitate are considered sediment. Sediment occurs when dead yeast cells left behind after poor filtering have time to settle to the bottom of the bottle where they accumulate into a fine layer that moves when the bottle is disturbed.

To sum things up
When you take your wine home, leave the bottles upright for 1 week to allow the pressure inside the bottle to escape. After the week, lay the bottles down on their side in a cool, dark place, undisturbed until it's time to serve.

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