The ABCs of Wine Cellaring
by Sean E. Andrade
Tri Valley Magazine, January/February 2008Issue

Even the most casual wine drinker has a special bottle that has been put away to commemorate a momentous occasion, or just because it’s so good, you want to remember it.

Unfortunately, all too often when that happy occasion presents itself, perhaps to ring in 2008, for example, the bottle is opened with much fanfare only to find the makings of… salad dressing vinegar or worse.

That, of course, can be quite a blow to the celebration. Which brings me to the raison d’etre of this column: proper wine cellaring.

Ninety-five percent of all wine that is purchased in California is consumed within 72 hours. But for the rest of us who want to savor our wine for another day, proper cellaring is the key.

The ideal cellar temperature for wine storage is approximately 55-57 degrees at 70% non-condensing relative humidity. This high humidity helps keep moisture inside the bottle, instead of letting it travel through the cork and, ultimately, end up evaporating.

The temperature fluctuation that can occur with your wine resting on that beautiful wine rack may just be your wine’s demise. This constant fluctuation in temperature causes expansion and contraction of the wine in the bottle. Sometimes it is so significant that your wine can seep around the cork. As the cork begins to fail, oxygen can be let in, resulting in off flavors. The average temperature swings in our homes can add as much as five years of aging to your bottle in just a single year on your wine rack.

Sadly, you’ll have to part with that lovely wine rack. But don’t just race out and pick up any old wine cellar. Be wary of the cheaper wine cooler models that are often found in warehouse stores, or at major retailers. These units act more like refrigerators and can often “shock cool” your wine by bringing its temperature down or up rapidly, which speeds up the aging. Whenever you place your wine into a climate controlled environment, don’t forget that the gentler the cooling process, the better the wine will react. In addition, these units often do not humidify or dehumidify the air inside them. Many have been found to have humidity levels in the 14-20% range, which can drastically reduce the reliability of your cork.

Take time to investigate all of the features of a great winecellar. First, insure that it can manage a constant 55-57 degrees and humidity of at least 60%, regardless if it’s fully or partially loaded. Look for a wine cellar with a bottle probe, which is useful because this temperature sensing probe goes into a wine bottle filled with water and is connected to your cooling unit. It triggers the cooling unit to cycle on and off as the liquid temperature varies, not the ambient air temperature. This aids in a quiet and comfortable sleep for your wine.

In addition to temperature and humidity, light also plays a key role in the health of your favorite bottle. Quite often, we have these beautiful and sometimes elaborate wine racks in our living rooms or dining rooms and, being in California, these rooms sometimes have large windows that let plenty of light into our homes. Ultraviolet light destroys wine chemically, so unless you like your wine to taste like stewed brussels sprouts or canned corn, keep your bottles out of the light.

Bad habits die hard. Start 2008 right.