Vincent has created the ultimate collection of Christmas and New Year wines. From the most delicate French Chablis to the fruitiest Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, Vincent’s selection will tempt any wine lover. And because storage is vital in maintaining the quality of any fine wine, Spiral Cellars is offering a fully stocked cellar as a special Christmas package.

Read More about the Fully Stocked Wine Cellar!

Despite wines being a perishable commodity, properly caring for and storing your wine can actually improve its’ aroma, flavour, texture and complexity over time.

Step 1: How long are you storing your wine for?

The first decision to make is how long you are planning to store your wine for. Generally short term storage means 3 to 6 months and should be your cheaper, less cherished wines, where as long term can mean decades and should be reserved for your quality, precious wines.

Step 2: Correct storage conditions

Whether it’s short or long term storage the same rules apply, firstly and most crucially the bottles should be laid horizontally instead of upright, this ensures the cork remains moist, to stop it drying out.

It is essential to keep the wines in a vibration free environment so they can not move about, therefore on top of electrical appliances or a place subject to external forces (i.e. from a subway) should be avoided.

Wine can be greatly affected by its surrounding temperature; the ideal temperature is roughly 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12°C). Bottles should be kept out of drafts and any temperature change should be very gradual.

Additionally light can negatively impact on a wine, which is why some wine bottles are made of coloured glass. Wine must be kept out of direct sun light, since too much light can react with proteins in wine, forming a haze and bad aromas to pollute its’ flavour.

For long term storage, the correct atmospheric conditions are required. Humidity has to be very high, approximately 70% or more, in order to stop the cork drying out and to reduce the chance of wine evaporating. Also when storing long term, consider the wines surroundings, ensure there are no other foods or liquids that could be absorbed into the wine itself. Substances with strong aromas for example fuel or vinegar must be kept elsewhere!

Step 3: Enjoy…

When the time comes to pop the cork and savour all your hard work, drink responsibly but do try to finish bottles within a few days of opening, since as soon as the wine is exposed to air it starts mixing with oxygen. This is known as oxidation, which also alters the essence of the wine.

Correct wine storage is fundamental for any serious wine lover, enthusiast or even hobbyist. The most effective storage is in a wine cellar, since numerous bottles can be kept conveniently out of sight yet in the perfect conditions. Spiral Cellars offer custom built, cost effective underground cellars, which can be fitted quickly and discreetly. Professionally installed and only taking up a tiny amount of floor space, Spiral Cellars cellar’s can hold up to 1600 bottles!

Cheers!

In Part 1, 2 and 3 we explored different styles of red, white and summer wines. Now that you have probably found a few favourites you’ll want to have some in stock for entertaining and impromptu dinner parties or gatherings with family & friends.

It may seem a simple process buying wine, but keeping wine is a different matter. We can easily forget that wine is a living product, that is either enhanced when aged and stored correctly or ruined when stored in bad conditions.

Throughout future issues we will be discovering many fine wines, and I would like to ensure that you do not purchase these wines, then waste your money due to storing your wine in poor conditions, hence ruining it.

I see it as my responsibility to ensure that you get good advice in every aspect of enjoying fine wine.

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By next year, it is predicted that over a quarter of all wine consumed worldwide will be in the U.S*, where wine sales have reached a record $26 billion. Not only are Americans drinking more wine, they are buying better quality wine to collect, and spending more money on it, leading to an increased demand for personal wine storage.

With this in mind, Spiral Cellars, the leading company in underground wine storage, previously only available to consumers in the U.K. and Europe, has made the decision to expand into the U.S market, with the first cellar being installed in the Seattle area.

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