1. Not all wines will cellar for a long time. Many wines are produced as ‘drink now’. We suggest you read the label and the winemakers tasting notes and look for their cellaring suggestions. You will often see phrases like, ‘drink now or cellar for up to 5 years’ 2.When the winemaker suggests drink now or cellar for xxx, plan out your tastings over the cellaring period to experience how the wine ages in the bottle.2. Start with wines you love and do experiments with them. Buy three or six bottles. Drink one or two now, and then cellar the rest. A year later, open another. 3. Make sure you write down some tasting notes on the wines you drink. Use your own words to describe the wine. This will give you a reference when you try the others in years to come.4. Keep your ‘tasting diary’ with your wine. It will not only be valuable reference, but also make for a great talking point.5. If the wines are sealed with a cork, lie them horizontally
6. If they have a screw cap, you can cellar them either vertically or horizontally.7. Sparkling Shiraz? Store the same as you would a red wine. Laid horizontally at about 16 degrees 8. When buying wine that you want to cellar, place a sticker on the top with year you want to drink. Saves those accidental openings three bottles in at dinner parties and easily read in the rack. 9. Wine cellar location - not everyone has access to 1 mile of underground cellars, (like at Seppelt Cellar Door) It’s important that the wine is cellar in a cool spot! The perfect temp is 16 degree, it its a few degrees warmer, that’s okay as long as it does not fluctuate too much. Some have a little alcove under stairs, other hide in the back of the wardrobe, purpose built wine racks can become a feature in your home. There are many options - choose what you prefer. The key to good cellaring are:
constant temperature and
no exposure to direct sunlight
If you don’t have the right cellar conditions, buy a wine fridge and cellar your “good” bottle there. 10. Enjoy the process… it’s a passion after all.