Everyone can enjoy the pleasure of good wine, but the difference between the casual drinker and the more serious wine collector is usually a well-stocked cellar.
Old wine
Old bottles of wine can be quite valuable is they’re aged properly. Most wines improve with age, the flavours and complexities intensifying in the cool darkness of a cellar. Collectors invest in young wines, store them in ideal conditions to encourage aging and then sell the more mature, sophisticated wines.
Which wines?
However, not all wines improve with aging. You can’t just pop any bottle of red into a dark space under the sink and hope for the best. Wines that age best are rich and fruity and high levels of tannin and acidity. The fuller and rounder the wine is these three aspects, the better it is for aging. They mellow beautifully with downtime in the cellar, their flavours becoming subdued and more sophisticated as the years go by.
Wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and sturdy Pinots and Merlots are perfect for aging. As for whites, the robust Chardonnay is by far the best one for aging. Port is a fortified wine best enjoyed after up to 20 years in a cellar. Whatever the collector’s preference, it is important to research the aging potential of the wines. This way the collector will know exactly how to store the wine and deliver something really special when it reaches maturity.
The collector’s cellar
The collector’s cellar is more than just a dark room with some bottles lying around in it. Collectors go to extra lengths to create the ideal environment for wine aging. Besides being dark and cool, the collector’s cellar is kept at exactly the right temperature, around 12 and 13°C (or 55°F). Wine is kept away from heaters or fridges – vibration is also said to be bad for a wine ageing. A collector’s cellar features an assortment of racks and shelves to accommodate different shapes and sizes of wine bottles. Collectors also make sure their cellar collections are balanced with the wines they like, as well as wines their guests might like.
Visit these boutique wineries to grow your knowledge of boutique wine and boutique wineries:
