Create the next best cellar — for your wine
Use your PC to help research, store and expand your wine collection
By Kama Lee Jackson
By the time his daughter left home for college, Toronto TV broadcaster and wine lover Rob Davidson had already collected several unusual and hard-to-find bottles of wine. “I was measuring her basement bedroom as she was heading down the driveway,” he says. Soon, he had installed shelves and racks, creating a wine cellar to house his growing collection.
Starting your own wine cellar doesn’t have to mean taking over a child’s bedroom, or even spending a barrel of money. Just about anyone with a love of wine can start cellaring, no matter what the space or budget restrictions might be.
Cellar for savour
James Wilson, CEO of Vinoté, a wine-cellaring software company based in New Zealand, says cellaring wine can be not only enjoyable for wine lovers but a great investment as well. “Cellaring can improve value for money by storing it for a while,” he explains. “While modern wines are often produced to give satisfaction soon after bottling, the effects of aging can produce fascinating and pleasing changes. In many cases, this improves the quality and enjoyment of the wine.”
Wine wisdom
Wine education can play a big part in knowing what bottles to buy, says Edward Finstein, the award-winning author of Ask the Wine Doctor (McClelland & Stewart). “Read what wine experts have to say about which wines to lay down, use vintage charts and ask for help at the point of purchase.”
Subscribe to newsletters: Davidson tries to keep on top of what’s what in the wine world. “I’ve become an addict of web sites, magazines and books,” he says. “I have a number of chat rooms I belong to. I eavesdrop and take what information I like.” He also subscribes to sommelier Natalie MacLean’s newsletter, Nat Decants, as well as Wine Spectator magazine and Purple Pages, an online newsletter by Jancis Robinson, wine journalist and editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine (first and second edition).
Take a course: Steve Milner, vice president of a commercial and industrial janitorial company based in Burlington, Ont., has taken courses at his local liquor store to further his wine knowledge. “The courses are not very expensive and offer a lot of information and a chance to sample many bottles of wine,” he says. Milner also belongs to an informal wine club that splits the cost of buying cases of wine from a distributor. For a list of organized wine clubs, visit Tony Aspler: The Wine Guy.
Set up your cellar
Wilson says that any space properly insulated can provide a good cellar, but keep a few key things in mind: “Your wine must be stored in a cool (10° to 15°C), dark, non-vibrating place. A fridge is too cold and vibrates.”
Pick the right spot: Wine is typically stored in a basement, says Wilson, as it is often the coolest place in a house. If you do opt for your basement, Finstein advises setting it up “where it is not damp, mouldy, near chemicals, like paint or cleaning solutions, and not under the cellar stairs.”
Replicate conditions: For Milner, a basement wasn’t an option, so he purchased a wine fridge. The specialized unit simulates ideal cellar conditions and keeps each of the five shelves at various temperatures for storing different types of wine.
Move on up: If necessary, Finstein suggests using a closet without carpeting on the floor for short-term aging. Shelving is a good idea to keep wine off the ground in case of flooding. Keep wine bottles with cork enclosures on their side. “This way, the cork won’t dry out and allow air to get in,” Finstein explains. “Air is wine’s worst enemy.”
Move on out: If there is simply no space in your home, commercial wine storage facilities are available for rent, allowing you to store a few bottles or a few hundred in ideal conditions.
Fill your racks
A cellar doesn’t have to stretch your wallet. Wines that are good candidates for aging can be found for as little as $10 to $15 a bottle, Finstein says.
Thanks to the Internet, you can buy wine online from many Canadian wineries and have it shipped right to you. If you would like to buy wines from another country, contact an agent or intermediary group that interacts directly with liquor control boards. Check out The Opimian Society, a Canadian wine appreciation group and non-profit wine-buying co-operative that offers members a chance to buy international wines that aren’t available in local liquor stores.
If you know exactly what wine you want, try looking it up online with Bing.
Track your racks
Finstein is careful to note that not all wines keep improving with age. “There is nothing worse than spending good money, time and space in your home cellaring and aging wine to only have them go bad because you forgot about them.”
Keep track of what you have. “A good inventory will ensure that wines are opened at their optimum,” says Wilson.
Vinoté offers a range of easy-to-use, free software to help you keep a handle on your collection. Or, download our food and wine pairingchart to help you decide which of your best bottles to serve at your next dinner party.
Sit and sip
“Creating a collection of wine, cataloguing it and coming to enjoy the cellaring process is guaranteed to painlessly increase wine knowledge,” says Wilson.
“Most of all, have fun,” says Finstein. “Wine, in moderation, is a wonderful part of a healthy lifestyle.”
Find more wine resources online
- Wine Lovers Page: Peruse this comprehensive guide to “the best of wine on the web,” including information about accessories, books and cellaring software.
- Wine-Searcher: Locate hard-to-find bottles. The site includes recommendations and wine investment advice.
- Harpers — Wine Reports: Harpers Wine and Spirit magazine: Find vintage reports from all major wine-producing nations.
- Decanter: Check out this wine magazine for recommendations, the latest news from the wine industry, vintage guides and primers on a wide variety of wines.
