Conservation
How should wine be stored in a wine cellar?
For best conversation and cellar ageing, always place your wine and champagne bottles lying down in a suitable rack with shelves. Place your whites at the bottom - the temperature is cooler there -, your light wines and rosés in the middle and your reds at the top. Don't stick your bottles to the wall.
Tips for optimal cellar storage of your wine bottles
The storage and position of your bottles in the cellar play an important role in the quality of your wine. It depends on temperature, humidity and type of wine.
For cellar aging and conservation of your reds, whites, rosés and champagnes in the best possible conditions:
- Always store wine bottles horizontally in the cellar to keep the cork moist. This also applies to your champagne.
- Avoid wine bottles coming into contact with the bottom wall of the wine cellar.
- Take care not to clog the charcoal filter for an electric wine cellar.
- Observe maximum shelf and rack loads.
- Place wines with the label facing upwards to avoid excessive handling.
- Wooden shelves are preferable for better wine preservation.
- Make the most of your wine cellar space. You need to fill ⅔ of the cellar to take advantage of its performance and optimize wine preservation.
- Make sure the air circulates throughout the room.
Conditions for ideal cellar storage of your wines
Constant temperature throughout the aging process
Temperature is an important criteria for wine preservation. Temperature variations in the wine cellar must be avoided. The ideal storage temperature is between 11° and 15°C, depending on the wine. Not to be confused with serving temperature.
Humidity (or hygrometry) levels to be respected
Humidity levels are just as important as temperature, and are essential for wine preservation. Whether it's a storage cellar for your table wines or an aging cellar for your ageing wines, the ideal humidity level is around 75%.
To protect your bottles (and labels!) from humidity, you have a choice of three solutions:
- Spray lacquer on wine bottles,
- Varnish wine bottles,
- Wrap bottles in plastic film before storing.
Aveine's advice
If your wine cellar lacks humidity, install a container with charcoal or wet sand to humidify it.
Practical guide: how to store bottles of wine in a cellar?
Categorize bottles by wine type and tasting moment. Separate ageing wines from young wines:
- Wines for laying down, prestige grands crus and white wines require more freshness and less handling. Store them at the bottom of the cellar to avoid altering the wine's maturation process.
- Young wines and everyday wines, on the other hand, should be kept within easy reach.
- Above, the finest Bordeaux and Burgundy wines
- In the middle, light reds and rosés
- Below, white wines
Aveine's advice
For a well-organized cellar, keep a cellar book. Make an inventory according to the labels, recording the vintage of each bottle and information such as grape variety, estate, appellation, etc.
