Gimme Shelter

I once read that 98 percent of Americans open a bottle of wine within 24 hours of purchase. More than 2 percent of the drinking public must know certain wines improve with time, right? Sure, age-worthy bottles represent a small portion of overall wine production. But it’s the category that excites me the most. These bottles are objects of desire for critics, collectors and aficionados. We scour websites, newsletters, auctions, waiting for our grails. Then we snatch them up like Bald Eagle hunting fish on a lake.

But unlike the eagle, which devours its catch immediately, we need a place to store our bounty. Which is why the genuine wine enthusiast needs a cellar.

To that end, waiting for the most recent vintages to grow into their full potential requires two things. The first is time. This allows the wine to evolve and unfold. It might mellow and take on new complexities and even harmonize. The passing years—or, in some cases, decades—can also render more value to the wine, so long as it’s stored properly and kept in pristine condition. Patience, as the old adage goes, is a virtue.

The other thing required is space. But proper cellaring does not mean leaving the wine in an oversized kitchen cabinet. Wine storage requires certain specifications. The ideal long-term temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit; at a colder temperature, the bottle will age slowly and, at a warmer temperature, the opposite will occur. Similarly, the ideal humidity is around 70 percent. If it’s too humid, you risk molding and discoloring the label, decreasing the value. And if it’s appreciably drier, the cork will dehydrate and can fail, allowing wine to escape or air to enter the bottle.

Cork failure is a big concern. Accordingly, bottles must lay on their side, or be arranged at a suitable angle, so the wine inside is always touching the cork. If that precious stopper is compromised, it can crumble upon opening, and end up in the wine. Anybody who’s experienced this knows that rectifying demands special attention. Removing cork from liquid is a messy hassle. It may even leave some unwanted flavor.

Does all this cellaring business sound intimidating? Fear not. We have options. One, of course, is to simply build a cellar into your home. This can be as straight-forward as a shelf-less closet in the garage or guesthouse. Or it can be a grand and elaborate undertaking, an entire room dedicated to your collection. So long as the conditions listed above are maintained, you can rest assured the wines are ageing properly—and never more than a few rooms away.

Another option is the standalone cellar. These typically look like a specialty refrigerator, and come in a plethora of sizes, capacities and styles. There’s almost certainly a model that suits your space and design aesthetic. Standalone cellars are a major upgrade from an unregulated pantry. Still, many come equipped with multiple temperature zones (an unnecessary feature, in my opinion) and have glass doors (nice for display purposes, but allows light inside, which can deteriorate the flavor condition.) Know, too, that standalone cellars require upkeep: Depending on the manufacturer, the refrigerating unit can last anywhere from three to 10 years, at which point it requires refreshing or, in some cases, total replacement.

Off-site professional storage is a great alternative. Doubly so if you’re susceptible to breaking into prized bottles for lack of willpower. While it’s a little pricier in the long run, off-site operations offer security and consistency, two major concerns for high-caliber collections. Some off-site outfits will even offer pick-up and delivery services. And, when entertaining, you can pull out this trivia on guests: Did you know there was wine storage beneath the Brooklyn Bridge around 1900?

When it comes to scale, those turn-of- the-century New Yorkers had the right idea. Regardless of your cellaring choice, my recommendation is to always build or buy the biggest example possible for your space. It’s going to fill up quicker than you think. Every wine collector and critic I know wishes they had more room.

Likewise, they all have their own ideal moment to open that special bottle, depending the occasion, the company they keep and their personal taste for older or younger wines. But they all seem to agree on one thing: Getting the most from a great wine takes more than 24 hours.

Follow Roberto Viernes on Instagram @filwines