Choosing which wines to cellar
Penfolds wines are known for improving with age and as a result they have a great reputation with collectors around the world. As a wine matures over the passage of time it will slowly evolve, developing greater complexity and bottle age characters. Complex reactions occur during the maturation process, creating new aromas and flavours as the structure of the wine gradually changes.
All Penfolds Bin, Luxury and Icon wines will reward careful cellaring. However, the optimum bottle maturation period will depend upon whether the wine is red or white, its style, the format (size) of the bottle and the vintage. Some wines are deliberately made for earlier consumption, whereas others are crafted for the long haul.
Some collectors keep a paper notebook, others use apps or other digital means to keep track of the preferred drinking window for each bottle it s important not to leave your wines too long, as the number of wines in this book with a drinking window of past demonstrates.
As a rule of thumb, red wines generally enjoy longer and more predictable cellaring than white wines. However, the evolution of the screwcap closure has had a positive impact on maintaining freshness and quality, especially with white wines. Indeed, some styles of white wine can evolve with ease for a decade or more.
The Rewards of Patience provides informed advice and opinion about how most vintages are performing. A good way to understand your preferences is to periodically assess and enjoy the development of the same wine in the short, medium and long term.
How to start a cellar in a small space
The romanticised idea of a wine cellar may conjure images of dusty basements with walls lined with wines, however most people don t have the space to dedicate an entire underground room to cellaring their wines.
Some collectors with large collections build or rent refrigerated and humidity-controlled cellar space. There are also a number of convenient options for those who d like to cellar wines in a small space. The simplest option is a humidified and temperature-controlled wine cabinet, which range in size from a small, under bench model that would store 30 bottles to custom-made fridges of any specification.
If you don t have access to a temperature-controlled wine cabinet, look for a cool, dark place to lie bottles down. Generally, your kitchen will not be the most temperate area of your house. Instead look for somewhere cool, dark and free of vibrations and dampness an internal cupboard, far away from any external walls, can provide a steady temperature year-round if you re not ready to invest in (or don t have space for) a large wine fridge.
Storage temperatures
Wine is best stored in cool temperatures of around 14 °C to 16 °C with a relative humidity of 65 to 75 percent. These conditions are sometimes difficult to achieve all year round. A constant temperature of 18 °C is better than high temperatures fluctuations during winter and summer.
Poorly stored wines may not retain their original freshness and will most likely develop faster and less predictably than bottles that have enjoyed a constant, steady maturation process in a temperature-controlled cellar or wine cabinet. Wine is especially vulnerable to fluctuations in temperature. It is always best to transport wine in cool conditions and to store wine in an environment that minimises temperature variation.
Always lay bottles on their side
Bottles should be stored on their sides to ensure the cork remains wet. Corks can dry out if a bottle is left standing up, increasing the risk of ingression of air and oxidation. Screwcapped or glass-stoppered bottles are more resilient, but its best to have these bottles lying down as well.
Periodically check bottles for any cork movement. It is not unusual to find leakers even in the best cellars. Some collectors retain tissue wrap around bottles, as it can be a very good visual alert for leakage.
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