Where do you store a wine cellar? How do you look after the bottles for an extended period? What wine styles are worth cellaring? Which are not? Do I need to insure my collection? Will it gain in value? Will I like what the wines become when I open them?
All valid questions and the answers will vary depending on the individual and their goals for the eventual outcome.
I tend to think of a wine cellar as a mindset; the simple determination to keep wines to enjoy their evolution. This is where reaching some sort of critical mass is important, which may be only one or two dozen.
It means that if you don’t get to the shops for a bit, or are swamped by eager (thirsty) guests, that you don't completely exhaust your stocks.
It may also mean having a few "cellar defenders" which you can open on a whim rather than delving into bottles you had hoped to keep.
The general rule for storage is a cool, dark, vibration-free space where the temperature is relatively stable. Slow shifts from summer to winter are fine; you certainly don’t want massive swings day to night which makes the rack above the fridge or beside the television in the lounge useful for keeping wines you plan to enjoy shortly, just not for long-term.
Some cities have professional storage facilities, but in my experience the classic Dunedin basement, on the south side of the house, works darn well. You can also buy wine fridges, though prices creep up.
Many household insurance policies have options to add a wine cellar if you deem it necessary, often at relatively little extra cost.
What to cellar will be driven by the wine styles you prefer but I would always suggest diversity, as in two, three, four years your tastes may have changed and you may not want to be stuck with just wine styles you like now.
Generally, the wines in your average supermarket are meant to be enjoyed young, they won’t go off if you popped them away for a couple of years but they’re unlikely to see significant gains in complexity.
As you climb the price points you are more likely to find wines crafted to improve with age, though still delightful in their youth.
Wine investment is another ball game and like any investment good, subject to market shifts, whims and fashion.
There are a handful of blue chip, highly allocated wines that have shown gains but dabbling in this area is for the highly clued-up enthusiast who might enjoy drinking their investment if it all goes pear-shaped?
What do wines become with time in the cellar; well, the wonderful people at Pegasus Bay can give you the answer. In 2006 they embarked on an ambitious project to hold aside a parcel of three of their wines to release 10 years from vintage with the 2026 release of the 2016 vintage trio their 11th edition.
If you don’t have a cellar it is a marvellous opportunity to try a beautifully aged bottle of wine; an even more fascinating exercise would be to buy a bottle of the current release to taste alongside the older wine to explore the differences.
Ten years on with these 2016’s, 10 out of 10 to Pegasus Bay for starting this project and their resolve to offer aged release wines year after year.
2016 Pegasus Bay Aged Release Riesling
2016 Pegasus Bay Aged Release Pinot Noir
2016 Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Pinot Noir
