With wood, steel, glass and plenty of originality, south Island oenophiles have been creating a heady variety of super cellars for their grand crus, magnums, methuselahs and more.
In petits chateaux from Sooke to Sidney 鈥� well, perhaps they aren鈥檛 exactly chateaux 鈥� connoisseurs who are particular about pinot or mad about merlot are building high-end cellars. Even those who aren鈥檛 so discriminating often want to have a special display area dedicated to the fine elixirs.
Wine cellars have become a home fashion statement and over the past year, photographer Debra Brash has recorded some of the best for readers to savour. Along with these images, we are providing advice on how best to store wine, as well as other tipple tips from international wine judge Treve Ring.
Ring explains there are typically two kinds of collectors: Wine aficionados who want a cellar as a design feature in their home, a place to hold events and dinners, and more serious collectors who don鈥檛 especially care what their cellars look like.
Those who are in the know about Bordeaux or Burgundy and collect for true connoisseurship or investment purposes are more concerned about locking their wines away, turning off the lights so they are not disturbed and installing alarm systems.
鈥淥bviously, most people don鈥檛 cellar wine nowadays at all,鈥� said the wine journalist and certified sommelier, who lives in Victoria.
鈥淚n North America, 95 per cent of all the wine is consumed within 24 hours, and most of the wine purchased is not even designed for cellaring. It is meant to be drunk young and fresh.鈥�
She said moderately priced wines such as gamay or pinot noir are best drunk within a year, whereas a fine Margaux or Meursault, Champagne or vintage port cries out for cellaring.
鈥淭hese wines are not meant to be consumed immediately,鈥� said Ring, adding it is a shame to buy a young $100 Bordeaux, perhaps for a special occasion, and then crack it open right away. 鈥淭he components of the wine 鈥� the acidity, tannins, sugar and alcohol 鈥� have not had time to knit together. You have to wait five to 10 years for that, because tannins need to tame down.鈥�
Of course, it鈥檚 all a matter of personal taste: 鈥淪ome people prefer fruity, lively wines and others like earthy, caramel notes,鈥� Ring said.
She noted that an effective cellar will control three critical elements: temperature, light and humidity.
鈥淎 recent study in Italy found wines age four times faster at room temperature, so a warm environment rather than a cool one can have a devastating effect and is something to keep in mind here, especially as we have four distinct seasons and a lot of variability.鈥�
Ring recommends storing wine at 12 C to 15 C (54 to 59 F). 鈥淎ny warmer and wine can start literally to cook. A few summers ago, we were having a heatwave and I was living in a loft in Chinatown. I came home from a weekend away and the corks in my wine had lifted.鈥�
People touring in Napa or the Okanagan often leave wine in their trunks in the hot sun, or while waiting for a ferry. 鈥淎s soon as it hits 25 degrees, it starts to spoil and they wonder why it doesn鈥檛 taste the same at home,鈥� said Ring, who is also a French wine scholar and a certified sherry educator.
As for humidity, wine is best stored at 55 to 75 per cent.
鈥淵ou want a cork to be moist enough that it does not dry out and that鈥檚 the problem when people put wine in the fridge.鈥�
Specially made wine coolers are better than refrigerators, because most have a condenser and a fan, so they are fine for short-term storage. She has one herself, but keeps it in the garage so she doesn鈥檛 have to listen to it hum.
Screw tops are brilliant for keeping wine fresh, but a small amount of oxygen can still get in. They are not 100 per cent impervious to air, she said, so even they need humidity.
Light is the third most important factor. 鈥淵ou want to keep it as dark as possible. Obviously, if you have a show cellar that鈥檚 impossible and a little light is OK, but ultra-violet light can damage wine.鈥�
So can vibration.
鈥淲hen a wine is subjected to vibration, it can develop more flaws and deteriorate more quickly. So professional cellars are vibration-proof, especially the big commercial ones.鈥� A good way to store wine at home is on wooden racks, because wood absorbs shock and movement.
If it鈥檚 jiggled, don鈥檛 drink the wine for a week or two, she advised. 鈥淎ll the molecules will be totally frenzied. Let them settle down.鈥�
Living in an earthquake zone presents a challenge, as witnessed in Napa Valley last August, when a magnitude-six quake caused extensive losses in wineries. 鈥淪ome lost thousands of bottles, and barrels toppled,鈥� Ring said.
Ring suggested that those who have invested in a cellar secure the wine with a door on the racks, adding wines are best stored flat, while Champagnes should be kept standing up.
Sadly, she said, many people break all the rules by storing wine above the fridge, where it is warm, in the light and constantly vibrating.
Ring often visits collectors鈥� homes and sees such sins, as she is a wine educator through Cru Consultancy, which she co-founded with Sharon McLean. They lead wine tastings in private residences, pair wines for special dinners, give cellaring advice and do cellar valuations in the event of a death.
Rarely has she discovered a treasure while valuing a cellar.
鈥淚t鈥檚 usually the opposite, as people learn their wines are not as great as they thought.鈥� Often, that鈥檚 because they haven鈥檛 been stored correctly, or the collectors are holding onto wine they should have drunk 10 years ago. 鈥淚t is very sad to pour out cases of spoiled wine, but everything has a shelf life,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ine is a living thing and once it鈥檚 gone, it鈥檚 gone.鈥�
Bacteria can get in and spoil wine, just as they can cause food to rot, Ring explained, 鈥渁nd if you can鈥檛 drink it, I wouldn鈥檛 cook with it either.鈥�
Wine, she said, 鈥渋s an amazing commodity that can improve with age, or deteriorate, especially if collectors are not paying attention.鈥�
Ring, who definitely does pay attention, is building a case for each of her children that contains fine vintage wines, Champagne and port to be enjoyed many years from now.
To avoid mistakes, she recommends using an inventory system such as the free online Cellartracker.com management tool, which also has a phone app.
鈥淵ou can log all your wines, find tasting notes, record where they were purchased, the prices 鈥� and your phone can remind you when you need to drink them.鈥�
What is her favourite wine?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 drink a lot of wine because I am tasting every day, thousands every year, and I spit, of course.
鈥淏ut I am very adventuresome. I like to try new things and when I travel, I like to try the local food and drink: retsina, sake, Chianti, amaro. Italian Fernet-Branca.鈥�
In Italy, for example, there are 3,000 local indigenous grapes and every region has its own special herbal-infused spirit or bitters, she said. 鈥淚 love them as a digestif.鈥�
Ring was one of the judges who selected winners from 436 entries in last summer鈥檚 Lieutenant Governor鈥檚 awards for excellence in sa国际传媒 wines. The two-day event required less stamina than what lies ahead, as she soon travels to London, England, to take part in a two-week festival that will involve judging 4,000 wines.
How does she prepare for such a task?
She doesn鈥檛 have hot drinks before the event, or eat curries or garlic that might burn the tastebuds. 鈥淭he hardest part about wine tasting is the wear and tear on teeth. I have extreme sensitivity now, but like all wine judges, I have a great dentist.鈥�
