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How to start your wine cellar?
Building a wine cellar is an exciting adventure... provided you start off on the right foot! Temperature, humidity, choice of bottles: follow our advice to start a cellar tailored to your desires and storage conditions.
The ideal wine cellar
Before setting out to build a wine cellar, it is essential to understand the characteristics that are essential for storing wine properly in a cellar.
Several criteria are essential for storing wine properly in a good wine cellar:
- An ideal temperature, i.e., stable, between 56°F and 58°F.
- Good humidity, with the humidity in the surrounding air at around 75%.
- The room must be free from vibrations, unpleasant odors, and light.
- It must also be well ventilated.
Compliance with these criteria will ensure that your wine is stored correctly and will not be affected by heat, light, odors, etc
To find out more about wine storage conditions, check out our Extra-Brut episode on the subject: How to store wine?
A wine cellar: what for?
If you want to set up a wine cellar in your home, you first need to assess your exact needs based on the space available.
Would you like to dedicate a space in your kitchen or basement, take advantage of existing space, or install a temperature-controlled cellar? Installing a wine cellar in your home is not a trivial matter. Depending on the type of cellar, you will be able to store your wines for varying lengths of time.
So, should you opt for a wine cellar? Find the answers in our article.
What types of wine for your cellar?
Depending on the conditions in your cellar, you can choose wines with good aging potential or wines to be enjoyed quickly. We can help you find the bottles of wine that best suit your needs. Which sparkling or still wines can you age for future enjoyment?
Aging potential of Crémants d'Alsace
Bestheim recommends that you do not keep Crémants for too long in your cellar in order to preserve the freshness of their aromas and the finesse of their bubbles.
For example, our Crémants Extra-Brut, Brut Premium, Brut Rosé, and Demi-sec can be enjoyed immediately or kept for up to two years.
Wine lovers can, of course, keep our sparkling wines for a few years longer, particularly the Grand Prestige Blanc and Rosé vintages, to allow their fresh fruit notes to develop.
Ageing potential of Alsace wines
Single-varietal wines, such as those in our Classic range, have an aging potential of 1 to 5 years. They can be enjoyed immediately or after a short period of aging.
If there are wines that can truly be described as wines for aging, it is the Grands Crus. These wines are made to be kept (for more than five years). They are very tannic for red wines and have a high acidity and/or sugar content for white wines. It should be noted that they will soften, lose acidity, and become less rich with age.
The same is true of Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles, which are white wines from Alsace with a high sugar content, allowing them to keep better.
In short, in your ideal cellar, when it comes to Alsace wines, plan to keep the Crémants and our Classicwines (wines to be drunk young) for a few years. To choose wines for aging, look to our Grands Crus, as well as our Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles. This is a good starting point for your wine cellar!
Creating your own wine cellar means building up a treasure trove to be enjoyed over time. By following a few basic guidelines (temperature, humidity, darkness, etc.), you can ensure that your bottles are stored properly. Start by adding Crémants to be enjoyed within two years, Alsace wines to be drunk young (such as Classic vintages), and complete your collection with a few Grands Crus or Vendanges Tardives to enrich your collection of wines for aging. Above all, let your curiosity guide you... and your pleasure!
