Cellaring Dry River Wines
Wine maturation is an organic process which is very dependent on the conditions of cellaring. Wines do not inevitably end up at a predictable quality and style, hence André Simone’s famous quote ‘there are no great wines, only great bottles.’ Nevertheless, cellars with the best possible conditions are the most likely to produce the best possible end results.
This guide is for a ‘standard cellar’ at 12°C. Warmer and fluctuating temperatures will age wine more rapidly and may not be as beneficial to the less robust wines and varietals. In our experience the ‘robustness’ of wines is likely to be in the order:
- Cabernet and blends
- Sauvignon blanc
- Syrah
- Riesling
- Pinot gris & Chardonnay
- Pinot noir & Gewurztraminer
Be aware that our wines can ‘go into a tunnel’ somewhere between six months and two years after release. During this time the wine can be quite unrewarding, but be patient because it can blossom later and confound earlier impressions and predictions. A second dip can occur between 4 & 6 years when the wine can start to look tired then may well emerge looking refreshed and in an interesting new phase for the next few years. It can be worth opening and even decanting them a few hours before serving – particularly the reds.
Wines high in extract will tend to mature rather more slowly than the ‘average’ same varietal on this list. If you have a number of our wines and your cellar conditions are not similar to our ‘standard cellar’, you will no doubt learn how to interpret the chart in relation to your own conditions. However, a more active approach to evaluating your cellar is to note temperatures for the range of the days, between weeks and between seasons, by leaving a thermometer in a large jar of water in your cellar. It is not sufficient to observe that the cellar ‘always feels cool’ – such feelings are relative only to outside conditions. Significant fluctuations in daily or weekly temperatures tend to add to the speed of ageing commented on below, and may also increase the incidence of leakers and seepers, occasionally give examples of ATA (atypical ageing – see Aromas) and disproportionately fast ageing for laccase-containing wines (i.e. those with potential or actual botrytis). Vibration and direct light on the wine are damaging influences which should also be avoided.
| If your storage has temperature maximums of not more than… | Then your storage conditions are… |
|---|---|
| 10-15°C | good, and your wines will be at a similar stage of development to that indicated in the Cellaring Guide. Burgundians say that for proper cellaring Pinot noir must be kept in this temperature range (cf. the book Pinot noir, by A. Barr, p33). |
| 15-18°C | at these temperatures your wine could be maturing 20-25% faster than above. Nevertheless, for quality the conditions are adequate, unless you would like to pamper your wines or your cellar is large and/or valuable. The chart should still be very useful, but bear in mind that your wines will develop faster. The results will possibly be slightly less fine. |
| 18-24°C | this includes quite a few Auckland cellars. It is not ideal; differences in speed of development will be evident even with storage over 2-3 years. Plan for holding less robust wines (discussed above) no more than 3 years. Be aware a mature wine from this cellar may not be quite as good as one aged at lower temperatures. |
| 25+°C | not very good, but do note that most good wines may still benefit for up to 2 or 3 years in this cellar. Less robust wines probably should not be held beyond 2 years. Cabernet and blends, Sauvignon blanc, Fumè blanc, Riesling could benefit from longer periods, depending on the actual conditions. Avoid cellaring Pinot noir. |