What are the basic rules of cellaring my wine?

There are many guidelines when it comes to cellaring wine and the following are certainly important:

• Lie down any bottles under cork
• Keeping a constant temperature is probably more relevant than the temperature itself- that said don’t store over 15 degrees
• Don’t store in direct sunlight
• Make sure the wine is made for cellaring

Don’t be afraid to call the winery for advice and don’t believe everything you read on a back label- I’ve seen wines change vintages 3 times over and the back label for each remains the same.

However, my best advice is the quantity you purchase.

If you have the budget, set yourself a minimum of 6 bottles of each wine you want to cellar. The advantage you get from cellaring wine is trying a bottle now, having a look at another bottle in say 3 months then 6 and then 12. It’s the best way to appreciate what is essentially a living thing inside a bottle, and being a part of its maturation.