How to Choose a Wine Cellar?

How to Choose Your Wine Cellar?

A wine ruined after spending too long in a cupboard? Red wines served too warm or whites served too cold? Bottles of wine left on the kitchen counter due to a lack of storage? Anyone who has faced these issues will eventually consider purchasing a wine cellar. However, it can sometimes be confusing to differentiate between a wine aging cellar and a wine service cellar. Before making your decision, follow our guide to discover which wine cellar is right for you!

Service Cellar or Aging Cellar?

There are two types of wine cellars: aging cellars and service cellars. Each type has its own characteristics designed to meet specific needs. Here’s what you need to know:

An aging or conservation wine cellar maintains a single, uniform temperature regardless of the bottle’s location within the cellar. The temperature is typically set between 12°C and 13°C, as this is the ideal range for aging wine to its peak. It is crucial that this temperature remains stable and does not fluctuate with the room temperature.

For aging wine, it’s also essential to have a good level of humidity, known as hygrometry, to prevent the cork from drying out and to avoid altering the wine over time. Aging cellars should provide control over the hygrometry between 60% and 80%. For optimal conservation, it is also necessary to minimize vibrations and UV exposure, which can be achieved with a solid or UV-protected glass door and ensuring good air quality.

A service wine cellar, on the other hand, is designed to bring wines to their ideal serving temperature. However, they generally do not offer control over humidity, air quality, or UV protection, and their capacity is usually smaller. Many service wine cellars offer dual or multi-temperature functions, allowing you to set the ideal serving temperature for red, white, rosé, or champagne wines all in one cellar.

Criteria to Consider When Choosing Your Wine Cellar

Now that you know the different types of wine cellars, you need to identify your needs. If you want to age your wines for years to enhance their quality over time, you should opt for an aging wine cellar. If you prefer to enjoy your wines at the best serving temperature at any time, a service wine cellar is what you need.

Wine cellars come in a range from small, affordable models holding around ten bottles to larger units accommodating over 300 bottles with various features. It’s important to assess your needs to avoid having a cellar that’s either underused or quickly running out of space. For an aging cellar, remember that a case of wine kept for 10 years occupies 6 bottle spaces for that entire period, so don't choose too small a model. You can also opt for an affordable wine cabinet with a medium capacity that fits into your kitchen.

You now have all the information you need to choose the best wine cellar for you and fill it with the many vintages available on Avenue des Vins!