How to Start your own Wine Cellar at Home

THE BASICS OF STARTING AND ORGANIZING A HOME WINE CELLAR

 

#1 – The Amount of bottles doesn’t matter – the System does. Find your system. But pick a system you can STICK to. I like the simple – 3 tier – Everyday, Special Occasion – Do not Touch under penalty of death.

 

#2 – Pick a place to store it. Pick a place away from the light, and ideally in a climate controlled area – actual temperature is not what’s most important – stability of temperature is. Spare closet, bedroom or basement (provided not too damp or too dry or hot) are all ok. You don’t need fancy racking you can do very well with sturdy wine boxes piled on one another.

 

#3 – Get yourself a little black book/composition book and if you have the energy – write down what you have – and organize ON PAPER what goes with what.  If that is TOO time consuming – just keep your receipts when you buy wine and put a little number next to each item (section #1, #2, #3) and you’ll know where to put them when you bring them home. It’s also good to keep receipts for insurance purposes and to keep track of what you’re buying.

 

#4 – Get the little sticky dots from Staples or Office Depot and use a color coding system on the top of the bottle so you can “at a glance” when they are lying down on their side – pick which ones are “ready to drink – green” , “save for a special occasion or not yet – ready- yellow” and “do not touch or ageing – red”.

 

# 5 – Have fun with the cellar – don’t be a slave to it. Do research before you buy lots at auction or spend a lot of money as you can make mistakes.