05 · Store Enthusiast

Setting up a small cellar

A "cellar" does not require a basement or specialist equipment. It requires a stable temperature, darkness, horizontal bottles and a record of what you have. This checklist covers everything you need to start.

The six-point checklist

Choose a location

A basement is ideal. Failing that: a north-facing cupboard, under the stairs, or a temperature-stable wardrobe in an interior room. Avoid: garage (temperature swings), kitchen (heat and vibration), loft (heat and light).

Check the temperature

Buy a min-max thermometer (under £10) and record daily highs and lows for a week. Ideal: 10–15 °C with no more than 2–3 °C daily variation. Above 18 °C consistently: consider a wine fridge.

Control the light

UV degrades wine. A naturally dark space is ideal. If your storage area has windows, cover them. Store bottles away from LED strips or fluorescent lighting.

Lay bottles on their sides

Cork-sealed bottles must be horizontal to keep the cork moist. Screwcap bottles can stand upright. Use a rack, a wooden crate, or foam-padded boxes. Spare wine boxes stacked safely work fine to start.

Track what you have

Even a spreadsheet is enough: producer, wine, vintage, quantity, date purchased, drinking window. Without a record, bottles get forgotten and wines are drunk past their best or before they are ready.

Know your drinking windows

Most wine should be drunk within 3–5 years of the vintage. Wines worth ageing longer include: top Bordeaux, Burgundy Grand Cru, Barolo, Northern Rhône Syrah, fine German Riesling. See the How to store wine guide for ageing guidelines.

The most important thing: the list

Temperature and darkness protect wine physically. The list — your record of what you have — is what lets you drink it well. A wine bought at its peak price may be ready in ten years and over the hill in fifteen. Without a note of when you bought it and a rough sense of its window, that bottle will be opened at random. The tools section includes a planned cellar tracker if you prefer a digital approach.

For the full storage conditions in detail — temperature, humidity, vibration, orientation — see the How to store wine guide.

Sources: WSET (storage and service guidelines); OIV (oenological standards); Amorim Cork (cork and humidity storage data); Decanter (vintage and cellaring guides). Last updated: 2026-10-15. Corrections via the contact form.

Questions

About building a cellar.

How many bottles do I need before a cellar is worth it?

There is no firm threshold, but most people find that once they are regularly holding more than two or three cases (24–36 bottles) of wine meant to be drunk over the next year or more, some kind of system becomes worthwhile. A rack, a list and a stable corner is all you need to start. The purpose is not prestige — it is ensuring you drink the right bottle at the right time.

What is a drinking window?

A drinking window is the period during which a wine is likely to be at its best. Young wines with high tannin and acidity may need five to ten years to soften into balance. Most wines have a relatively short peak window of five to ten years. After their peak, wines decline — colour fades, fruit disappears, and the wine becomes thin or muddy. Drinking windows are estimates, not guarantees, and depend heavily on storage conditions.

Do I need to keep wines at different temperatures for reds and whites?

For storage (not serving), all wines do well at the same 10–15 °C range. The serving temperature is different — whites are served chilled (8–12 °C), reds at cool room temperature (14–18 °C) — but for storage, a single stable temperature works for both. If you want to store whites ready to serve cold without moving them to and from a fridge, a dual-zone wine fridge is practical.

What are the standard wine bottle sizes and how many are in a case?

A standard bottle holds 750 ml. Common alternative sizes: Half bottle (375 ml) — ideal for dessert wines or trying something new; Magnum (1.5 L, 2 bottles) — wines age more slowly in magnums, making them desirable for cellaring; Double Magnum / Jeroboam (3 L, 4 bottles); Jeroboam sparkling (4.5 L, 6 bottles); Methuselah / Imperial (6 L, 8 bottles); Salmanazar (9 L, 12 bottles). A standard case of wine contains 12 x 750 ml bottles (9 litres total). Some producers sell 6-bottle cases for premium or large-format bottles. When planning a cellar, calculate in both bottles and cases — most wine racks are sized for 12-bottle multiples.

What is a wine fridge and is one worth buying?

A wine fridge (also called a wine cooler or wine cabinet) is a thermostatically controlled refrigerator designed for wine storage at 10–14 °C. Unlike a domestic fridge, it maintains consistent temperature and correct humidity. A single-zone model capable of holding 12–24 bottles costs £100–200 and is a reasonable investment once you are regularly holding wine for more than a month. Dual-zone models allow two temperature settings (typically 8–10 °C and 12–15 °C).