*
The art of ageing and appreciating wine
JOHAN MAGNUSSON
JOHAN MAGNUSSON
THIRTY WINE CELLARS *
The art of ageing and appreciating wine
MILLHOUS E
Contents
Preface
6
Introduction
8
The soul of a wine cellar
10
Enjoy wine
20
Serving wine
22
Glasses 32
Wine temperature
34
Elements of a wine tasting
38
Wine characteristics
42
Aged wines and food
46
The wine cellar
48
Wine cellar design, environment, and equipment
50
Wine cellar size and content
60
Wine cellar security, alarms, and insurance
64
Wine cellar with no wine cellar
68
Real world wine cellars
72
Cellaring wine
206
Bottle ageing
208
The importance of bottle size
214
Classic wines from classic districts for cellaring
216
The cellar book
228
Invest in wine
234
The secondary market
236
The wine auction market
242
Assessing an aged wine
244
Cellaring history is everything
248
A wine taster’s vocabulary
252
More than a glossary
255
Index
261
Bibliography, image credits
263
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The soul of a wine cellar
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The soul of a wine cellar So much humanity is contained in a bottle of wine – from the person who produces the wine, to the one who opens it. The wine cellar is bottled humanity. The magic of the wine cellar is that it is here the personalities that have produced the wines come together in the fragrances and flavours. Let it enrich your life.
“A perfectly cellared wine, served at its ultimate point of maturity at a good temperature is a complete wine in which we notice that the various aspects of the wine come together and we experience them as one.”
The winegrower is one link in a long chain of people who have devoted themselves to wine, the heir to a tradition stretching back millennia. Winemaking processes, locations, combinations of grapes, and cultivation have all been refined and developed through the ages. The unique soil of the location, the terroir, gives the wine its character. As wine drinkers, we have an opportunity to partake of diverse cultures and lifestyles, all poured into a bottle, by means of smell and taste, senses that many people have come to neglect. The experience is consumed, and what remains is the memory of the fragrances and flavours, of the moment that will never return. Perhaps all that remains are some notes from a tasting, a menu, or merely a recollection of how the wine was. A good wine cellar is a source of much joy and pleasure. Many are the cellared bottles that have been reviewed. I recall one Burgundy, a La Tâche 1983, from a lunch with a close friend after his son’s christening, served from a double magnum and perfectly balanced after only a few years in the bottle. A Château Suduiraut 1958, decanted and served 32 years old, had reached its peak and was like a dessert in itself, umber in colour and complex. A Château Mouton Rothschild 1959, perfectly cellared in its original case at cool temperatures for many years, blossomed into a fantastic palette of fragrances when the cork was removed and was immediately ‘intoxicating’. The taste surpassed the fragrances, consummating the experience. A vintage 1945 from Taylor’s, vintner of fine port wines, lived up to all expectations conceived and nurtured during the years I longingly caressed the bottle while awaiting the proper occasion. Incomparable concentration and velvety richness – ah! To buy a good wine and not care for it is like not polishing your Rolls Royce, or letting your racehorse out to pasture, or hanging your Rembrandt in a closet. The comparisons are many but the content the same: if a good wine is going to be worth its price at all, it must be cared for in the right way and served correctly. I remember a friend who dejectedly declared that the four cases of high-class Bordeaux he had bought a few years earlier had started fermenting in the bottle, so the corks were being pushed out, the wine seeping out. When asked how they were stored, he casually answered that they had rested ‘snug in the furnace room’ at an average temperature of at least 35°C. Criminal! Cellaring a wine is neither difficult nor mystical, as long as you create the right conditions. Store it the right way and you radically enhance the pleasure. Traditionally, cellars in the British Isles are perfectly suited to wine storage because they are naturally cool, as are cellars in the Scandinavian countries. Further south, around the Mediterranean,
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1937 Nuits, Bou chard Père & Fils October 2012: Night had settled after a day among the vineyards in Burgundy. We had trod the earth of the Corton hill, spoken with the winemakers, and tasted wine from Savigny-lès-Beaune. Dinner was over. By the square in Bouilland is the attic flat of wine connoisseur Peter Winding, and under its rafters our company has formed a circle, each person holding a glass. The wine is poured with care, leather-coloured and clear. Smiles spread around the circle as we are met by the fragrance and flavour of a long, pampered life. A wine full of life, strong and fragile at the same time. It lives still and can tell us stories from the vanished era it embraces. Not only about its origins but also about how it was stored. In 1939, the wine was sent in a 228-litre Burgundy wine barrel from the merchants Bouchard Père & Fils in Beaune to Kragerup Castle, an estate in southern Denmark. It was bottled in that 17th-century cellar, and the bottles were laid directly on the shelves with thousands of others. Some were consumed as everyday beverages,
and the best ones were served to the most distinguished guests, which included Karen von Blixen-Finecke (née Dinesen). The love of her life was her second cousin, Hans von Blixen-Finecke, but he was unattainable, so she found love with his twin brother, Bror, also a baron who grew up at Näsbyholm Castle, in southern Sweden. On 14 January 1914, the same day she arrived for the first time in British East Africa, she married Bror, and became Baroness von Blixen. The late Erik Dinesen was royal forester at Kragerup Castle and came from the same family as Karen Blixen. A great wine connoisseur, 20 years ago he decided to sell the wine cellar, an unbelievable collection with bottles from his grandfather’s time. Most were sold to the Bruun Rasmussen auction house, while one small lot was sold to Peter Winding, who was a friend of Erik Dinesen. Some of the older bottles returned to Burgundy and were reunited with their roots after their long journey. That is the story this bottle had to tell.
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A hinged corkscrew (with bottle lever) makes it easier to pull out a cork in two steps, with less risk of destroying or bending it.
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The pressure in the bottle minimizes the risk that glass fragments will end up in the bottle. It is unavoidable that some Champagne is spilled, so sabre outdoors.
Aeration/Breathing All wines should breathe for a while prior to serving. This applies to white wines as well as reds. The younger and more closed, the longer time needed – simple as well as complex. The reason is that aeration initiates an oxidation process that opens the wine in terms of fragrance and flavour. It is said that the wine softens. For the wine to breathe, it is poured into a vessel, preferably a carafe, from which it will then be served. The wine can also be returned to the bottle after it has been cleaned if no carafes are available. The principle is that the younger and stronger the wines are, the longer they should be aerated beforehand. Why not 3–4 hours for a really powerful red wine? If you forget, or if aeration is delayed for some other reason, you can pour the wine between two decanters several times to ‘catch up’ with the aeration. To merely pull out the cork and believe the wine will breathe is not enough. A bottle from which the cork has been removed would have to stand still for 300 hours for the wine to breathe as much as a wine poured into a decanter. Decanting To decant means to pour the wine from a bottle into a carafe (decanter). The principal reason you decant a wine is to get it clear and clean, to separate the sediment from the wine. The sediment affects the way the wine tastes because the texture is different. Decanting also has an aesthetic aspect: the wine is more beautiful when it is clear rather than cloudy. To decant is not the same as to aerate. Aeration occurs automatically while the wine is being decanted, but they have different purposes. Wines that benefit from decanting are those with sediment; all other wines only need to breathe. The principal candidates for decanting are mature red Bordeaux wines and vintage Port. Concerning red Burgundy wine, opinions differ. In Burgundy, wine is seldom decanted, perhaps because the dregs are so fine that it is difficult to separate them from the wine. But Burgundy wine should be decanted, just like all other wines with sediment. Classic decanting is done from bottle to carafe over a lighted candle with a steady hand. Sediment mixes easily with the wine, so it is vital to not interrupt the decanting. With a steady motion, the wine leaves the bottle and trickles into the decanter. Onlookers are eager to give advice, but do not let them disturb you. Concentration is important. The decanting procedure is always exciting, and with practice you can do it elegantly. Have the bottle standing, steady and still, on the table. Do not even think of launching the bottle into the air as if it were a trapeze artist. But do not be afraid of the bottle: grasp it with a strong grip. Put the candlestick in the middle of the table with the bottle on a coaster to the right and the decanter on a tray to the left (if you are right-handed). Cut away the bottle’s lead capsule with a steady hand below the lip of the bottle. Remove the part you have cut away in a
“Any number of more or less ingenious corkscrews are on the market, but the best is the sommelier knife, which never fails once you get the knack.”
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Glasses
The ISO glass is a standardized glass for wine tasting, manufactured under the International Organization for Standardization’s norm ISO 3591:1977. It is used worldwide as a drinking glass and for tasting, assessment, training, and competitions. 46 mm (± 2)
0,8 mm (± 0,1) ~120 ml ~60 ml
100 mm (± 2) 65 mm (± 2)
9 mm (± 1)
155 mm (± 5)
55 mm (± 3)
65 mm (± 1)
A great diversity of glasses is available, especially following the boom of the latter 1990s. In some cases, the range of variants seems to exceed the need, but the basic idea is that the glass’s characteristics should reflect the character of the grape variety or wine. This depends on how and where the wine meets the mouth and its various taste receptors. One of the most luxurious brands is Riedel, another is Zalto, both Austrian. Many good glasses are made in Sweden, too. A wine glass should adhere to a few simple principles. First, the glass should be transparent and not coloured, because we want to see all the colour nuances of the wine. Second, the glass should not be cut, because faceting distorts and often embellishes the appearance of the wine. Third, the glass should have a base with a stem, so you avoid touching the bowl with your hands. The body heat from hands can excessively raise the temperature of wine, and fingerprints smudge the glass. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has defined the ideal glass for wine tasting, named simply ‘the ISO glass’. It has specific dimensions, and there are acceptable variations on this glass. I use a simple glass with a half-open bowl and a long stem that stands solidly on the table. In addition, it holds up to dishwashing well, and it is during washing that most glasses break. They simply snap off at the base. A luxury tip for those who hand-wash their fine old wine glasses: line your sink or basin with bubble wrap. And no rubber gloves! A mistake often made is to serve wine in glasses with bowls that are too small. It is a curse and old tradition to serve dessert wines in glasses that are too small and to fill them to the brim. How are we supposed to swirl the glass and enjoy the aroma? Differentiating between white wine and red wine glasses is meaningless, too, except for purely practical reasons. It can make it easier to tell the difference when setting places and serving at a dinner table, especially in large restaurants. A white wine does not need a smaller bowl than a red. The finer and more noble a wine is, the larger the bowl it calls for. Then you can properly swirl the wine and release the fragrances. This is like an additional, private decanting. In the history of Champagne glasses, the original shape was the flûte (flute), which gives the wine the maximum number of points of contact and thus the largest quantity of mousse (bubbles). At the start of the 1900s, the flute was replaced by la coupe (the coupe glass), a flat and broad saucer-like glass on a pedestal, which minimized the points of contact for the wine. This was not a superior design and was soon replaced by a tulip-shaped glass with a broader bottom and a narrow opening. Nowadays, a Champagne glass resembles in many respects an ordinary tasting glass, designed according to the same principles as for red or white wine.
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The well-developed variety of glasses is an exciting area. Wine served in the right glass enhances the experience.
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Real life wine cellars
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In this chapter, we provide a view of thirty alternative wine cellar settings – or rather thirty different approaches to providing private wine storage based on different needs. The settings vary: from an apartment in the city to a singlefamily home, a farm, and a chateau in the countryside – from simple to advanced solutions in terms of function and design. A housing cooperative association is included, as is a professional wine cellaring business. Behind every cellar lies an awareness that emerges in the story written by its owner. Here they tell about the roles their wine cellars play in their lives and have tips that may interest you if you already have your own cellar or are thinking about building one. All of them have created their own environments more or less deliberately, based on their own circumstances. Each wine cellar is a personal part of a home. There are numerous approaches, and these are but a selection. Who owns each cellar is unimportant. What is fascinating is how each person thought things through to find their own solutions.
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The country estate wine cellar Here the owners were able to build their wine cellar from the ground up, with clear, well-defined ideas about what to achieve. The solution of having the surfaces on top of the wine shelves is elegant and well thought out: bottles can be put here when one is rummaging among the racks. Open surfaces should not be underrated in the wine cellar milieu, as a bottle is most stable when it is allowed to stand upright.
“It is wise to decide from the beginning what kind of wine cellar you want in terms of functionality. If you are going to store a large quantity of wine, then you have to provide for the space from the start.”
We live in the main building of an estate where the big house burned to the ground in 1941. Now, in a lengthy project spanning seven years, we have recreated this building and tried to make the details as genuine as possible. All large houses with character in the countryside should have a wine cellar. Under our house lies a cellar with a few rooms and a surface area totalling 100 square metres. In one of the rooms, not quite 20 square metres, we planned a wine cellar, judging the temperature in this room to be steady and suitable for wine storage. We had dreamed of building a cross vault, but the room was a touch too small and the ceiling too low, so we decided to construct a tunnel vault instead. For this we used large bricks reclaimed from old chimneys that had collapsed. The bricks were carefully cleaned and fit into their new function by an experienced retired bricklayer who had learned to build a vault in his youth but not had the opportunity to build a real one during his working life. The entrance to the vault is centred in one of the end walls, and ventilation is led through the foundation of the house in the opposite end wall. The floor is thoroughly insulated, and no humidity to speak of comes from below. On the other hand, the cellar has satisfactory natural humidity from the walls. From the entrance to the far wall, we had the floor laid with large bricks, which raises it, and the sides were filled in with gravel. The brick was treated with linseed oil several times and waxed, giving it a pleasant appearance. The door is tremendously old and full of character. For me, I get the same feeling when I visit a wine cellar or a library. It is probably the same mechanisms that come into play when one designs storage for one’s cherished wine bottles or one’s books. For that reason, the racks are designed like the shelves in our library. The library recreates the Empire milieu. The racks are made of wood and are somewhat closer together than the shelves in the library. It is important to dimension things generously, so the racks are stable and the wine bottles are not stacked in too many layers on each level, which would make it harder to reorganize when needed. Most wine racks nowadays are black or white, so we painted ours yellow with egg tempera. Red brick and yellow shelves go well together. With respect to the placement of the bottles, there are mainly two options: either lay them so the bottle neck and cork point out, or so the heel of the bottle does. I chose the latter, which gives an advantage when you are going to read the labels. You only need to pull the bottle
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out a little to identify it. It is also beautiful to see all the bottle heels. Pointing the cork out might be an advantage in that you have control over the state of the cork in another way. It is wise to decide from the beginning what kind of wine cellar you want in terms of functionality. If you are going to store a large quantity of wine, then you have to provide for the space from the start. For our household needs, we can probably fit between 2,500 and 3,000 bottles in our cellar in the future. I am one of those people who enjoys cellaring white wines, too. They have seldom disappointed me. With respect to which wines are possible to store, you need access to information from well-informed sources. You also have to be prepared for not everything succeeding and sometimes being disappointed, but that is just part of the game. One of the biggest dangers is that collecting gets out of hand and wines lie there too long without you having control over the situation. It is important to find a system in which you regularly drink the old wines but at the same time add new ones. And that is when you get into questions of sorting. In my wine cellar, I sort by region. The larger regions are on their own, and the smaller ones go under Miscellaneous. In every region the white and red wines are separated, and the idea is for the oldest wines to lie furthest to the left and the youngest furthest to the right. This way, I need to devote relatively little work to keeping overall control of the situation. The most elegant solution would be a computer-based coding system, but that would probably be hard to adapt to a little wine cellar like this one. My wine cellar has been finished for a few years now, and I am not disappointed in its design. For our needs, it is completely functional and has a psychological benefit as well. It is a pleasure to regularly visit the wine cellar.
“With respect to the placement of the bottles, there are mainly two options: either lay them so the bottle neck and cork point out, or so the heel of the bottle does. I chose the latter, which gives an advantage when you are going to read the labels.”
Johan’s reflections This type of vault impressed me when I first experienced the wine cellar spirit in my youth. A vaulted wine cellar has an embracing form, and in this one, lacking electricity, the bottles glimmer in candlelight. It is a unique feeling to walk into it, your eyes need time to adjust, then suddenly the bottles appear! Lift the bottle carefully toward the light and note the level of the liquid, see the transparency of the colour and if there are any dregs or wine crystals.
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Wine racks rest securely on the concrete floor with surrounding gravel, brick treated to a waxy finish. A classic wine cellar interior.
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The wine cellar built from the ground up There is a lot of wine stored here – in cases and on shelves. Wine cases form an island in the middle or are stored on shelves that slide out from under the counter – functional and decorative. The shelves for individual bottles make a stunning impression when well filled, and emptied bottles can be put on top.
“The temperature is exactly 12°C. We get an alarm on our smartphones if the temperature fluctuates too much.
The opportunity to build a wine cellar from the ground up came a few years ago when we bought a plot of land and built a new house. My husband and I like to drink good wines, and our curiosity grew after I took a wine appreciation course in the late 1990s. From the start, we were advised to buy wines worth ageing at different price levels and qualities from different districts and countries. Until now, we stored all our bottles off-site, but now we can keep the wines we like best close at hand. An idea of many years came true with this room filled with shelves for individual, unpacked bottles. It is great to pull out a bottle and look at the label without having to rummage around too much. The organization is simple: by country, district, and year. In the middle, unopened crates are like a table, though we have a workbench in one corner where we prepare bottles for serving. One side of the room has shelves for the bottles we buy in large quantities – the ones for everyday consumption. We had to invest a little extra in the cooling system, because the room is not underground. The system is integrated with our geothermal heating system, keeping the temperature at exactly 12°C. We get an alarm on our smartphones if the temperature fluctuates too much. Our wine cellar holds no investment wines, only bottles to be consumed. We keep the investment wines off-site, where we can get a storage certificate if we decide to sell. The off-site service includes tips and information about interesting wines to order and all kinds of activities. We have some friends who are interested in wine and share our enthusiasm, and when they come over to dinner, we open some extra special bottles. Our wine cellar is a wine room, actually, adjacent to our living room. We can see into the cellar, which keeps us in touch with the bottles. They are a part of the interior decor but even more an inspiration to open something special in the evening or on the weekend. We store other types of beverages there, too, like beer, aquavit, and other distilled products. We even keep our homemade marmalade and jam there.
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Cellar at the manor At its manor house in the countryside, this family has nurtured a wine culture for generations. They take a natural approach to the wine cellar here, repurposing old furnishings and equipment that are functional and lend character. The basement has other spaces for wine, one for storing cases, and one for social activities.
“I keep track of my wine cellar with a web-based program and sort wines by country. This is a superb tool.”
New functionality for old potato bins.
In the old days, every prominent home had a wine cellar of rank, and our house from 1882 is no exception. There was an old wine cellar in the building that I use to this day. I am intensely interested in wine, so when my family and I moved in some years ago, I naturally started filling the old wine cellar. The wine cellar still has its original shelving, and I have no intention of replacing it. I was going to, at first, but there is something special about keeping the original shelves. I mean, they seem a part of the soul of the wine cellar. I chose to install uplighters on the top shelves for soft illumination and will probably augment them with an impressive chandelier eventually, when I find the right one. We installed a glass door so that you could see into the cellar from the basement corridor and glimpse the treasures within. It is also very effective at keeping uninvited guests out. In wine collecting, I am a happy amateur, though a passionate one. Besides saving bottles for myself, I put aside some fine wines for the children that they can enjoy in the future. We regularly throw big parties, so I need plenty of storage, and those old shelves hold a lot, so they are perfect for my needs. One of my weaknesses is big bottles: the way they look and the way the wine ages in that format. Because the wine cellar is so big – more than 1,000 bottles – there is space for me to play at ageing some bottles in addition to the wine we consume each year at parties. I keep track of my wine cellar with a web-based program and sort wines by country. This is a superb tool and gives me the overview I need for a wine cellar of this size. My advice to someone who wants a big wine cellar or might have an old cellar that needs reviving, is to think short-term and long-term. Buy a few older wines at auction that you can enjoy now and let them share space with wines that will age for 10–20 years. That way you keep your big cellar alive and fun.
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Dream cellar in the islands This cellar grew out of its owners’ dreams of a wine cellar at their second home, where they spend weekends, holidays, and extended breaks. Their interest in wine is given space here, a restful setting far from the pulse of the city.
“My interest in wine crept up on me. It began with simple, double-blind tastings and gradually developed into an enjoyable hobby with a collection that now exceeds 2,500 bottles.”
The year is 2017. Four years after the completion of our custombuilt island home, we baptize our new wine cellar during midsummer celebrations with good friends. We slide open the door, turn on the lights, cut the ribbon, and happily toast it with Champagne. Finally, our own wine cellar! My interest in wine crept up on me. It began with simple, doubleblind tastings of Spanish wines alongside home-cooked dinners on holiday in Marbella in the early 1990s and gradually developed into an enjoyable hobby with a collection that now exceeds 2,500 bottles. I focus on collecting wines worth cellaring and have stored them at two different off-site wine storage cellars over the past 20 years. After several wonderful trips to Champagne, the noble beverage produced there became strongly overrepresented in my collection. Being there and drinking fantastic Champagnes of marvellously aged older vintages sold me. There and then, I realized the significance of ageing good Champagne for many years under perfect conditions. My cellar holds quite a few Old World and New World reds, too. Italy, France, the United States, and Australia dominate. I also have white wines from both ‘worlds’, but chiefly from France and in smaller numbers. When we started planning our house in the islands, we were already thinking about an appropriate place for a 15 square metres wine cellar. We decided to locate it in the basement, beside the staircase up to the kitchen and the common spaces. The cooling was integrated with the geothermal heating system, holding a steady 12°C. The most time-consuming task turned out to be deciding on the interior. The wine cellar’s job is to provide good storage conditions for the wines, but I wanted to create an environment that was structured and organized yet aesthetically appealing. Rather than just a storage room, it should be a cosy place. After devoting months to ploughing through wine cellar books, visiting shops with wine cellar interiors, and looking at thousands of photos of wine cellars, I visited a company in England that specializes in fitting out wine cellars. After seeing what they could offer, I designed my own custom-made wine cellar in black walnut, which was installed a few months later. To keep track of the wines in my cellar and how they are ageing, I use a cellar management system provided by one of the external wine storage cellars where I am a member. I can register wines myself and
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Elegance in the smallest detail, as social spaces are thoughtfully located outside the wine storage itself.
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The positioning system for each bottle is well thought out.
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The root cellar This handsome root cellar is a natural part of the estate, next to the kitchen entrance, situated among the forests and farms of the Swedish countryside. Interest in wine has been passed down in the family from earlier generations, so the current owner was raised in a wine culture.
“The advantage, and disadvantage, of wine is that it must be consumed, and preferably before the expiration date has passed.”
A wine cellar is and should be much more than mere storage, at least that is how it is for me. There should be order, but perhaps not discipline. In other words, it should not be too perfect, because a wine cellar is a living thing and in constant flux. The advantage, and disadvantage, of wine is that it must be consumed, and preferably before the expiration date has passed. Like so much else, a wine cellar often has a soul, and the creator of a wine cellar has the opportunity to shape it. Done right, the wine cellar becomes an extra room to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet and, not least, some cool air on a hot summer day. Johan’s reflections The root cellar previously had other functions, and the interior was redesigned only recently. Bottles used to be aged in less suitable spaces. Here, there is rigorous security and a sophisticated alarm system. Temperature and humidity are managed by nature. Whole cases of vintages to be aged are stacked along the side walls, and straight ahead are wine racks in wrought iron for bottles that should either be consumed soon or are limited in number. Note that the cases are raised on platforms to counteract the sloping floor and any dampness. A table is centrally placed where bottles can stand for whatever reason and where cases can be unpacked. The wine cellar book for keeping track of stock levels can be kept there as well. The owner’s interest in his possessions is so well developed that no positioning system is needed for bottles and cases; a mental awareness of every bottle, combined with frequent visits, keeps the collection au courant. One can differ on the system for organizing cases – I would probably have put them in the expected order of consumption or perhaps by geographic region. The contents are continually being renewed, so the physical work of wine cellaring is an ongoing activity. In addition to the root cellar, a day cellar is part of the kitchen in the main house. It is a separate room with a glass door that basically functions as a walk-in wine refrigerator. This is where bottles are kept for daily consumption and the near future – the ones that have been moved in from the root cellar. It contains shelves where opened bottles can stand before a dinner (large or small) so they stay at the proper temperature – a step that is often neglected. In this household, wine is naturally present every day and on special occasions. The interior décor
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An impressive sight with bottles everywhere. Stacked wine crates on each side lead to the illuminated back wall with racks of rarities.
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Professional wine storage Professional wine storage firms range from high-profile companies with hands-on client care and service to self-storage solutions where one manages individually. These photographs from Magnusson Fine Wine on Grevgatan in Stockholm show a garage for cars transformed into a garage for wine bottles. The company’s vision is to be a place that will advance the wine storage sector and perceptions of wine cellaring.
“The wines are handled with care and precision, of course; each bottle and each case must have individual labels to document the cellaring history.”
A professional wine storage vendor rents wine lockers to private individuals and companies who want the use of pleasant tasting rooms, service, help in purchasing desirable wines for their cellars, and longterm storage for unbroken wine cases. The storage conditions should be optimal: an even temperature of 12°C, adequate humidity, darkness, absence of vibrations, and – not least – rigid security requirements. Security on a par with a bank vault should be guaranteed, and the storage facilities should be separated from areas where visitors are welcome. Wines should be fully insured, and there should be access to a virtual wine cellar that gives a clear picture of the number of bottles the client holds, their provenance, and when they can be consumed. The wines are handled with care and precision, of course; each bottle and each case must have individual labels to document the cellaring history. When bottles change storage place and owner, the cellaring history should continue – even if the bottle disappears and returns. A cellaring certificate should be obtainable when wines are sold – a guarantee that the wines have been stored in the right way. Obviously, ongoing inventory of bottles and comprehensive insurance should be included. At finer wine storage providers, the wine locker client has access to social spaces where friends with a shared interest in wine can meet, open their wine bottles at no cost, and order something from a menu. A wine locker client may be invited to events such as wine tastings, visits by winemakers and importers, dinners and lunches, and wine trips. It should be a place where wine can be opened and enjoyed, a place where experiential value is added when the wine is placed in its context. Making use of a professional wine cellar adds a further dimension to your wine collecting and your wine consumption. You are aided in your life-affirming interest by knowledgeable staff who help keep bottles in order while you can rest assured that your wines are stored under optimal conditions – which turns out to be invaluable if you choose to sell your bottles. The human aspect – having someone to ask for advice – should not be underrated. Alongside this type of wine storage company are those that offer storage service as self-storage or with staffing.
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Ciis et repratquas asime prestio nsequo excea id magnihil modis voloria dion consequa.
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The wine bar is the place for experiences and conversations with wine as the common denominator. Left: The unpacking room, neighbouring the wine cellar, is the perfect place for wine tasting.
“The wine locker client has access to social spaces where friends with a shared interest in wine can meet.”
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harvest. Even if the art of producing good grapes is mastered, the wine will not be good if the grapes are not harvested at the right time. Lower crop yields have become more common in recent years because of stricter pruning and green harvests. Green harvests, in which half of the grape bunches are cut, usually occur in July before the grapes change colour. But how does a green harvest improve the wine? Do the grapes just become bigger when there are fewer on the vine? That is why the question now focuses on the right moment to harvest the grape. Traditionally, winemakers use their mouths (organoleptic assessment) to determine the right moment to harvest. This is still relatively common on many smaller holdings. They decide to start harvesting when the grape ‘tastes right’. Often, the oldest male in the family is the
Inside the bottle, development continually progresses.
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one who has that knowledge or the right to decide. What they assess when they get the grape in their mouth is how the texture feels. At first, it is soft and expressive, but little by little the grape juice becomes more astringent and tannin-rich. The better the quality of the grape, the longer it takes for the grape’s astringency to emerge. It has long been possible to measure the ratio of sugar to acidity and, based on that relationship, to determine the day to harvest. This method is quick and easy for the individual wine producer, so it makes fast decisions possible. One of the disadvantages of relying solely on this method is that it ignores the green and unripe tannins that in some years have made the wines extra hard and inaccessible. However, methods are being found – through research at the University of Bordeaux – to determine the perfect ripeness. So which variables are the researchers learning how to measure? For red wine, above all the phenols and tannins are important, and for white also the aromas. The ideal is to measure sugar content, acidity, and these other, new variables. The challenge lies in the fact that the new variables cannot be found in the grape juice but only in the skins, and it is difficult to extract these substances from the skin. Until recently, the process, which is time-consuming and must be done in a laboratory, was difficult to automate. Now, though, it can be done in a day, so the decision to start harvesting can be made quickly. This knowledge is not 100 percent reliable, though, because it is difficult to know how much value each variable should be assigned in the overall assessment. The values are extremely small, each measured on a scale of nanograms per litre. The faster method has great advantages. Some of the characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that are seen as negative, such as the green pepper nuance so widespread in certain appellations in Bordeaux, are now considered naturally distinctive marks that can be controlled.
Alcohol Wines with high alcohol content can be stored a long time if they are coupled with a high flavour concentration and fruit acidity. Port and sherry are good examples. The alcohol gives the wine weight, and the wine gets body. In wines that have become too old, the alcohol plays a more prominent role, and the wine is perceived as boozy. Cork, synthetic cork, screw cap – and bag in box At an outdoor party attended by the Swedish King Charles XV, it began to rain. The king said: “Do not be concerned, counts and barons. There are corks in the bottles.” Since 1750, bottles have been sealed with cork, making it possible to develop the wine by ageing in the bottle. Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak. Read more about the cork oak in the chapter, More than a glossary, on page 255. Cork has many advantages as a sealing device, but the discussion has increasingly turned to whether cork is better than other sealing methods. Winemakers in the New World – where the supply of cork is limited – have introduced alternatives to the traditional cork, and many people consider the screw cap the best alternative. The major
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The importance of bottle size The size of the bottle greatly influences how long a wine can be stored. It is all about oxidation: the bigger the bottle, the longer the lifespan.
“I believe one finds much happiness among people born in the proximity of good wines.” L EON A R D O DA V IN C I
We know that wine develops more quickly or slowly depending on the size of the bottle. The actual volume of the bottle seems to matter less, while the ratio of the diameter of the bottle neck to the volume of the wine matters more. The wider a bottle neck is and the larger the diameter of the cork, the greater the amount of air that penetrates into the wine through the cork. And vice versa. If the neck is narrow, then the cork is smaller, so less air enters the wine. Large bottles have wider necks and bigger corks not because of the bottle-making process but because of tradition. If you compare a half-bottle or demi with a standard size, the diameter of the neck is more than half as big. The same is true if you compare a piccolo or split (187.5 ml) with a half-bottle. This is why a greater amount of air enters the wine in a small bottle than in a large one, and it is why wine in small bottles has a shorter lifespan. In other words, it is a rule that the smaller the bottle neck relative to the bottle volume, the less the wine breathes and the slower it matures. The wine can be cellared longer. Châteaux keep precise records of which bottle sizes they use to bottle each harvest.
Size matters What is the optimal bottle size for wines to be cellared? If we take into account the handling and serving aspects it is undoubtedly the magnum. The double magnum and larger sizes may be better but can be difficult to handle, and that volume of wine can be too much for a small group of people. In the biggest bottles, the size of the bottle neck in relation to the bottle’s volume is extreme, making the cork look puny. You may hear comments that a wine does not taste as good from a half-bottle as a standard bottle, or wine bottled in a magnum tastes better than in a standard size. If that were true, no wines would be packaged in small bottles. As for the difference in quality, it is more likely related to the stage of maturity. What matters is the wine’s sensitivity to oxidation. A young wine, with a long time left to optimal maturity, will be better expressed in a half-bottle than a standard, because of this relationship between the diameter of the bottle neck and the volume. It is better in the case of young wines to open a half-bottle than a standard. But if the wine has almost reached its peak maturity, or even passed it and started to decline, a large bottle is preferable. Why do large bottles have biblical names? The peculiar names come from the Bible, starting with Jeroboam, who was a vassal king of the northern parts of King Solomon’s lands. Jeroboam organized a revolt against Solomon and was forced into exile. After Solomon died, he returned and led another uprising against the new king Rehoboam, whose name has been used for the next bottle size. The Methuselah (or Imperial), equivalent to eight standard bottles, is named after the patriarch rumoured to have lived longer than any
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other human: 969 years. Balthazar was by tradition one of the magi, and Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon while the Israelites were held captive there. No one seems to really know why the bottles have been named after biblical kings. No one in Champagne or elsewhere seems to know. It is said that Jewish merchants were the first to make and trade glass bottles and that they named the large ones after great figures from Hebrew scripture. But there is not much more than anecdotal evidence.
Time aspect The more slowly a wine is allowed to mature, the higher the quality it seems to attain. This appears to be true mainly of red wines. Accordingly, we can say that red wines attain relatively greater heights in magnum bottles than in standard bottles when the wine reaches its peak. Several years pass between the point at which each size peaks, so it is difficult to make comparative studies. Aged wines from bottles in large sizes, that have retained their youthfulness, freshness, vitality, and intensity, have become somewhat subdued in standard bottles. The characteristics have almost disappeared in a half-bottle. Brief history of the bottle From the beginning, the bottle was a decanter from which wine was poured at the table, a custom that began in the 1600s. From the time of the Roman Empire, wine had been kept in oak barrels. Towards the end of the 1600s, though, someone discovered cork, and little by little it became clear that wine kept better in a bottle than a barrel. The wine matured differently, too, as both fragrance and flavour developed. In the beginning, people were sceptical about this development of wine, but over time appreciation for it grew (perhaps also as the wines aged).
Bottle sizes
(Burgundy/Bordeaux/Champagne/Port) Demi/Half bottle 0,375 l Imperial pint 0,568 l Jennie/Half litre 0,5 l Standard 0,75 l Litre 1,0 l Magnum 1,5 l Marie-Jeanne 2,5 l (Bordeaux) Double Magnum 3,0 l (Bordeaux and Port) Jeroboam* 3,0 l Jeroboam*** 5,0 l (Bordeaux) Rehoboam 4,5 l (Champagne) Imperial 6,0 l (Bordeaux) Methusalem* 6,0 l Salmanazar** 9,0 l Balthazar** 12,0 l Nebuchadnezzar** 15,0 l Melchior** 18,0 l Primat** 27,0 l alt. Goliath *Burgundy and Champagne **Bordeaux and Champagne ***Up until 1978 Jeroboam bottles were often 4.5 litres instead of 5 like today.
From left: Nebuchadnezzar, Balthazar, Salamanazar, Imperial, Jeroboam, Double Magnum, Magnum, Standard.
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Classic wines from classic districts for cellaring The ambition of this chapter is to present a list of the types of wines a cellar might contain without being comprehensive, as there are many possible candidates, of course. The charm of building and creating a wine cellar is that a world of wine awaits, and your tastes, preferences, and budget give you total freedom to choose the wines you want to keep there. Whether you are buying wines for a potential investment or planning to store them for future consumption, you should choose wines that are not only worth cellaring but improve with time. The classic wines from the classic areas have the structure and complexity to mature wonderfully over the years. In general, only a few wines are worth cellaring if we consider improvements in aroma and taste. There is a clear trend to produce wines that can be consumed when they are young and do not need to be stored in a cellar for years to improve. These wines typically come from warm climates. The wines from cool climates are often improved by ageing. The question is whether the mystique and delight in a wine cellar will disappear if there is no need to wait. I am pleased to champion the classic wines. Their grapes, origins, and the traditions of the vigneron have been coordinated over the years, and short-term financial gain is an aside. How does one learn which wines are worth cellaring? The literature on wine provides excellent opportunities for learning. The ageing periods advised by the Swedish Systembolaget tend to be too short. The best sources are the websites of importers or producers for in-depth information on specific wines.
Argentina
The future belongs to Argentina, which is currently the fifth largest wine-producing country in the world. Mendoza, with a lively city of the same name as its centre, is without a doubt the dominant wine province in the country, with many varied regions within its borders. Mendoza is turning into a high-class tourist destination – a South American Napa Valley? Malbec is the variety that has become the characteristic grape of Argentina, and the wines vary in style from young and astringent to the velvety smooth type that now dominates. Cabernet Sauvignon also does well, but Malbec is better known. Recognized producers of wines for cellaring are Nicolas Catena Zapata, Terrazas de los Andes, and Clos de los Siete. The question is whether Argentina will surpass Chile as the leading innovator in South America.
Australia
Superb red wines are now being produced in Australia with enormous ageing potential. The shining star is clearly Grange from Penfolds, made from Shiraz grapes. That wine and others like it are rich and intense, sometimes with complexity. South Australia with its Barossa and Coonawarra regions became known during the 1980s, while Western Australia with Margaret River seems to be the most interesting for the future. The willingness to experiment is great in this
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In the foothills of Adelaide, South Australia, lies Magill Estate, the origin of Penfolds and quality winemaking in Australia.
country, and the winegrowers seem always open to testing new varietal combinations. Other well-known producers besides Penfolds include Torbreck and Henschke. Chilean wines became popular in the 1980s and are still, perhaps more for their volume than their quality. But there are exceptional wines worthy of cellaring, primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon, with the best known producers being Almaviva, Sena, Don Melchor, Don Maximiano, and Clos Apalta. Chile has almost optimal conditions for wine production and has in a relatively short time become known for the style we call New World, that is, with a lush and attractively juicy fruitiness. Many international wine companies are now established in the country, and their expertise promises further improvements in quality. Unique to Chile is the absence of the devastating Phylloxera vastatrix, which the rest of the wine world has suffered with rare exception. Chile is protected by the Andes mountains to the east, deserts to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south, and all the grape vines are still growing from their original roots and have never needed to be grafted onto resistant ones.
Chile
Alsace White wines of the qualities vendange tardive and sélection des grains nobles (affected by noble rot) are especially long-lived. Some of the dry white wines such as Riesling Clos Sainte Hune and Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile from the Trimbach estate cellar well because of the high level of acidity.
France
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Pichon Baron in Pauillac epitomizes the classic Bordeaux château. The wine they make is timeless and highly suitable for ageing.
Bordeaux Red Bordeaux is par excellence the most well-known and cellarable wine in France with a history that reaches back to the time of the Romans. When Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet in 1152, formal bonds tied France and England. The province of Aquitaine was the dowry Eleanor brought to England, where Henry was later crowned King Henry II. The ties formed between the two countries laid the foundation for Bordeaux greatness. The Bordelais produced the wines, and the English drank and traded them. Red Bordeaux wines used to be lighter in colour and were therefore called claret by the English, who still use the word in some settings such as wine auctions. To give the wines a more intense colour, they were hermitaged; that is, they were blended with full-bodied Hermitage reds. Many red Bordeaux wines benefit from ageing, preferably 10 years or more. The young flavour becomes more rounded. Fragrance and flavour entirely change in wines with a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Although the modern trend of consuming wines early has invaded Bordeaux, ageing is still recommended. Wines from the Médoc peninsula (the west bank of the Gironde) are especially suitable for ageing. The tannic acid of the red wines combined with their concentration is what enables these wines to mature in cellars and wine cabinets. The white wines, both dry and sweet, can also be cellared. The dry wines, which almost exclusively come from Graves and PessacLéognan, continue to develop a long time because of their noticeable acidity. The sweet wines, from appellations such as Sauternes, Barsac,
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and Cérons, can be aged a long time because of their sweetness. Over time, the sweet wines turn a wonderful amber colour. The numerous classification systems for the districts in Bordeaux apply to the producers and not the properties, as long as the properties are situated in their appellations.
Burgundy The only quality red wines from Burgundy are made solely from the Pinot Noir grape. It is extremely difficult to produce, but when the conditions are excellent, it is one of the best red wines in the world with concentrated red berry flavours, pale colour, and strong concentration of taste. In Burgundy, the property is classified and not the producer – the opposite of Bordeaux. This principle of classification, combined with French inheritance laws, has led to vineyards often having more than one owner. It means there are several producers for one and the same vineyard. Burgundy is a challenge for the wine lover, because you have to thoroughly understand each producer’s ability to produce good wine if you are going to make a successful purchase. Red Burgundies are less hard and tannic than red Bordeaux and should therefore be aged a shorter time to mature. There are exceptions, though, that must be aged in the bottle, such as Domaine Trapet, Comte Georges de Vogüé, Roumier, Armand Rousseau, Domaine Leroy, and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Red wines from Côte de Nuits are more well-known than Côte de Beaune. Vineyards that are familiar include Chambertin, Romanée-Conti, Échezeaux, Clos de Vougeot, Corton, and Musigny. The white wines of the region, made solely from Chardonnay grapes, have great ageing potential. The ability of the winemaker to produce quality is just as critical for the white wines as for the reds. White wines worth cellaring include Corton-Charlemagne, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Montrachet, Meursault, Musigny Blanc, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.
“I am pleased to champion the classic wines. Their grapes, origins, and the traditions of the vigneron have been coordinated over the years, and short-term financial gain is an aside.” J OH A N MAGNU SSON
Champagne That Champagne is not improved by cellaring is a myth. However, it changes character in the bottle, as the mousse becomes softer and the champagne more vinous. The style becomes more like wine. Champagnes that handle ageing best are the ones that are either full-bodied or fresh. Alfred Gratien – classic Champagne with overripe nuances, soft, matures young Billecart-Salmon – light, elegant wines with long cellaring potential Bollinger – powerful in character, elegant, and flavourful Gosset – discreet, a gentleman’s Champagne Jacquesson & Fils – small, traditional company, maintains its quality Jacques Selosse – exciting, innovative producer with quality as the guiding light Krug – craft Champagne with a refined concentration Louis Roederer – Cristal is the prestige Champagne that cellars exceptionally well and belongs among the truly great
Firms that have traditionally produced cellaring quality.
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Original wooden case (OWC) is the traditional packaging for many classical wines.
the bottle sinks. The risk of oxidation increases. The reason for recorking is chiefly to prevent oxidation. The wine level is restored by topping up the bottle with the same wine as in the bottle or wine of a similar vintage. A new label is usually put on the bottle with the recorking date. The replacement cork is also branded with the date. Recorking may be considered for wines of about 25 years and older. If a younger wine has lost much of its level, it is highly likely that it was stored poorly. All the wine in the bottle may have lost its flavour. Recorking at this stage will not save the wine. Read about fill level earlier in this chapter. If you are considering recorking, contact the vineyard and ask for the next available occasion. The wine is then transported to the vineyard. If several bottles are to be recorked, wine from one of them will be used to top up the others, and the remainder will be put in a smaller bottle. If there is only one bottle, the château will use wine from a similar vintage that other wine collectors have sent for recorking.
Fakes As old and uncommon wines command higher prices, counterfeiting becomes more common. A wine can be more or less elegantly counterfeited. To detect a fake, you should pay attention to the following: Bottle shape – Is it from the time the wine was bottled according to the label or is it a younger design? Cork brand – The cork is always branded with the name of the estate and the year. Bottle size – The size of the bottle matters, as uncommon wines become more valuable in odd-size bottles.
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Fill level/Ullage – The level of the wine in the bottle should always be checked. Is it likely that a wine of that age has that fill level? The simplest form of counterfeiting is quite simply replacing the label with the label from another, much more valuable wine. If you have knowledge of wines, such fakes are easy to detect. If the vintage is considerably older, you should assess whether the fill level is believable. One type of fake, which demands some insight, is the ne’er seen bottle size. Is it likely that the wine was bottled in that size bottle? Uncommon wines can suddenly appear in jeroboam and imperial size bottles. It is easy to check with the château if they actually bottled wine in a certain size bottle. One example is the imperial bottle of 1956 Château Pétrus, Pomerol, that came up at auction in London in the mid-1990s. Frost destroyed virtually the entire grape harvest in 1956 in Bordeaux, with temperatures in some vineyards as low as -26°C. Many grape vines died in the extreme cold. The harvest was tiny, and no Pétrus wine was put in any bottles as large as the fake one. The most challenging fake is when someone relabels a wine (from the same property) from one vintage with poorer quality to one close in time but of much better quality. Then the shape of the bottle is identical, as well as the pressure on the cork, as well as the fill level. The only way that you as a prospective buyer can distinguish the counterfeit is to illuminate the cork in the bottle with a strong light to see the vintage of the wine. If the cork has no vintage brand, you should be careful.
“Rem tene, verba sequentur.” (Master the subject, and the words will follow.)
Fill level descriptions
Abbreviations – bottling
High fill/neck (n) – Normal level for young wines. Exceptional for wines that have reached 10 years of age. Into neck/bottom neck (bn) – Perfect level for any type of wine. Very good level for wines that are more than one decade old. Base of neck – Perfect level for wines regardless of age. Very top-shoulder (vts) – Perfect level for wine of any age. Top-shoulder (ts) – Common level for wines about 15 years old. High-shoulder (hs)/upper-shoulder (us) – Natural evaporation has occurred through the cork and capsule, normally with no danger to the wine. Acceptable for wines about 20 years old, and exceptionally good for older wines. Mid-shoulder (ms) – Usually results from evaporation through the cork and capsule; this fill level could indicate
quite a few variations in the bottle. Hesitation is called for, but the condition is natural for a wine that has reached 30–40 years of age. Mid-low shoulder (mls) – Risk exists that quality may be bad. Low value. Low-shoulder (ls) – Varies greatly in quality, can be good, need not be so. Low value. Bottom-shoulder (bs) – Widely varying quality, probably not drinkable. As a rule, solely a collector’s wine with no value except as a curiosity.
Abbreviations – packaging IB Wine stored ‘in bond’ OC Original Case OWC Original Wooden Case WC Wooden Case Lid damaged Cover scarred, perhaps by inventory or load damage in handling
CATO TH E ELDE R
BB BE CB DB DRC EA EB ES FB NB OB SB UK XX
Bordeaux bottled (bottled by négociants in Bordeaux) Belgium bottled Château bottled (usually a Bordeaux château) Domaine bottled (usually Burgundy domaines) Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Erzeugerabfüllung (estate bottled German wine) English bottled Estate bottled (usually United States properties) French bottled Netherlandish bottled Bottled in country of origin Swiss bottled Bottled in United Kingdom Bottling unknown
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Rounded Characteristic of well-balanced, usually mature
Tight Often underdeveloped, astringent.
Sandy Describes a rough structure in the mouth where the
Transparent If a wine, regardless of quality, has distinct and unmistakable attributes.
wines.
tannins are present but not too rough.
Short Refers to the finish, how long the flavours linger in the
mouth before disappearing, and often means a lack of quality.
Short on the nose Fragrance with apparently transitory
Unbalanced The components of the wine fit poorly with one another: too much tannin, too much acid, and so forth.
Undeveloped Undeveloped for its age, vintage, or style.
character.
Velvety Distinguishes a structure that is lush, rich, and soft.
Silky A firm yet soft structure in the mouth.
Vibrant Positive flavour with liveliness and sound fruit structure, related to the development of the young wine.
Soft Velvety, clear, and mature. Solid Full-bodied and rigid, full of alcohol, tannins, and acid. Usually undeveloped.
Sour An expression to be used with care! Often it means a wine with ‘tangible freshness’ that activates the salivary glands. ‘Sour’ has a negative ring to it, though. Spicy Rich and herbal aroma that comes from the grape
variety. Examples include Gewürztraminer from Alsace and Syrah from the Rhône Valley.
Stale Common expression for old, dried out wine that, having been stored too long, has lost its fruitiness, body, and vibrancy. Steely Acidity that is almost piercing in its style. However, the age of the bottle can make the wine more attenuated.
Vinous Appealing and positive flavour or fragrance of wine. Viscous Thick, heavy, oily. Viscosity can be seen in the lingering edge of the wine when the glass is swirled and in the heavy drops that run down the sides of the glass. The thick consistency is also felt in the mouth. Vitality Exciting, refreshing attribute. Weight Description of the presence of alcohol and extract, where the character of the wine causes it to be perceived as heavy in the mouth. Varies by wine style, grape variety, origin, climate, method of production, and the like. Well-balanced An even and satisfying composition of the wine’s different components, such as fruit, acid, tannins, and alcohol. Used also for the more abstract components such as pedigree, character, and finesse.
Structure Suggests tangible acid content (and/or tannins). Good characteristic in young wines.
Well-developed Well-developed for its age and vintage.
Subtle Veiled riches, a very fine complexity and delicacy.
youthful acidity.
Superficial Lacking depth. Sweaty saddle Smell rich with associations, comes from
mature wines of Cabernet Sauvignon, most typically mature red Bordeaux wines.
Tannin Tannic acid. An essential preservative in wine that is
extracted from the grape peel during fermentation. The maturation process in the wine consists to some extent of a decrease in the tannin content (the tannins precipitate when acted upon by proteins and become, together with the pigments, part of the sediment in the bottle). For natural reasons, tannin is prominent in young wines, where it also has a practical purpose in connection with food: it ‘thins’ oily food and cleanses the palate. Tannins play a very small role in white wines, as the grape peel – the most important source of tannin – is removed, if not before then shortly after fermentation commences.
Thin Insufficient natural characteristics. The wine is watery and lacks body.
Young A positive characteristic. Fresh and immature, with
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More than a glossary The knowledge of wine is an inexhaustible source of insight into cultural heritage, history, traditions, behaviour and much more. Some are listed here. Agrafe (French)
The small wire netting used to hold the cork fixed to the neck of a bottle of sparkling wine.
Amphora
Two-handled jar or pot, typically made of clay but sometimes of metal. In ancient Greece and Rome, oil and wine were kept in amphorae. They sometimes served as cremation urns. When storing wine, they were closed with a clay stopper which was sealed with resin. Many wine amphorae have been found in places such as Pompeii. The volume of a Roman amphora was approximately 26 litres. When the Roman Empire collapsed, the wine culture transferred to Germanic tribes and their wooden barrels.
Appellation (French) Appellation is a quality guarantee authorized for French wines that ensures their viticultural region, grape variety, method of cultivation, winemaking process, and alcohol content. In France, the abbreviations AOC (for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) or AC (Appellation Contrôlée) are used. Subclasses are VDQS (Vins délimités de qualité supérieure) and vin de pays. These are selected, often local, wines of good quality at lower prices. The VDQS category is official and can be identified by a seal on the label. Vin de pays is further identified by its geographical origin. Vin de table is your basic table wine that may be sold under a brand name or simply as vin rouge 12°. A bottle with the words ‘Vin de France’ on the label must contain French wine. In some cases, it may be wine from other countries that is bottled in France. Appellation indicates a product from a specific region or locality, with qualities exclusive to that geographical area. L’Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) is the official French administration proposing recognition by means of AOC and ensures the monitoring and approval of the products awarded with that categorization. To date, more than 467 wine and distilled-wine products have been awarded an AOC. Bacchus
See Dionysus.
Hospices de Beaune is currently one of the largest landowners in Côte d’Or (golden slopes) in Burgundy, owning more than 61 hectares, many of which are ranked premier and grand cru. These vineyards have been donated over the years by grateful patients who were cared for at the Hospices de Beaune. These wines are sold with a special label that also shows the name of the winery. The income from the auction goes to care for the old people who live in the 500-year-old building. The first auction was held in 1860.
Bornyr (Swedish) (pronounced bornuyer) Something that is frothy, foams, and sparkles. It can apply to soft drinks and Champagne, for example. The actual foam on these drinks is called bornyr in Swedish. The word bornera has been used in the Swedish language since the beginning of the 1820s. It comes straight from the Dutch word for mixing wine with sparkling spring water, borneeren, which in turn comes from the word for spring born, or brunn in Swedish. Botrytis cinerea (Latin) Noble rot in English, pourriture noble in French, and Edelfäule in German. A specific yeast fungus that in some areas, specifically in Sauternes, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, and Rheingau, ‘perforates’ the grape skins. This causes the water in the grapes to evaporate, which concentrates the sugar content and taste factors and heightens the taste, sweetness, and quality of the wine. If the fungus forms too early, before the grapes have matured, grey rot develops instead, which reduces the value of the grapes. Noble rot, which develops best following moist mornings and drying sunshine, can vary greatly between vintages. It can also affect a vineyard differently, often forcing the grower to harvest several times to salvage the botrytized bunches of grapes. Botrytized wines have a distinctive mature aroma reminiscent of ageing: the greater complexity of toasted bread, saffron, and honey. Bottle age
Time spent by a wine maturing in its bottle. This develops the aromas and flavours of the wine as it matures. It can have the opposite effect if the wine is aged for too long a time.
Barrique (French)
Cave (French) Wine cellar – but not to be taken too literally when the word is included on a label.
Beaune
Chai (French) A building where wines are matured and stored. Cave and chai are used more or less as synonyms.
A French barrel of a specific size, particularly used in Bordeaux. The barrel is made of oak and holds 225 litres.
The most important city in Burgundy and the centre of the region’s wine business. One of many beautiful old buildings is the famous Hospices de Beaune, also called Hôtel-Dieu (medieval name often given to hospitals). It was built in 1443 and is well worth a visit if you are in the area. The traditional and renowned wine auction that may be the most famous in the world is held here on the third Sunday of every November.
Chantepleure (French)
The spigot on a wine barrel. It is made of boxwood and tends to squeak (sing or chanter in French) and whine (cry or pleurer) when the wine is tapped.
Thirty Wine Cellars – The art of ageing and appreciating wine © 2021 Johan Magnusson First edition, first printing Author, concept: Johan Magnusson Photography: Stellan Herner (unless otherwise specified) Editing, graphic design, production: Kent Nyberg for Thomas Eriksson Arkitektur & Design AB Translation from Swedish: Rebecca Lynn Foreman and Karen Hagersten Additional translation: Henrik Hjort-Bayly/MFW Proof reader: Peje Hasselqvist
Thirty Wine Cellars – The art of ageing and assesing wine is written for those of you whoreserved. wantNoto and equip own wine cellar, but it also All rights partbuild of this publication may beyour reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, offers sage advicerecording and handy if you already have or any othertips information storage and retrieval system,access to one. Even without prior permission in writing from the copyright holders. readers with a general interest in wine will find the book full of useful inforISBN 978-91-85759-14-9 mation. Johan Magnusson generously shares his knowledge of the cellaring Millhouse Förlag AB millhouse.se · info@millhouse.se characteristics of wines, wine assessment, and wine as an investment – and not least how to fit out a wine cellar. Inspiration and knowledge await the novice as well as the practiced wine taster. A wine cellar is more than a physical space – it is where you can explore your relationship to wine. Thirty Wine Cellars provides a unique look into 30 exciting Swedish wine cellars. The owners describe their interest in wine, priorities as they set up their cellars, and plans for the future. The settings vary – from city apartment and home in the suburbs, to farmhouse and manor in the countryside – and the solutions vary in function and design. Johan Magnusson is a well-known wine expert, one of only two valuers of wine and distilled wines in Sweden who are certified by the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. He has contributed to many television and radio programmes colophon and runs the wine cellaring business Magnusson Fine Wine in Stockholm. Printed in cmyk with Hybrid Print Technology and fm-screen by Göteborgstryckeriet, Mölndal, in October 2021, on a Komori Lithrone S40P H-UV printing press with Flash Dry-inks from Toyo Ink. Printing plates Fujifilm Brillia LH-PJE 030, offset blankets Olympia LE 1040 x 920 x 1,95/B from Kinyo. A unique icc-profile for High Density-inks developed, based on fogra39 for coated paper. Bookbinding by Förlagshuset Nordens Grafiska, Malmö. The endpapers use Munken Kristall Rough 170 g/m2, while the interior is printed on Arctic Silk+ 150 g/m2. The cover is printed on MultiArt Gloss 150 g/m2 with matt lamentation. Cover typeface is Chronicle Display Roman. The headings in the interior are set in Chronicle Text G1, 22/24 pt, and the body text in Chronicle Text G2, 10,25/13,25 pt. The quotes are set in Whitney Semibold, 11,75/13,25 pt , Sidebars- and captions are set in Whitney Medium. All typefaces by Hoefler & Co, nyc. Musical inspiration (hommage à Chic Simple): Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um, Johnny Hates Jazz Turn Back the Clock, Donald Fagen The Nightfly (LP), Fleetwood Mac Tango In The Night, Billy Mackenzie Outernational, Mando Diao Infruset, Supertramp Crisis? What Crisis? (LP), Céline Dion Live A Paris, Bill Frisell Valentine, BBC Radio 3 Breakfast och Essential Classics, BBC Sounds (bbc.co.uk), Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Christian Kjellvander Wild Hxmans, Tears For Fears Songs from the Big Chair, Taylor Swift Folklore and Evermore, Rahsaan Patterson Wines & Spirits, Randy Crawford Naked And True, Neville Brothers Yellow Moon (LP), Bill Laswell Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969–1974, Anja Lechner, François Couturier Moderato Cantabile *** Music not suited for cellaring wine: Beach Boys Good Vibrations