Secret Cellar Business

Directions

So… you like your wines on the mature side? Love watching them develop and change over time? Careful. It’s a deliciously slippery slope from curious consumer to committed collector.

It starts with an occasional purchase from the local Bottle-oh, then before you know it, the wine rack’s full and you’re stubbing your toe on boxes in the hallway.

You’ve got a dozen in the wardrobe and there hasn’t been any space under the bed since that unmissable offer on museum-release Riesling. Actually, your under-the-bed storage is not such a bad solution – as long as the collection stays small and your knees hold out. It’s dark, and probably not subject to wild temperature fluctuations. But if you feel like your joints are ageing faster than your slumbering varietals, it may be time to consider a bona fide...

Wine Cellar

The perfect cellar maintains a cool but not cold temperature of 14º Celsius, with 55% - 75% humidity (especially important for cork-sealed wines); and good air circulation to discourage bugs and mould. It has low level lighting, and is completely free from vibration.

It’s a big call for your average Aussie house. The smart money says start at the beginning: build your cellar, then whack a house over the top of it. But in case you forgot to do that, here are some options.

In-House

There’s a range of pre-fabricated wine cellars – including a beautiful spiral cellar – that can be installed underfloor. It’s the real deal but it’s certainly pricey, with a basic model starting at $50K (which doesn’t include the cost of planning, excavating or replacing floor boards).

And remember that if, like millions of other Australians, you live in a unit, your dream of retro-fitting an underground cellar is likely to meet with some opposition.

Which leads us to wine cabinets. Nothing like a fridge, these smart little numbers create the ideal conditions to allow slow, gentle and consistent maturation of your wine. But you’ll still need to find space for them.

So if giving the kids their marching orders seems a little harsh, you might want to think about offsite storage.

Offsite

There are excellent wine storage facilities in all capital cities and major towns, and the cost might be a pleasant surprise.

They provide secure, temperature and humidity-controlled storage for your wine – often with a pick-up and delivery service, and cellar-tracking software to boot. It may not be the dusty, vaulted cellar of your dreams, but it’s a good, practical solution for urban Aussies with space issues and a taste for fine wine.

And just think of all that space you’ll be freeing up under the bed. Finally – somewhere to store the cassette collection and Aunty Elsie’s ashes!