🍷 Wine cellar

A wine cellar is a cool, dark room for storing and ageing wine. Most often it lies underground. Traditionally wine is kept at cellar temperatures of 10–16 degrees Celsius, and around 13 degrees is considered the classic cellar temperature.

Cellars are part of wine traditions in many countries. In Georgia, qvevri, clay vessels for wine, are buried in the ground, and the wine cellar, the marani, is still considered the holiest place in the family home. In Moldova, huge underground galleries such as Mileștii Mici are used for producing and storing wine.

For wine, a steady temperature matters most: heat and temperature swings are the greatest storage hazards. Bottles with corks are kept on their side or upside down to limit air exchange and slow oxidation. Strong ultraviolet light is also avoided.

There is also a danger. During fermentation carbon dioxide builds up in a cellar, and it is heavier than air. In a closed room it can be deadly, so ventilation is needed.