Cellar Conditions: What Really Counts for Maturation

The standard

Constancy-led storage judges not the absolute value of a condition, but its variation over time. Temperature amplitude, humidity, vibration and light exposure are decisive.

Criteria

• The temperature amplitude weighs more heavily than the mean value
• The humidity stays high enough for the closure and low enough against mould
• The bottle stays still, because every movement distributes deposit
• Every condition is measured and not estimated

Distinction

Cellar conditions ≠ ageing potential: the ageing potential lies in the wine, the conditions only decide whether it is realised. Cool ≠ constant: a fluctuating cool place ages a wine faster than an evenly warmer one. Constancy-led storage therefore separates the level of a condition from its stability.