If cellared correctly, red wine will develop and improve in the bottle for the short, medium, or long term, depending on the style of the wine and the quality of the particular vintage.

The single most important factor is temperature stability. Heat is the enemy. Avoid all light, especially sunlight.

All of our wines are stored in a specially built cellar where the temperature is 14 degrees celsius (58 degrees fahrenheit), with a relative humidity of 70%. If you have lots of wine and nowhere to store it, you should rent a suitable storage locker from a specialised wine storage company. If you do not have access to this type of storage then you should consider purchasing a temperature controlled wine storage cabinet. They vary in size and cost and can hold up to several hundred bottles. Otherwise, anywhere in your house where it is cool, dark, airy, and free from vibration and dampness.

Anyone cellaring wine in a warm or hot climate should use a thermometer to monitor temperatures very carefully. It may be cause for concern if the cellar temperature goes much over 18 degrees celcius (64 degrees fahrenheit).

Wide temperature variation will cause your wine to develop more quickly than it should. It can also ruin your wine. A slow change of temperature of 5 or so degrees celcius between winter and summer is not a big problem. But this kind of fluctuation on a daily or weekly basis will cause damage to your wines and age them prematurely. You will notice damage of this nature from the sticky deposit that can form around the capsule. If wines are stored in conditions where the temperature varies then the cork can swell or shrink in size thereby increasing the possibility of leakage and oxidation.

Moderate humidity is important to keep the corks in good condition and thereby preventing them from shrinking. A relative humidity of 50-80% is the acceptable range, but about 70% is recommended. Excessive humidity will not harm the wine but will cause the labels and any other paper products you have in the cellar to rot- like cardboard boxes. Insufficient humidity may cause the corks to dry out, lose their elasticity and thereby allow air to get into the bottle.

Also note that half-bottles mature more quickly, and magnums (1.5 litre) more slowly, than standard 750ml bottles.

Bottles should be stored on their sides, with the necks sloping slightly upwards so that the cork will remain wet and the bubble of air is in the shoulder. Any sediment will collect at the bottom of the bottle. This will make the wine easier to decant.