According to Mike Bampfield-Duggan of Wine Concepts in Newlands, wines made today aren't generally storing for longevity, they're for drinking sooner.

But he adds that, "there are well-made, full-bodied and complex wines that still need maturing for a good six to 10 years. After that, most South African-made wines, with some exceptions, will start to fall flat... "

But besides the quality of the actual wine, which for most of us isn't easy to distinguish, the question is where to store your wine?

Question is where?

There are a number of key issues that need to be taken into consideration when deciding on your wine cellar.

Consistency, temperature, darkness and vibration, are the most important factors.

Says Mike: "Whether it's a cupboard or a space under the stairs, a converted room or a newly constructed wine cellar, wine prefers darkness, a constant temperature, a humid atmosphere, adequate ventilation and no vibrations ...it's all about consistency."

Direct sunlight will destroy your wine, so you'll need to find a space in your home where there will be less fluctuation in temperature (should never change more than 3°C). So, storing your wine in a glass-fronted case is a no-no, even though it may look nice.

Also be aware that if your 'dark space' is in an older home, you could be faced with damp, which after a few years' of storage, could destroy your wine by bacteria infiltrating the cork.

The best thing you could do is seal your 'cellar'. Mike says he used Aerolite Think Pink glass wool to insulate the area between the ceiling and the roof of his outdoor laundry, bricked over the windows (leaving the air-bricks in place) and sealed the door with a rubber lining. He then set about quarry tiling the floor and installing rows of steel wine racks, leaving space for his collection of wines purchased in wooden boxes.

Temperature?

When it comes to temperature control, installing a chiller set to 13°C is ideal, but these are expensive. The next best thing is a commercial air-conditioner, which will sit at around 19°C.

You could invest in a multi-temperature wine cabinet, which is temperature-controlled, and easily accessible. These fridges, with an individually set temperature per drawer, will ensure that you just can't go wrong.

If there is no facility to install an air-conditioner (i.e. the broom cupboard) then the temperature should not be more than 20/21°C.

Other do's and don'ts

• Don't store wine in your garage. Your car's engine takes hours to cool; there are vibrations as well as air-pollution, which may penetrate the corks.
• The absolute ideal position for a cellar would be underground.
• Store wine bottles with a cork seal on their side. It's vital that the corks remain moist. If they dry out, they shrink, allowing air into the bottle, oxygenating, spoiling, your wine.
• If one intends to store wine in a small wine rack, one should store sparkling wines on the lowest shelf, whites above the sparkling and reds above the white, since heat rises.
• Never store wine with other foods that are capable of fermenting. Fruit, vegetables and cheese that rot near a wine can actually cause the wine to begin to mold as well, and these moldy flavours may enter the wine through the cork.
• Humidity is important. If wine is stored in too dry an atmosphere for several years, the corks can dry out and stop being an effective seal.