Cellar management question « Burgundy Forum

Burgundy Forum » General Burgundy Discussion

Cellar management question

(7 posts) (4 voices)

Started 1 year ago by Rick Dalia
Latest reply from Rick Dalia

Tags:

No tags yet.

Rick Dalia
Member

Since about 90% of my cellar is Burgundy (and since this is the only forum I belong to) I figured this would be an appropriate place to post this question.

I'm trying to get as many bottles as possible in a small cellar space. 4 foot by 4 foot by 9 feet high. Does anyone have advice as to how high I can safely stack cases of wine. (Burgundy of course, maybe a few Loire and Bordeaux mixed in). I would think it shouldn't be a problem to stack cases 5-6 high without problem??

These are all bottles for the long haul, so easy access and display are not my goal with this space.

Posted 1 year ago #
stdel
Member

Hello!
You are talking about carton made cases, right?
In this case, it's a matter of the glass quality mainly (cartons don't really carry any compressive stress at all). You can't be sure about the quality of every single bottle, so don't put too much weight on any case. Personally, i never stack more than 3 carton cases, although i'm sure it would be ok for the most cases. I tend to be over-protective, especially with my burgundies:)!
Have you considered the dexion shelving? It's really ugly but in a small space like yours it would be a nice solution, given the flexibility you have with it. You could easily add one shelf every 3 cases or even less, and be completely sure about your wine's safety.
If you are talking about wooden cases, then i think 5-6 cases will be fine.

Posted 1 year ago #
Roelof Ligtmans
Member

I'd surely get my bottles out of their carton cases, as carton can get quite smelly with a bit of age and/or humidity. You can never be sure that the cardboard smell does not find its way through the cork ... A wine trader once warned me also not let my Bordeaux bottles stay in their wooden cases completely closed, if the cellar was a bit humid; better to lift the lid and get some air in there.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rick Dalia
Member

Thanks for the advice. I was also suspicious of the potential effect of the humidity on the cardboard. I may actually employ some carpentry skills and build some larger wood containers. I'll certainly look into what I can do with dexion shelving. It does seem like a good option with the space I have.

Posted 1 year ago #
Roelof Ligtmans
Member

Hi Rick,

make sure the wood is UNTREATED. If you use wood that has been with treated with products containing chlorides or bromides, you might inadvertently be spoiling your wines. These chemicals (TCA and family) are known to travel trough corks! And they are at the origin of "corked" bottles!!!

As a wine grower myself, I take great care in the use of materials in the cuverie and other spaces (cellars, storage, labelling room), and have had these rooms checked for TCA and related molecules. There have been cases in Burgundy where TCA from treated palettes (obligatory for export to the USA) ends up in the bottles in the bottom layer of carton boxes. So, BEWARE! Beter still, use metal racks or brick storage cases.

Posted 1 year ago #
Joachim
Member

Interesting insights Roelof - especially coming from a wine maker. Thank you!

Posted 1 year ago #
Rick Dalia
Member

Thanks again Roelof. Went ahead and put together some pine wood cases (simple, took about 20 minutes each to cut and nail together). They've stacked well in the cellar, neat and tidy. I'll forget about these boxes for a few years now.

Posted 1 year ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.