Temperature
Too high a temperature ages fine wine prematurely, while rapid and regular fluctuation leads to an imbalance in flavours, aromas and the general characteristics of a wine. Smith & Taylor's cellars are maintained at a constant temperature.
All client bottles are cellared horizontally (sur lattes) in our humidity controlled cellars, with the wine in constant contact with the cork. Storing each bottle in a quarter turn, helps keep the corks moist and tight.
Humidity
Well stored wine should rest in a vibration-free environment. This slows the chemical ageing process and allows a fine wine to develop bouquet and zest over many years. At our cellars, wine is only ever disturbed when picked to order. Fine wine kept in our care is stored in a rock-solid location.
Stability
Fine wine must be kept in the dark since ultraviolet light degrades the organic compounds that influence aroma, flavour and structure. We cellar your reserves in the original casings, away from natural light. Your individual cellar portfolio carries a detailed description of the contents, value and condition of every bottle we store on your behalf.
Darkness
A fine wine’s life, initiated by the vintage, encapsulated in a bottle, and measured by its resting time in our cellars, is only interrupted when the owner considers it to be the perfect time to draw the cork. Smith & Taylor’s client cellar portfolios carry our Master of Wine’s guidance on the drinking status of each wine in store, which helps our clients decide whether to keep or to drink a particular wine at any moment in time.
Timing
A fine wine is made up from the sum of its parts. At Smith & Taylor we record, at the cellar door, all those elements that define a packaged bottle of fine wine. From case to capsule, from label to level, everything is noted carefully to reinforce provenance.
Provenance
