Morton Estate Wines

"If you donšt have the right cellaring conditions, you might as well carry
the wine around in the back of the station wagon, in Alice Springs."

So wrote Ben Canaider in the Sydney Morning Herald, and he has a point.

Cellaring carries a mystique about it - laying down wines for years and
years puts the owner on a pathway to a mystical wine experience that you
canšt get any other way. The convenience of having a range of wines ready to
enjoy with that special meal just canšt be beaten.

However many modern wines are just fine to consume straight away. As part of
its quality strategy Morton Estate carefully cellars all its wines until our
expert winemakers decide they are ready. However there are also wines,
particularly the red varietals, that will respond well to a few more years
ageing.

Widespread use of screw caps has also changed the dynamic of cellaring -
most of the "must-došs" of cellaring are to preserve the cork. The
convenient screw cap means you can cellar wines upright.

Cellaring wines involves a few simple principles and cool stable conditions.

TEMPERATURE
Temperature is the most important factor, with the optimum being 10-12
degrees. Constant temperature is the best white wines in particular are
susceptible to rapid temperature changes. If a cellar is not available, the
best place for storage is a cupboard somewhere in the middle of the house
where temperature fluctuations will be at a minimum. Under no circumstances
store wine in the bottle racks seen in some kitchens except for wine that
is for current consumption.

Wines stored at cooler and constant temp-eratures will age slower, allowing
more complexity to develop.

HUMIDITY
70% relative humidity is perfect to keep the corks in good shape. This
doesnšt apply to screw capped wine.

DARKNESS
Darkness is most important to prevent premature aging of the wine. Sparkling
wines and clear glass bottles are more susceptible to light damage.
Incandescent light (a normal bulb) is the best to use.

STORAGE POSITION
Store wine lying down so the wine maintains the moisture in the cork,
prevents the cork from shrinking and air from getting into the bottle. Store
them with the labels up to make it easier to find that special bottle.
Wines with screwcaps can be stored upright as their seal is not reliant on
moisture for integrity.

DURATION
The length of time a wine can be matured for will depend on the wine style
and the closure used to seal the bottle. Itšs an unfortunate fact of life
that many wine producers must often release wine before it has reached the
peak of development and that consumers will never see the wine at its peak
due to consuming it close to purchase time.

As a general rule, white wine will not age as long as red wine. This is due
to the tannins in red wines that act as antioxidants and which give red wine
its longevity. During the process of protecting the wine from oxidation,
these tannins undergo reactions that make the wine softer and fuller. White
wines lack tannins and so rely on sulphur dioxide to preserve them. Once
the sulphur dioxide is exhausted the wine then undergoes oxidation and loses
its character. Sweet wines, commonly referred to as "stickies", are the
exception to the rule as they age extremely well.

Screwcaps have now been found to preserve the freshness and vibrancy of
white wines far longer than cork.

In fact, it is now quite feasible to age say, a Riesling, for twenty five years and have that wine develop, but not oxidize, into a lovely, aged wine. It is quite likely that if this wine had been under cork that it would have been either oxidized or corked after that length of time.

Seeking the Rewards of a Cellar