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are those acknowledged by most wine professionals as appropriate for aging. But I like to age some dry white wines, too. I think French Chablis and Côte de Beaune white Burgundies (see Chapter 6) taste better after a few years’ bottle age, and the very top estates in the best years develop mind-bending complexity after seven years and longer. I also love to age classic German Riesling Kabinett and Spätlese wines for at least five years, and have tasted some Austrian Rieslings and Loire Valley Chenin Blancs that were absolutely extraordinary with bottle age. Finally, there is Champagne. Although it generally comes to the customer aged and ready to drink, Champagne’s high acidity gives it real stamina in the bottle. With age, the taste becomes quite different but is still remarkable—subtler and less effervescent, more like a world-class still wine than a bubbly. If you are looking for something a little different in your cellar, give some of these a try.

CELLARING OPTIONS The collectible wine categories mentioned above share something else in common besides an ability to grow old gracefully: They are expensive. Without a doubt, buying wines like these justifies an investment in proper storage so that your expenditure, and your patience to wait until the wines are in peak drinking condition, will pay off in pleasure.

If you have a cool basement, then your cellar is ready-made except for the racking system. If not, your options include a plug-in storage unit that maintains temperature and humidity, or outfitting a room or part of a room for wine storage, a more expensive and complex choice that makes sense if you have a large collection and can sacrifice an appropriate space in your home. A third option is to rent a home away from home for your wine.

I am often asked if I have a wine cellar, and the anwer is finally yes, because the man I married had a beautiful one lovingly built for his wines (by carpenter-artist and friend, Brother Dan). But for years I just used my basement for wine storage. My “racking system” consisted of the cardboard boxes and wooden cases that my little collection came in. My wine cellar budget all went to the wine part.

Regardless of whether your budget supports serviceable or sumptuous, there are two major factors to consider for cellaring wine:

Racks or bins These are a good idea, because they allow you to store the wine on its side (label up), so that the cork is kept moist. Remember that a dry cork can dry out and contract or shrivel, allowing air into the bottle and prematurely oxidizing the wine. The options are many, from budget do-it-yourself component kits made of wood, plastic, or metal to custom redwood bin cubes and racking systems that must be installed by a carpenter unless you are a very handy do-it-yourselfer. In either case, you can buy as much or as little bottle capacity as you need to accommodate your collection.

Temperature and humidity Fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit is considered ideal cellar temperature to preserve wine for very long term storage, but do you really want to wait that long? I think that most of the collectible categories, in great vintages, begin to taste delicious after ten years or so (exceptions include top California Cabernet and top red Burgundy, which is ready after seven years or so; and vintage Port, which needs at least fifteen years). Unless your cellaring time horizon is very long, up to 65 degrees is a fine cellar temperature, as long as it is pretty consistent. As for humidity, about 60 percent is considered ideal, again to prevent the corks from drying out. In very humid cellars, the bottle labels sometimes mildew a bit—not a problem, except from an aesthetic point of view. But then again, an age-worn label has character, too.

WINE STORAGE UNITS These are refrigerators that maintain a constant cellar temperature, which is warmer than your kitchen fridge, for your wines. They range in size from countertop units that hold a dozen bottles (there’s no point in these for your home, but they’re great for boats or vacation homes) to cabinets that hold