A wine cellar may start by accident with a few leftover bottles from a party or it may be the result of an all-consuming passion.

However it starts out, every wine collection requires space… and space with very specific characteristics.
The Extra Space cellar is purpose-built to achieve these conditions.

Cellaring is not just for those expensive icons such as Grange and Hill of Grace. Wander into any retailer and you'll find plenty of affordable wines that would be ideal.

Long-lived reds are not the only candidates. Many white wines, especially Australian rieslings and semillons, have excellent cellaring potential.

Part of the challenge of drinking wine is the huge variation it offers in taste, texture and appearance. Often, this variation is driven by how well the wine ages. Wine is in many ways a living and breathing thing and will respond to the conditions in which it is placed.

Wine evolves in the bottle and matures to its best under controlled conditions for chilling and nurturing wine. Badly stored wines age prematurely, oxidise and become undrinkable in a very short period of time.

Have you ever been disappointed by a wine that you have enjoyed before? Or one that other wine drinkers have raved about? It may be that the bottle you have drunk has been poorly stored.

The result is the waste of your time and money, as well as the loss of well being generated by experiencing a fine wine.

Owning your own wine cellar is something that every wine collector aspires to. Unfortunately in our space-starved society that is quite a difficult aspiration to achieve. Extra Space now offers you the opportunity to cellar your collection in perfect wine storage conditions.

Simply work out how much storage you need - or how much you will need- and come in and see us. We will rent you the correctly sized cellar for your needs, for as long as you need it.

Rates for the cellars vary according to the total case capacity and are charged monthly in advance. The bigger the cellar or locker, the cheaper the effective case rate becomes.

Fitted with strong and durable shelving, our 50, 90 and 140 case capacity,
walk-in cellars allow easy access and retrieval of your wines.
You can access your wine 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our 24 case capacity lockers are ideal for smaller collections or for wine you just want to put down and not touch for several years.

In addition, all of our wine storage customers have free access to the tasting room. This is a very convenient place if you have the urge to pull a cork straight away, or if you need some space to reorganize your collection.

• Kept at a constant 13 °C
• Kept at a constant 65% - 75% humidity
• CCTV Security
• 24/7 access to your wine
• Regular pest control
• Wine deliveries accepted on your behalf
• Convenient location & FREE parking
• Trustworthy, professional, reliable & friendly staff

Temperature

Wine should be held at a temperature which assures its proper rate of maturity. It is generally agreed that a stable temperature around 13 degrees celsius is the optimum average temperature for storage of most wines. Lower temperatures will slow the wine’s development, whilst higher temperatures may age the wine prematurely.

Temperature is the single most important factor in cellaring fine wine.

A constant temperature is also very important. Daily temperature fluctuations can be more detrimental than storing wine at a higher temperature. As temperature varies, the wine expands and contracts as it heats and cools, causing the cork to act like a piston and allowing air to enter the bottle and wine to leak past the cork.

During bottling, winemakers are careful not to allow any contact between wine and oxygen, as this causes oxidation. This is a chemical reaction that makes wine flat and lifeless, having caused it to age prematurely. The wine loses its colour, whilst the nose and palate become weaker, and eventually the wine becomes undrinkable.

Note that wine cellared inside houses in Singapore, with no climate control can experience extreme temperature variation, sometimes up to 12C in one day.

Humidity

Humidity is the second most important condition to monitor when cellaring wine. An ideal humidity level is between 65% - 75%. Too high a humidity will encourage mould to develop and damage labels, too low a humidity can cause corks to dry out. If that happens, the cork will shrink, reducing the seal and the wine will leak and inevitably spoil. Conventional refrigeration and air conditioning is unsuitable for premium wine cellaring because it reduces humidity.

Wines should be laid on their sides to keep the inside of the cork moist. To keep the outside in good condition, we need to keep relative humidity higher.

Movement

Constant vibrations can upset the equilibrium and normal development of wine. Wines that are shaken are believed to throw off their sediment too soon.

Light

A cellar should be as dark as possible. Wine does not like light, as it can cause unwanted reactions to occur in the bottle, sometimes causing hydrogen sulphide compounds to develop and spoil the wine. Whilst having little effect over short periods, it is preferable for wine to be stored away from light sources in the long-term.

Smells

You should avoid keeping anything in your cellar that has a particularly strong odour, such as fuels, perfumes and certain foods. There is a chance that these smells could influence your wine

Organisation

It is important that you store your wines on their sides. This will ensure that the corks are kept moist by the wine and do not dry out. Dry corks are more likely to leak. Store your reds toward the top of your cellar, as they will add further protection from light to your more delicate whites.

Keep wines meant for longer cellaring towards the back as this both protects them from movement and gives you better access to your current drinking wines.

Some collectors group their wines by variety, region and style, whilst others simply separate their drinking wines from their long-term cellaring ones.

Single bottle racks look good but are not essential. Keep some space for storing cartons as cardboard is a wonderful insulator - and wines in their original packaging bring higher prices at auction.

Finally

A last word of advice: cutting corners on storage doesn't make sense. Poor cellaring can ruin your valuable investment in a few days. A well-maintained cellar, however, will provide many years of pleasure.