Cellar Conditions

Wine Ark Cellar Conditions

The Wine Ark cellars are state-of-the-art, climate controlled cellars that are specifically designed for the long-term storage of wine.

TEMPERATURE
Most experts agree the ideal temperature to cellar wine is between 14ºC and 18ºC. Temperatures much lower than this will excessively stunt maturation while those higher than this will prematurely age the wine. It’s also important to keep the ambient temperature relatively stable.

The Wine Ark cellars are kept at within this range.

HUMIDITY
The relative humidity of a cellar is best kept between 65 and 75%. Levels lower than this can cause the corks to dry out and shrink, allowing air into the bottle and causing oxidation. Environments with a humidity level much greater than 75% will cause labels to peel, cartons to rot and bottles to develop mould. This will affect not only the wine’s taste, but also its potential resale value.

The Wine Ark cellars are kept at an approximate humidity level of 65-70%.

LIGHT AND VIBRATION
UV light can cause hydrogen sulphide compounds to develop in wine. Lighting in our cellars is kept to a minimum and all bottles are placed in cases. Our cellars are also protected and insulated against vibration sources.

SECURITY
Wine Ark centres feature a range of security measures to keep your collection secure:

  • Biometric fingerprint scanners
  • PIN coded security tag access systems
  • CCTV surveillance systems
  • Back-to-Base Securatel phone links
  • GSM dial-up warning systems
  • Movement, temperature, vibration and infrared detection
  • On-site security guards and site patrols
  • Pest-controlled

INTERNALLY MANAGED
Unlike some of our competitors, we do not outsource our warehousing to third party providers. Instead, all of our client’s wine is held within our own secure climate-controlled facilities. We believe this is the only way that your wine can ever be really safe, secure and legally unencumbered by third-party warehouse liens.