How to set up an organic wine cellar?
Some dream of Alibaba's cave of a thousand and one treasures… At Oé, our dream is a beautiful cellar filled with good organic wine !
An organic wine cellar, what is it for?
The cellar is a bit like the wine room, it needs to feel good there to rest and be ready to give it your all when you uncork it!
Are you a wine lover? We imagine that you have more than one bottle at home. . You could put them in your bathtub, offer them a piece of pillow and share the sofa with them, but we agree that this is not ideal.
To store your wine, you need a practical place, dedicated to your wine. As wine evolves over time, it cannot be stored anywhere and anyhow, otherwise it risks going bad... it would be a shame to lose the deliciousness of a good Crémant d'Alsace because he was made to sleep next to the fireplace for months. In order for the wine to mature well and reveal its potential, special attention must be paid to its conservation .
In wineries, the place where the wines are stored is called the cellar , we have visited more than one and we can tell you that the visit is worth the effort. You can find on our instagram videos at our winegrowers to discover their domain.
If you ever have no way of having a cellar because you are in an apartment, because your house does not have one or because you live in a van (yes we think of everyone!), we will gives our tips for storing your wine in this article .
What category of wine for my first organic wine cellar?
A good organic wine cellar is like a dressing room, we carefully choose the dress we want to put on. To be comfortable in summer and winter, it is important to have sweaters and t-shirts at your disposal. For wine, it's a bit the same thing, each category of wine goes well with dishes and even moments!.
Red wines
In France, red wine is a great classic. With its faithful allies, bread and wine, they form an internationally recognized Franco-French trio. It is also your ideal companion for a good dinner with friends accompanied by a vegetarian Bourguignon or a dish served with red meat.
Red wine can be served for all occasions, both for lunch and dinner, it can even accompany you during an aperitif and goes very well with dried tomato and mozzarella puff pastries . - For the bravest, you can even try it with a piece of Roquefort à la Vanessa Paradis in the film L'arnacoeur. You saw him ?
White wines
Having good organic white wine in your cellar means being sure to be able to accompany your fish in the best possible way, especially for white-fleshed fish with a lemony sauce... A delight!
White wine is also a faithful companion to Asian dishes. Lightly sweet wines like semi-dry are perfect for Thai dishes made with coconut milk, lemongrass and Indian curry. When France and Vietnam come together around a good white wine and delicious spring rolls , it's a culinary show and an unequaled pleasure of taste.
White wine also likes fresh appetizer vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and white cabbage. With a homemade herb mayonnaise or a yogurt-chive-lemon sauce, you will be delighted!
We also advise you to pair your white wine with fresh and light cheeses , such as those made from sheep's milk.
Discover our range of organic white wines.
Rosé wines
Keeping a good rosé aside is a priority for a good summer evening. This wine with a light and brilliant color expresses all its potential when we make it dance in our glass to toast with friends at the aperitif. No one can resist the call of rosé when the weather is good outside, the sun is showing its best light and the birds are singing outside. So to provoke impromptu evenings, having a good bottle of rosé in your cellar is a must .
Get your apron, prepare a good homemade hummus and tomato and ham bruschetta , put on your biggest smile and a bottle of Corbière or Méditerranée and voila, you are the King of the aperitif! ;)
Of course, this wine has many other qualities beyond the aperitif, such as to accompany vegetable tians or planchas.
Sparkling
Sparkling wines, the champomy of the greats! When it's party time, we remember little to love sodas of all kinds and marvel at the bubbles of champomy. We reassure you, even today we marvel at the bubbles and this time a good crémant or a champagne. There is no age to love the beauty of this show and to appreciate this sensation of a little “plop” in the mouth.
Champagne flutes also add a special flavor to the tasting of these exceptional wines that are particularly appreciated to celebrate something. A bottle of sparkling wine is a must have in your organic cellar so you can pop the cork at any time!
What type of wine for my first organic wine cellar?
To start your organic wine cellar , filling it with a little of each wine is important to never be taken aback. Keep in mind, however, that like a wardrobe, you have to love what's inside. We take pleasure in opening our dressing room when we know that we find clothes that we like there and it's the same for wine. The very idea of picking up a bottle from the cellar should make your mouth water!
Winemaking methods
To have an organic wine cellar in your image, you must be in agreement with the wines you choose. For example, if you are vegan, turn to vegan wines , if you do not want any input in your wine, you must choose HEALTHY wines (Without Any Inputs or Added Sulfites) , which are natural wines . We're lucky in France, there are hundreds of winegrowers and each has their own approach to wine, so you can easily find the right shoe for you and wine for your glass.
At Oé, we offer organic and vegan wines with sulphite levels sometimes lower than those imposed by the Demeter and Biodyvin labels for biodynamic wines . Know that there are no wines without sulfur because it is an element which is present naturally on the bunches of grapes , but natural wine , for example, is without added sulphites .
We are convinced that it is by respecting the vines and the terroir that nature will offer us the best of itself. The vineyards of the Oé winegrowers are maintained in organic viticulture , with love and without chemical pesticides so as not to upset the natural balance which reigns over the land.
Biodynamics is an ancestral technique that has been resurfacing for several decades. It seduces many winegrowers with its natural approach to soils and wine. It offers a long-term vision, in cohesion with organic farming and gives meaning to working the land. Cannon, right?
The region
If, like us, you are from the Rhône-Alpes region , you are probably familiar with the wines of the Rhône Valley . Yes, we are generally more likely to know and appreciate the wines of our region because they are the ones we are used to consuming. To enhance your cellar , you can therefore decide to stay on safe values and orient yourself towards organic wines from your region, or you can also decide to make your cellar a real map of France.
Our regions have talent and we must not deprive ourselves of it. Crémant d'Alsace , the essential red Médoc from Bordeaux, the prestigious Burgundy products made from pinot noir in the Côtes-de-Nuits, the famous white wines from the Jura and its yellow wine presented during “ La Percée du Vin Jaune ” or the delicious Mediterranean rosés.
Sometimes you have to know how to venture into unknown territory to discover new flavors. Do not hesitate to write down all the bottles you taste so that your choices are easier to make when you are building your organic wine cellar . Keeping a Cellar Book can also be very handy for you to find your way around, especially when you are expanding your collection. It would be a shame to forget your Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the back of the cellar , wouldn't it?
The appellation
To build your organic wine cellar , you can refer to the appellations which can help you in your choices and also in your organization. You can for example decide to make a row of AOC Bordeaux including inside Médocs, Graves and Saint-Emilion. The next row could be Rhône Valley wines with good Côtes-du-Rhône , Côtes Rôties and Crozes Hermitage .
The appellations therefore allow you to know your wine because each appellation contrôlée is subject to specifications and this also allows you to be able to find your way around your cellar more easily and be a reference sommelier in your home. A two in one that we really appreciate!
The appellations “ Crus ”, “ Grands crus ” or even “ Grands crus classés ” appeared in 1855 following the request of Napoleon III to classify the best wines of Bordeaux . These appellations subsequently spread to other regions, which now allows us to know the most high-end wines from each region. You can therefore refer to the “ Grands Crus ” appellations to fill your beautiful organic wine cellar with good top-of-the-range wines.
The aromas
When you build your organic wine cellar , you want to have bottles that look like you and with flavors that appeal to you. For that, you need to know your tastes in terms of wines. Do not hesitate to do a lot of tastings , to rate the wines you like, also remember the grape varieties you like and why not the regions you prefer. From one geographical area to another, the soils and grape varieties used are not the same, which gives wines with different typicities.
In the wine there are plenty of aromas , each as enticing as the next, acacia flowers, English candy, notes of fresh fruit, citrus zest, vanilla… there is something for everyone! The grape varieties are a good indication to know what aromas you can find in the wine. Will it be more fruity , floral , vegetal or woody ?
Once you know what types of aromas you prefer, you can more easily choose your wines without making mistakes. Be aware that young wines express more primary aromas ( vegetal, floral and fruity ) while the aging of the wine allows the development of tertiary aromas ( woody, empyreumatic ). If you want to play winemaker, you too can age your wine in the bottle at home in your super freshly designed organic wine cellar ! ;)
The choice of wines is not an easy task, so with a little organization we make the work easier and above all we really enjoy ourselves with wines that resemble us.
To build your good organic wine cellar , we offer you our selection of Oé wines with our Côtes-du-Rhône , Languedoc , Bordeaux , Vaucluse and Mediterranean .
