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By Debbie Gioquindo,

CTC , CSW, WLS

he wine cave as a means of wine storage has been around for centuries. They date back to
the Roman Empire when wine was stored in catacombs, originally used as burial chambers.
These underground caves and tunnels, which often stretched for miles, protected the wine
from the harsh environment, preserved it, and let it age gently. In France, the first wine caves
were abandoned crayeres (chalk pits) left behind by the Romans who excavated the limestone for
use as building blocks. These same caves now house many of the famous Champagne cellars in
northern France.
So, why do wineries still store wine in an underground
wine cave or wine cellar? Simple: In addition to the
benefits of energy efficiency and the fact that they dont
use additional above-ground land space, the underground
cave provides high humidity and cool temperatures
both key to proper wine storage and aging. A wine cave
provides a consistent temperature between 55 F and
57 F, and a humidity level between 50 and 80 percent,
which is also ideal for minimizing evaporation. Not all
wineries have caves to cellar their wine, though. Instead,
traditional and modern cellars are specially designed and
built with these specs in mind, with the same goal of
naturally storing and aging wine as the ancient caves.

Hudson Valley Roots

Subterranean wine caves in the U.S. date back to the
early nineteenth century, when the more successful
commercial wineries on the east coast constructed
underground cellars for barrel storage and wine aging.
In the Hudson Valley, man-made wine caves predated
Californias first underground cellars by at least three
decades. In 1839, John Jaques began construction on
the first of Brotherhood Winerys several wine caves.
Additional cellars followed in 1855, and again in the
1890s as the winery expanded and increased their wine
and champagne production. Underground tunnels were
built to link the various cellars, and their vast storage
capabilities enabled the winery to store and age their
champagnes during Prohibition, successfully preserving
half a million bottles to bring to market after Repeal.
Once considered the largest underground wine caves in
America, the wine cellars of Brotherhood Winery are
still in use and open to the public.
Today, when you visit the winery in Washingtonville, the
tour includes these underground caves and tunnels. A
must for everyone!
Brotherhood, Americas Oldest Winery
100 Brotherhood Plaza Dr. | Washingtonville, NY
www.brotherhood-winery.com

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HUDSON VALLEY WINE Fall 2015

The Big Chill

A more traditional cellar can be found at Millbrook
Vineyards & Winery, in Dutchess County. In 1979, John
Dyson purchased the abandoned Wing Dairy Farm, and a
major renovation project followed in the Dutch-style barn,
where the low ceiling (below ground) was raised to make
room for vertical stainless steel tanks. Walls and ceilings
were insulated, followed by the installation of a very large
refrigeration system, known as a chiller. Each of the
cellar rooms has a separate thermostat to control its own
temperature. Millbrooks winemaker can alter the
temperature depending on what he is trying to achieve for
the wine. Both of Millbrooks warehouses are cooled in the
same manner, and their maximum storage capacity is
approximately 45,000 gallons.
Without a doubt, the chiller has a large capacity and
allows Millbrook to create and store large quantities of
their quality wines. You can tour the same cellars while
there for a tasting.
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
26 Wing Rd. | Millbrook, NY
www.millbrookwine.com

Evolutionary Aging
A unique and modern day facility can be found at
Whitecliff Vineyard. In 2011, the owners constructed a
new geothermal winery building to accommodate their
increased wine production needs. It is one of only two
such systems in New York State.
A geothermal structure is environmentally green in
nature, and can cut heating and cooling costs by a third.
As Whitecliffs owner Michael Migliore explained, wine
wants to be kept at 55 F, and the ground temperature on
his Gardiner property is 54 F. So, instead of building an
underground cave, this was one way to bring the cave up
into the winery.
Like any other building, a geothermal structure is
constructed from the ground up, however, the difference

WINE COUNTRY TRAVEL

Wine Underground

is that a geothermal structure begins eight feet

below the surface, where it is a constant 55 F.
Long tubes are installed in trenches that travel
horizontally, below ground, out to the field and
back to the winery, in a loop. Glycol is pumped
through these pipes to maintain a constant 50 F
temperature. Upon return, the glycol is sent
through an exchanger that heats or cools the
water that is then pumped through the winery
floor. This regulates the temperature in the winery.
Whitecliffs geothermal winery holds 12,000 cases
of wine. Their red wine ages between 18 and
24 months, and their reserve red wines (about 10
percent of their production) are released three to
five years later to wine club members. In the
meantime, the wine is enjoys gentle, environmentfriendly aging.
Tours of the winery are available to the public
Sundays in October, and by appointment to their
Case Club members.
Whitecliff Vineyard
331 McKinstry Rd. | Gardiner, NY
www.whitecliffwine.com

Laying the Groundwork at Home

Wineries all have some type of temperature
controlled environments for their storing and
aging their wine. Thats a given. They are usually
elaborate due to the nature of the business, but
what about you and me? Do we need our own
wine cellar?
Personally I would say, yes. A wine cellar can
be as simple as a small wine refrigerator that
will store six or 12 bottles of wine in a stable,
temperature controlled fashion. More elaborate
ones can store a few hundred bottles, though
they do have a heftier price tag to go along with
them. But then, so will the value of your wine
collection.
If you want something even larger and have the
room for it (like a dry basement) another option
would be to speak to a wine cellar consultant.
They can help you determine the best options for
storage in your specific space. In the Hudson
Valley, WineRacks.com offers both consultation
and custom design services for wine cellars.
Whether you spend $10 or $100 on a bottle of
wine, youll want to make sure its stored properly
once its in your possession, so that when you
pull the cork it will taste exactly as the winemaker
intended. Cheers!

www.hvwinemag.com Fall 2015

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