Wine Care

Cellaring

Margaret River wines have excellent ageing potential. Below are some cellaring tips for creating an ideal environment to store and cellar wines.

• Temperature: 
  If cellaring your wines we advise you to store them in a temperature controlled environment. We recommend 15 degrees Celsius with no more than 50% humidity. (Many modern airconditioners have a hygrometer measure). 
• Avoid Vibrations:
  Store wine away from sources of vibration to prevent disturbance of sediment and flavor alteration.
• Store away from sunlight
  Protect wine from UV rays by storing it in a dark area or using wine racks with solid sides.
• Store cork closures horizontally
  Vasse Felix still wines have been under screw cap since the 2006 vintage. Store cork closure bottles horizontally to keep corks moist and ensure a tight seal.
• Minimise Odors
  Keep wines away from strong odors that can affect their flavors.

Serving Older Wines

To get the most out of your museum vintage Vasse Felix wine, we recommend standing the bottle/s upright for 24-48 hours before opening, then decanting prior to pouring. This will enable sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle, so you can keep it from your glass. Discover Estate Sommelier Evan Gill's decanting tips below;

A step by step guide to decanting
Decanting Cabernet

Sediment in Wine

At Vasse Felix we focus on making wines representative of the Margaret River region and our vineyard sites. Margaret River’s unique environment allows us to grow pristine fruit consistently, and adopt a more ‘hands off’ approach to winemaking. We have learnt that the varietal character of our fruit and the savoury tones of the earth are better expressed through more natural techniques, which ultimately makes a better wine.

A bi-product of adopting traditional principles can be traces of natural sediment in our wines, particularly the red varieties. This is specifically related to our decision to refrain from cold stabilizing our wines, as this process can compromise the structure and flavour profile.  Sediment may appear in different forms as either organic matter or crystals. Both are a completely natural product of the wine and standing the bottle upright for an hour or so prior to service will assist with keeping the small amount of sediment in the bottle, rather than the glass.

What is tartaric acid and what are tartrate crystals?

Tartaric acid occurs naturally in many plants including grapes and bananas and is the main acid found in wine. The tartaric acid and potassium in wine can react in cold conditions, forming tartrate crystals. (Its derivative ‘cream of tartar’ is a common addition to baking recipes).

What is Cold Stabilisation?

Cold stabilisation is the process of chilling the wine to near freezing conditions, to force tartrate crystals to form and then physically removing them from the wine. The wine becomes free of sediment, but the process can compromise aroma, structure and flavour.

Customer Service

Vasse Felix is committed to quality, every time. All processes from vineyard, through winemaking to bottling are controlled within the estate to achieve this. If you have any enquiries about your Vasse Felix wine, please contact us.