Wine cellar, Champagne, fortified wines, whisky and other spirits.
A wine cellar is a collection that changes over time: bottles mature, peak and decline. A good cellar
record tells you what you have, where it is and when to open it - and when you sell, a documented
storage history is part of the price.
Getting Started
Wine: still wines by producer, vintage and appellation.
Collectors focus on regions, producers, vintages or styles. A cellar for drinking and a cellar for
investing need the same records, but different storage.
What to Record
Producer, wine or cuvée, vintage and appellation.
Bottle size: the traditional names (half bottle, magnum, double magnum, Jeroboam and larger)
matter, because large formats age differently and are valued differently.
Quantity, and the original wooden case if the bottles are in one.
Fill level and closure: the ullage (how far the wine level has fallen) shows how a bottle was
stored, and buyers check it first.
Storage: where the bottles are and how they were stored before you bought them.
Drinking window and critic scores.
For sparkling wine: dosage and disgorgement date.
For fortified wine: the style, such as vintage port, LBV, tawny or the sherry types.
For spirits: the distillery, age statement or grade (VS, VSOP, XO), cask type, official or
independent bottler, outturn and whether it is cask strength.
Care and Storage
Store wine lying down, at a steady 10 to 14 °C, in the dark, with moderate humidity and no
vibration. Spirits stand upright, so the strong alcohol does not attack the cork. Keep labels clean -
damaged labels lower resale value.
Mistakes to Avoid
Buying valuable bottles without provenance; fakes exist for famous wines and whiskies.
Storing wine in a kitchen or an attic.
Forgetting to record what was drunk - a cellar record is only useful if it is current.
The 29 fields worth recording for wine & spirits, grouped as in the
ordicio app.
Identification
Producer Text
Winery, estate, house or distillery, e.g. Château Margaux, Egon Müller, Krug.
Wine / cuvée Text
Name of the wine or cuvée, e.g. Grand Vin, Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese, Grande Cuvée.
Vintage Text
Harvest year, or NV for non-vintage blends.
Wine country Text
Country of origin.
Region Text
Wine region, e.g. Bordeaux, Mosel, Napa Valley.
Appellation / classification Text
Protected designation and classification, e.g. Pauillac AOC Premier Grand Cru Classé, Barolo DOCG, Erste Lage.
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).
Bottle
Size, closure and state of the bottles.
Bottle size Choice, or your own
Bottle size; the names follow Champagne usage, Bordeaux names differ for some sizes.
11 choices
Piccolo (0.1875 l)
Half bottle (0.375 l)
Standard (0.75 l)
Litre (1 l)
Magnum (1.5 l)
Double magnum / Jeroboam in Champagne (3 l)
Rehoboam (4.5 l) / Jeroboam in Bordeaux (4.5 to 5 l)
Methuselah / Imperial (6 l)
Salmanazar (9 l)
Balthazar (12 l)
Nebuchadnezzar (15 l)
Quantity Whole number, at least 1
Number of identical pieces held, when they are recorded together.
Alcohol (% vol) Number
Alcohol by volume as on the label.
Closure Choice, or your own
Closure of the bottle.
Natural cork
Technical / agglomerated cork
Screw cap
Glass stopper
Synthetic cork
Wax-sealed cork
Fill level Choice
Ullage of older bottles, the main sign of storage and risk.
Into neck
Base of neck
Very top shoulder
Top shoulder
Upper shoulder
Mid shoulder
Low shoulder
Original case Choice
Original packaging, which matters for fine wine.
Original wooden case (OWC)
Original carton (OC)
Gift box
No original packaging
Cellar
Storage and when to drink.
Storage conditions Text
Where and how the wine has been stored, e.g. own cellar at 12 °C since release, bonded warehouse.
Drink from Year
First year of the recommended drinking window.
Drink until Year
Last year of the recommended drinking window.
Critic score Text
Scores with critic, e.g. 98 Wine Advocate, 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson.
Condition
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Acquisition
How and when the object came into the collection.
Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).
Value
Estimated and insured value.
Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.
Collection record
Your own inventory data.
Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.
Standards and References
The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:
EU wine labelling rules (Regulation 2019/33) and national appellation systems (AOC, DOC/DOCG, DO, AVA, Prädikat)
Traditional bottle size names (Champagne and Bordeaux usage)
Critic scales (100-point scale of Robert Parker / Wine Advocate and others; 20-point scale)
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (regions, age statements); cognac age grades (VS, VSOP, XO) of the BNIC
Updated October 24, 2026
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